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Pastitsio, it’s what I like to call stick to your ribs-kinda-food. Or as Scott calls it, “take a bite then do ten push-ups…then repeat 20 times.”

If you’re unfamiliar with this Greek dish, you’re in for a treat. Traditionally Pastitsio is a pasta dish layered with meat, tomato sauce, pasta, and a creamy bechamel. It’s baked together to form a lasagna and has a distinct flavor with the help of a little cinnamon. I was introduced to authentic Pastitsio a few months back and have had it bookmarked on Ina Garten’s Make it Ahead cookbook since. In this recipe we bend the traditional ways a bit by combining together the sauce, meat, and pasta, then layering with bechamel & cheese for a pasta bake kinda like you would baked ziti.
Ingredients
  • subheading: For the Meat Sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 pound lean ground lamb (can substitute for pork)
  • ½ cup dry red wine
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 large cloves)
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 can (28 ounces) San Marzano tomatoes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • subheading: For the Bechamel:
  • 2 ½ cups low-fat milk
  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan, divided
  • ⅔ cup Greek yogurt
  • ¾ pound small shells, preferably ziti noodles
Note: Ingredients may have been altered from the original.
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