Pastitsio
Pastitsio is a Greek bake of tubular pasta, cinnamon-scented meat sauce and thick béchamel. Slightly undercook the pasta and reduce the meat sauce separately, then let the baked dish rest before slicing neatly.
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How to make it
Completed 0 of 8 steps
Sauté the meat sauce base
In olive oil, sauté finely chopped onion for 7 minutes, add minced garlic for 30 seconds. Add ground beef and sauté for 8-10 minutes, breaking up lumps into small pieces and evaporating the released liquid.
Reduce the meat sauce
Add tomato paste and wine, simmer for 2 minutes. Mix in tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, 6 grams of salt, and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes until a thick sauce forms, then remove the bay leaf.
Cook the pasta
Cook the pasta in a separate pan of water with 5 g salt for 2 minutes less than the packet time. Drain well and cool slightly. Separate the eggs, keeping the whites for the pasta and the yolks for the béchamel.
Cook the thick béchamel sauce
Melt butter, mix in flour and heat for 2 minutes. Gradually add milk, continuously stirring with a whisk. Cook for 6-8 minutes until thick and smooth, then remove from heat.
Season the two layers
In warm béchamel, mix in 90 grams of parmesan cheese, yolks, nutmeg and remaining 3 grams of salt. Mix pasta with egg whites, crumbled feta cheese and remaining 50 grams of parmesan cheese. Do not add eggs to hot products.
Assemble the casserole
Preheat oven to 180 °C. In a deep pan about 23 × 33 cm, evenly distribute pasta. Top with meat sauce and cover with a thick layer of béchamel without mixing the layers.
Bake until golden
Bake for 40-50 minutes until a golden crust and an internal temperature of at least 74 °C. The top should be firm, with slightly bubbling edges. If the surface darkens too quickly, loosely cover with foil.
Rest before slicing
Remove from the oven and let stand for 20 minutes. Slice into 8 portions with a sharp knife, lifting with a large spatula to lift the lower pasta layer. Fresh herbs and additional sauce are not included in this recipe.
Little hint
The meat layer should be noticeably thicker than a typical spaghetti sauce. If too much liquid is left in the meat, it will seep into the pasta and even after resting, the casserole will fall apart when sliced.
Frequently asked questions
What should I watch out for when cooking?
The meat layer should be noticeably thicker than a typical spaghetti sauce. If too much liquid is left in the meat, it will seep into the pasta and even after resting, the casserole will fall apart when sliced.
How should I prepare the ingredients?
In olive oil, sauté finely chopped onion for 7 minutes, add minced garlic for 30 seconds. Add ground beef and sauté for 8-10 minutes, breaking up lumps into small pieces and evaporating the released liquid.
