Wives with Knives

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Greek Pastitsio ~ And Foodie Friday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I prepare a lot of pasta at my house.  It’s one of the most important staples in my cupboard because of its versatility and ease of preparation and everybody loves it.  Pastitsio is a classic Greek pasta dish and comfort food at its best.   Layers of pasta, cheese, a well seasoned tomato and meat sauce and a rich, creamy bechamel sauce blend in this wonderful baked pasta dish.    The meat and tomato sauce layer is delicately flavored with cinnamon and red wine, and the hint of nutmeg in the bechamel sauce is perfect.  The noodles have a creamy, rich consistency that is unexpected in a pasta dish because the long pasta tubes are hollow and soak up the custard mixture as the pasta cools in preparation of assembling the casserole.  This make ahead casserole is one of my favorite recipes.  Don’t you just love the tube shaped noodles and how well they hold their shape during baking?  It always gets rave reviews for the way it looks as well as the way it tastes.

Greek Pastitsio ~ And Foodie Friday
 
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Ingredients
Meat Sauce
  • Olive oil to coat the bottom of a large pot
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 pounds lean ground meat. I used half ground beef and half ground lamb
  • 1 large can diced tomatoes with juice
  • ⅓ cup kalamata olives, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
Pasta
  • 1 lb pasta
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • 2 cups whole milk or ½ and ½
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • ½ cup kefalotiri or romano cheese, grated
Bechamel Sauce
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ pound kefalotiri or romano cheese, grated and divided
Instructions
For the meat sauce
  1. Cover bottom of large pot with olive oil and saute onion until lightly browned; add garlic; add meat and cook until brown, crumbling with a fork; add remaining meat sauce ingredients to pot, mixing well. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until thick. Let mixture cool, remove and discard cinnamon stick and bay leaf.
Pasta
  1. Prepare pasta by boiling until al dente in plenty of boiling, salted water. Drain and place pasta in a large bowl. Add butter, milk, eggs and ½ cup cheese. Gently stir to coat and set aside.
To prepare bechamel sauce:
  1. Melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour until smooth, cook, whisking for 2 minutes. Gradually add milk,, stirring, until thickend. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  2. In a medium bowl beat 3 eggs. Slowly add hot cream sauce to eggs. Stir thoroughly so eggs don’t curdle.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a large baking pan, 10-12? x 18? or use 2 smaller pans.
  4. Place half of the pasta mixture in the bottom of the pan. If you use bucatini or Misko pasta place the pasta tubes side by side and stack them like logs. Penne pasta also works well but you won’t get the same visual effect. Cover evenly with all of the meat sauce. Sprinkle ⅓ of the cheese over meat sauce. Add remaining pasta mixture, sprinkle another ⅓ of the cheese over the top. Pour bechamel sauce evenly over the entire casserole and top with remaining cheese.
  5. Bake until bechamel sauce sets and is golden brown, approximately 1 hour. Cool at least 20 minutes before cutting.
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PASTA NOTE:  The large tube shaped pasta I used in this recipe is Misko Macaroni Pastitsio #2.  I can’t find it in any of the grocery stores or specialty shops in my area so I order it from Parthenon Foods, a great source of specialty imported foods from around the world.  I have difficulty finding  kefalotiri cheese also and sometimes order it as well.  But romano works and is delicious in this dish.  Bucatini pasta (several brands are available in some grocery stores) is also a good choice if you don’t go for the Misko.  Both pastas are long, hollow tubes that stand up well to a sauce.  The creamy texture of the pastitsio comes from all the custardy filling that fills the tubes of pasta and from the layer of bechamel on top.  When the pasta is cooked al dente it has the feel of surgical tubing (strange as that may sound).  It’s longer than my casserole dish so I just pinch off the ends to fit and use the smaller pieces as fill-in for the pasta layers.

I hope you will try this delicious Greek pasta.  The flavors are wonderful and your friends and family will know you’ve made something very special for them.  A Greek salad and crusty bread are all you need to add for a meal suitable for any occasion.  A glass of a nice red makes it perfect.

 

Comments

  1. Marilyn says

    Very pretty pasta dish. For some reason my husband doesn't like pasta; so I go lightly in offering pasta dishes. We have them just occasionally.

  3. Big Dude says

    I love pasta dishes and I love greek flavors – this sounds delicious. I may have to reduce the number of blogs I read as I'm finding too many things I want to make.

  5. Bellini Valli says

    Pastitsio has always been one of those favourites that I would love to see on the menu at my favourite Greek restaurants.

  6. Susan says

    If this tastes half as good as it looks…..well, you know the rest. Thanks for the recipe and great pics.

  9. George Gaston says

    Cathy, I love the sound of this pasta dish. Especially the use of cinnamon and olives in the meat sauce. Also, that pasta you use really gives this a great look ~ as if you stacked pasta straws!

    Definitely going to have to try this incredible recipe. Thanks…

  10. A Feast for the Eyes says

    OMG! I love this! It's art on a plate. I haven't made this is so many years– thanks for reminding me. Greek food is one of my faves– when I make it, I'm trying it your way.

  11. Janine says

    I love Pastitsio.. Haven't had it for quite some time so will have to revisit it…Thanks for this recipe Cathy!!

  13. Barbara says

    Wonderful pasta dish with a Greek twist. Don't you love the way it looks when it's cut? Have never made Pastitsio but am copying the recipe now.

  16. zurin says

    it does look so neat and unique and beautiful! Ive never seen anything like that ….it must taste delicious too judging by the ingredients! wonderful~(^^)

  18. Michael Lee West says

    Cathy, I'm beguiled by the architecture of this pasta dish. It's gorgeous, and looks delicious. We'll have to make this, and soon.
    XX00

  20. Nancy Jane says

    I've spent time in Greece and adore Greek food, so this is a dish close to my heart. Your recipe is calling my name…

  21. Allie and Pattie says

    I haven't made pastitsio in so long. Since moving to NC I can't find so many of the ingradients that were freely available in NY. You've inspired me to just go for it and mail order!
    xoxo Pattie

  22. Kathy says

    This is definitely a keeper, my lot will devour this, which is a shame because it is so prerry lol. seriously Cathy. I will be making this in the very near future. Happy FF and happy weekend. Kathy.

  24. Katherine Aucoin says

    I'm definitely a pasta person and am wishing this was what I was eating for lunch today. Do you think ziti would work well with this too?

  25. Mrs. P. says

    Cathy….this takes my breath away. I am such a pasta lover. I've never made this but will be very soon!

    Blessings!
    Gail

  26. Cathy says

    Thanks, everyone, for stopping by to visit. I love reading your comments.

    Katherine – I often use ziti or penne pasta. It just depends on what I have in my cupboard. The taste is the same with different shapes. The big tubes make a nice presentation and hold lots of the custardy sauce.

  27. theUngourmet says

    I've never made this. I love Greek food, it's so bold and delicious! The side view of your pasta is wonderful. I must try this one soon!!

  28. teresa says

    that is one of the prettiest pasta dishes ever, i love those tubular noodles peeking through in all their glory! delicious!

  29. Foley says

    Love the look of this pasta dish! It makes such a beautiful presentation… will have to check out the online store.

  31. Rettabug says

    Looks like I'll be inviting the family over to try this one, Cathy! It would easily feed my DD, her DH, 3 kidlets & the 2 of us, too. 😀 My kinda cookin', especially since it can be made ahead of time, too.

    Adding the cinnamon stick to the meat sauce is an interesting twist. Thanks for sharing it with us.

  32. Pam says

    Looks fabulous! I love the pasta presentation — all those little "O"s! Have you tried Barbur World Foods for pasta and cheese options? They have some great choices…

  33. Laurie says

    This dish is so visually fun and it looks delicious too! I'm always looking for new twists on pasta and love that it can be made ahead.

  34. Linda says

    One of my favorite Greek dishes…
    I have not made it in a while…I must try your recipe Cathy!
    Thank you for sharing…
    L~xo

  37. Joyce says

    My SIL is Greek so the day she said I do to the BIL I said bring on the Greek food. This is one of my favorites but I have honestly never made it myself. Her recipe does not have any tomatoes since her dish is always white. Lots of delicous variations on the basic theme. Your post suggests that I need to visit her as her Mom and Aunt make this too when they know I am coming up to NY for a visit. So basically I have to eat 3 different versions before I can leave:) They are all equally delicious and I usually wear a bigger size pants by the time I leave her house!
    Joyce

  39. Pam says

    That looks delicious…I've never had this dish before but I know I would love it. It's beautiful too!

  43. SavoringTime in the Kitchen says

    What a keeper! I love pasta sauce with olives – Puttanesca, right? It not only sounds great but looks beautiful on the plate.

  44. Martha's Menagerie says

    Just love how these photos came out! I'm going to try to recreate this next time I make any kind of baked pasta. Really cool! 🙂

  45. Lisa says

    You know, I've never made this! But I love pasta and this looks so HAPPY… All those little circles make me smile. I'll have to try it.

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