greek pasta bake

Recipe video above. Greece&#039;s answer to Italian Lasagna! This traditional Greek dish is made with layers of pasta topped with a rich meat sauce perfumed with a hint of cinnamon and clove, topped with a thick layer of cheese sauce.For the neat layers pictured, arrange the pasta so they&#039;re all going in one direction, and rest the baked Pastitsio for 15 minutes before slicing. Excellent for making ahead (keeps for 4 to 5 days in the fridge) and freezes very well!

Pastitsio (Greek Pasta Bake)

olive oil

garlic (, finely minced)

red onions (, finely chopped (sub yellow or brown onions))

beef

red wine (, dry (Note 1))

/ 28 oz canned crushed tomato

beef bouillon cubes (, crumbled (stock cubes))

tomato paste

tsp white sugar

bay leaf

cinnamon powder

cinnamon

cloves

salt

tsp black pepper

/ 7 tbsp butter (, unsalted)

flour (, plain/all purpose)

milk

tsp nutmeg (, preferably freshly grated)

tsp salt

/ 3 oz Kefalotyri Greek cheese (sub Parmesan

egg ((egg

/ 4 oz feta (, crumbled)

Heat in a large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 - 3 minutes until onion is softened. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from red to brown.

Add wine and and cook until the wine has mostly evaporated - about 3 minutes.

Add remaining Meat Sauce ingredients. Stir well, bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium / medium low so it&#039;s simmering gently. Cook for 45 min to 1 hour until liquid is mostly gone, stirring every now and then. It should be a thick mixture with little liquid, not saucy like Spaghetti Bolognese (Note 4).

Remove from stove and cool. Preferably to room temperature, otherwise for at least 30 minutes before assembling (lid off).

Meat Sauce:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir for 1 minute.

While stirring, slowly pour half the milk in. It should turn into a wet paste. Then again, while stirring, pour in remaining milk - the paste should easily dissolve so it&#039;s lump-free. If not, just whisk vigorously.

Cook, stirring so the base doesn&#039;t catch, for 5 minutes or until thick enough so it coats the back of a wooden spoon thickly and you can draw a path across it with your finger.

Remove from stove. Stir in nutmeg, cheese and salt.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Then whisk in egg yolks quickly. Place lid on and set aside. If sauce cools and gets too thick to pour, just reheat on a low stove until pourable.

Greek Béchamel (Note 5):

When you&#039;re ready to assemble, cook the pasta per packet instructions, minus 1 minute.

Drain, then return to the pot. Leave to cool for 3 minutes, then stir through egg whites. Gently stir through crumbled feta.

Pasta (Note 6):

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).

Place pasta in a baking dish (33 x 22 x 7 cm / 9 x 13 x 2.75&quot;), arranging them so they are all going in the same direction as best you can (for visual effect when sliced). Make the surface as level as you can.

Top with Meat Sauce, then smooth the surface.

Pour over Béchamel Sauce, then sprinkle over the cheese.

Bake 30 min or until crust turns golden.

Cool for at least 10 minutes so you can cut neat slices with tdhe layers neatly visible. Serve!

Assemble and bake:

Also known as Greek Lasagna, this Pastitsio is everything comfort food should be. The perfect dish for a large crowd that will please even the pickiest of eaters. Layers of pasta, a delicious and aromatic meat sauce, topped with a special bechamel sauce, is what this Greek Lasagna is all about.

Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

onion

garlic (minced)

red wine

bay leaves

oregano

allspice

salt and pepper (to taste)

tomatoes

water

sugar

butter (unsalted (8 tablespoons))

all-purpose flour

milk (2%)

nutmeg

Kefalotyri Greek cheese (or Parmesan, grated)

eggs

egg egg

Pastitsio pasta (or bucatini)

Kefalotyri Greek cheese

Brown the meat:

Brown the meat: Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, breaking it up as you cook, until the meat is well browned.

Cook onion and garlic:

Cook onion and garlic: Add the onion, stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic.

Deglaze and add remaining ingredients:

Deglaze and add remaining ingredients: Deglaze the pan with the red wine, then add the bay leaves, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, salt, pepper, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, water and sugar. Stir everything together well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for about 45 minutes or until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick and discard.

Meat Sauce

Cook the pasta:

Cook the pasta: Before starting the Béchamel sauce, cook the pasta as per package instructions until al dente. Drain and let cool.

Make the bechamel:

Make the bechamel: In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk in the flour. Keep whisking for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper, then whisk everything together. Cook for another 5 minutes and whisk as necessary. Remove from heat and stir in the ¾ cup of Kefalotyri cheese.

Combine with the egg mixture

Combine with the egg mixture: In a medium size bowl whisk together the 2 eggs with the 2 egg yolks. Add a ladle of Béchamel sauce into the eggs and whisk briskly to avoid curdling the eggs. Add another ladle of sauce and whisk. Gradually add the egg mixture into the Béchamel sauce while stirring briskly.

Bechamel Sauce

Preheat oven:

Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease the pan:

Grease the pan: Grease a 9x13-inch pan that&#39;s 3 inches deep with some olive oil. It&#39;s very important that the dish is 3 inches deep, otherwise not everything will fit.

Prepare the pasta:

Prepare the pasta: Toss the cooked pasta with ½ cup of the meat sauce. Whisk the 2 egg white and toss it together along with ½ cup of Kefalotyri cheese. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared pan. You can arrange the pasta so that&#39;s they all go in the same direction.

Top with remaining meat sauce:

Top with remaining meat sauce: Top the pasta with the rest of the meat sauce and smooth out the surface.

Finish with bechamel and cheese:

Finish with bechamel and cheese: Pour the Béchamel sauce over the meat sauce and smooth it out. Top with remaining Kefalotyri cheese.

Bake:

Bake: Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is golden brown and set.

Let rest and serve:

Let rest and serve: Let the pastitsio rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting into slices and serving.

Assembly

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/XvKDxBwI.mp4

Pastitsio

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Pastitsio (Greek Pasta Bake)

Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

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