Description
Pastitsio is a traditional Greek baked pasta dish layered with cinnamon-spiced meat sauce, tender pasta, and creamy béchamel—comforting, hearty, and perfect for gatherings.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground lamb
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick salted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs
2/3 cup sheep yogurt or Greek yogurt
3/4 pound small shell pasta
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot. Sauté onion for 5 minutes. Add beef and lamb; cook until browned, 8–10 minutes.
- Drain fat. Add balsamic vinegar; cook 2–3 minutes. Stir in garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme; cook 5 more minutes.
- Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Heat milk and cream until simmering. In a separate pan, melt butter, whisk in flour, and cook 2 minutes.
- Gradually add milk mixture to flour mixture, whisking until thickened. Stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper, half the cheese, and 1/2 cup of meat sauce. Cool 10 minutes.
- Whisk eggs and stir into béchamel along with yogurt.
- Cook pasta until al dente. Combine with remaining meat sauce and transfer to baking dish.
- Spread béchamel over pasta and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake 1 hour until golden. Rest before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Notes
- Sub ground pork or turkey for lamb or beef.
- Add clove or allspice for deeper spice notes.
- Use ziti or penne if shells aren’t available.
- Include a layer of eggplant or zucchini.
- Make it gluten-free with GF pasta and flour.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 540
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 720mg
- Fat: 31g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 115mg