Pastitsio (Pastichio)
With its layers of pasta, spiced meat sauce, and creamy béchamel topping, Pastitsio is the hearty and welcoming meal to make when you're craving comfort food.
Servings: 9
Equipment
Ingredients
Base ingredients
- 1 pound #2 Pastitsio Pasta see notes below
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
For the meat sauce
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 pounds ground sirloin (90/10)
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes blender pulsed
- 1 tablespoon honey
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 large bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
For the bechamel sauce
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 cups whole milk warm
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the meat sauce
- Heat a large pan or pot to medium heat with the olive oil and add the beef. Cook until brown while breaking it up with a spoon. Make some room in the pot and add the onions. Season the meat and the onions with a bit of salt. Once the onions begin to soften, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for another 5 minutes, adding a splash of water if the paste starts to burn.
- Add the red wine and turn the heat to high while scraping with a wooden spoon to dislodge the brown bits. Once the wine evaporates add the plum tomatoes, honey, bay leaves, cloves, and cinnamon and bring to a lively simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste then keep on very low heat while moving onto the bechamel sauce.
For the bechamel sauce
- In a large sauce pot melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Pour the warm milk in a slow stream into the pot and whisk to combine to prevent lumps. Turn the heat up and bring to a simmer.
- If the bechamel is not thick and coating the back of a wooden spoon, turn the heat up a bit more. Once thickened, remove the pot from the heat.
- Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons at a time of the bechamel to temper the eggs. Once the eggs have been warmed up, pour the egg/bechamel mixture back into the pot with the bechamel and stir to combine. Add the nutmeg and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble and bake
- Turn the oven to 375°F and set the rack to the middle level.
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until 3 minutes less than al dente. Remove the bay leaf from the meat sauce. Toss the pasta with 2 cups of the meat sauce and 1 cup of bechamel.
- Grease a 9x13" baking dish. Place the pasta in the dish and try to arrange the pasta all in the same direction but don't worry if you can't.
- Pour the remaining meat sauce on top of the pasta and level it with a spatula. Spread the bechamel out in an even layer then top with parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Bake for 30 minutes. For added color, broil for the last 2 minutes but watch carefully for burning. Wait at least 30 minutes before cutting into the pastitsio so that the slices hold together.
Notes
- Pasta type. Pastitsio calls for #2 pastitsio pasta but long ziti, bucatini, or even short ziti can be used.
- Type of beef. Leaner 90/10 ground sirloin or fattier 80/20 chuck can be used. The chuck will have more fat and contribute to a richer pastitsio.
- Lamb. Ground lamb can be used or a mix of 50/50 lamb and beef.
- Leftovers. Pastitsio can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the oven or microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 873kcal | Carbohydrates: 59.9g | Protein: 57.5g | Fat: 42.9g | Saturated Fat: 18.6g | Cholesterol: 252mg | Sodium: 286mg | Fiber: 3.5g | Sugar: 14.3g | Calcium: 296mg | Iron: 7mg
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