Recipe

Pastitsio Greek Casserole Recipe

Add Step-by-Step Photos	Dixiejet / All my dishes 2 years, 3 months ago Pronounced pah-STEET-see-oh Some recipes for this dish do not call for cinnamon in the meat sauce, but I ALWAYS put it in. This recipe also calls for a thick béchamel sauce. I love this stuff and don't make it nearly often enough. Prep:60m Cook:120m Servings:8	Dixiejet
	greek easy

Does this look good? Yeah! / Nope

Fans

berry

fuzzy

notyourmom

lor

greekgirrr

misslizzi

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs lg tubular pasta (such as ziti #2)

1 c olive oil

1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 1/4 c chopped onions

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

2 1/2 c peeled, chopped plum tomatoes

1 1/2 t ground cinnamon

6 whole cloves

sea salt

20 or more ground peppercorns (to taste)

1 1/4 c grated kefalotyri cheese (or pecorino)

1/2 c breadcrumbs

béchamel sauce w/cheese or basic béchamel

Directions

Sauté onions til translucent in 2 T olive oil in large heavy-bottomed frying pan.

Add meat & continue to stir til lightly brown.

Add tomatoes, spices, garlic, salt, & pepper & stir well to combine. Reduce heat & simmer til liquid has been absorbed, about 30-35 min. This is very important - the meat mixture should be as dry as possible without sticking to the bottom of the pan. Set meat mixture aside, uncovered, & allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a baking or roasting pan approximately 11 X 14 X 3 in. high.

While the meat is simmering, prepare pasta. Cook til slightly underdone, drain, toss w/couple T. olive oil to prevent sticking, & set aside.

Make the béchamel sauce with cheese or 6 c. of basic béchamel.

Spread the breadcrumbs evenly on bottom of an 11x15x3-in. baking pan.

Use 1/2 the pasta for first layer & sprinkle with 1/2 c. of the grated cheese.

Add meat sauce evenly over the pasta, & sprinkle w/1/2 cup of the grated cheese.

Add remaining pasta on top. Carefully pour béchamel over the top & use a spatula to spread evenly.

Bake at 350F for 30 min., then sprinkle remaining 1/4 c. grated cheese on top, & continue to bake for another 15-30 min. til sauce rises & turns golden brown.

Remove pan from oven & allow to cool before serving (Pastitsio is served warm, not hot). Serves 6-8

This dish can be prepared the day before, all the way to the béchamel sauce, refrigerated overnight,& cooked the next day after adding sauce.

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Comments

angelgal 2 years, 3 months ago said:
Hubby will LOVE this!!

shirleyoma 2 years, 3 months ago said:
I love it already! Yummmmm... love this stuff!

zena824 2 years, 3 months ago said:
Sounds yummy.....

taesma 2 years, 3 months ago said:
Yum, I looove pastitsio. This looks really good, thanks!

dixiejet 2 years, 3 months ago said:
It really is delish,ya'll....I have used ground lamb in it,too instead of the beef...

berry 2 years, 3 months ago said:
Uhmmmmmmm........ Yummy, I Rated it 5!

oescrazy1 2 years, 2 months ago said:
I love this stuff! I am a big fan of Greek cooking, and I have made Pastitsio once and the recipe was more complicated than yours. I will definitely try yours, I like easy and yummy.

mellian 2 years, 2 months ago said:
Yep.. gotta have the cinnamon and cloves. Great recipe!

legoflamb 2 years, 1 month ago said:
I believe my grandmother always used cinnamon. Thank you for the recipe.

dee007 2 years, 1 month ago said:
This looks good... Another on my list to try. I will post and let everyone know how it turns out.

Hugs, Dee

notyourmomma 2 years, 1 month ago said:
I love this dish, how wonderful and I agree the cinnamon is crucial. How nice to hear that cinnamon is healthy too! Great Post!

krumkake 2 years, 1 month ago said:
I have missed sooooo many recipes the last couple months...but I'm sure glad I happened to come across this when I visited your page (in the angel debate, of course). Man, does this look, and sound, 100% delicious...love pastitsio, but never made it at home - I will now! Thanks DJ!!

lor 2 years ago said:
Oh this sounds good! I have been in such a "pasta mood" lately and I think this one will hit the spot!!! Thank you for sharing ;-)

modelsmom 1 year, 11 months ago said:
I love pastitsio, & this looks easier than my recipe. Will definitely be trying this.

greekgirrrl 1 year, 9 months ago said:
Very good pastitsio recipe..

conner909 1 year, 9 months ago said:
Wow....judging by all the comments, and everything being relative, this is an immensely popular dish! Looks yummy!

crabhappychick 1 year, 8 months ago said:
I love pastitsio and this sounds like a yummy one. And this one has the cinnamon that makes it authentic.

fuzzy 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Lovin it

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Alterations

crabhappychick 1 year, 8 months ago said:
To make this gluten-free, use rice pasta and make your béchamel with cornstarch instead of flour (use the same amount of cornstarch as you would flour). Either leave out the breadcrumbs or use gluten-free breadcrumbs. Voila! You now have gluten-free pastitsio.

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