Greek Pastitsio Baked Pasta (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Meat Sauce
01 -
About 2 and a half pounds of minced beef or a blend of beef, pork, or lamb
02 -
3 spoonfuls of olive or vegetable oil
03 -
1 big onion, finely chopped or grated
04 -
1 shredded carrot
05 -
Two bay leaves
06 -
1 stick of cinnamon
07 -
A pinch of ground cloves (about ¼ teaspoon)
08 -
1 cup of dry red, white, or rosé wine
09 -
A quarter cup of tomato paste
10 -
Around 2 cups of blended fresh or canned tomatoes
11 -
Add a dash of salt and black pepper to fit your taste
→ Pasta
12 -
1 pound of no. 2 pastitsio pasta
13 -
1 ½ cups of grated cheese (a mix of Parmigiano Reggiano and Greek Kefalotyri)
→ Béchamel Sauce
14 -
1.2 cups of plain flour
15 -
Half a cup of butter or olive oil
16 -
⅓ of a freshly grated nutmeg seed
17 -
One and a half teaspoons of fine salt
18 -
6 cups of whole milk
19 -
2 large eggs
20 -
1 ½ cups of grated cheese (use Greek Kefalotyri or Parmigiano Reggiano together)
# Instructions:
01 -
In a pot, heat up the oil and toss in the minced meat. Fry over high heat until it's brown. Bring down the heat, toss in the grated onion and carrot, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add wine, mix, and let it cook for a minute. Stir in tomato puree and paste. Leave it to simmer till most of the liquid disappears. Take out the cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
02 -
Boil a big pot of water with some salt. Cook your pasta until it's almost done (about 3 minutes less than the instructions). Cool it under some cold water, drain, and spread two-thirds of it into a greased baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with cheese.
03 -
Layer the meat sauce evenly across the pasta in the dish. Lay the remaining pasta over the top, spreading it smoothly.
04 -
Warm up the oil and flour in a pot on medium-high heat, whisking until it smells toasty. Pull off heat and slowly mix in the milk so no lumps form. Put it back to cook, stirring constantly until it's creamy. Let it cool a bit, then mix in nutmeg, salt, and cheese. Beat in one egg at a time, mixing well each time.
05 -
Set your oven to 355°F (180°C). Pour the béchamel over the casserole, spread it smooth, and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake for 50-60 minutes, till the top turns golden. Let it sit for 30 minutes before slicing it.
# Notes:
01 -
For extra flavor, throw in a bouillon cube (beef or chicken) to the saucy meat, but cut back on salt.
02 -
Keep the meat sauce on the drier side so the dish doesn't turn soggy.
03 -
If you can't get pastitsio pasta, opt for hollow ones like bucatini or penne.