Pasta Casserole (Pastitsio)
This recipe for pastitsio has been improved on over the generations. The reason why this is cooked on the stove top & only browned in the oven is that in Greek villages there was a shared village oven. So dishes like these were popular as they could be browned after the bread had been baked.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 32 min
- Total
- 2 hr 12 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Equipment
2.5-litre (10-cup) baking dish (metal, glass or ceramic are fine)
Equipment
2 large saucepans for meat sauce and pasta
Equipment
1 medium-to-large saucepan for Bechamel sauce
Procedure
Heat olive oil in pan. Add the chopped onions and sauté until translucent.
Procedure
Add the minced meat, and cook until well browned.
Procedure
Add the chopped canned tomatoes, liquid and all.
Procedure
Add the tomato paste, water, wine, beef stock powder, and cinnamon powder. Simmer uncovered until it becomes thick in consistency.
Procedure
Once thick transfer into a mixing bowl to cool.
Procedure
Once cool, stir in egg.
Procedure
Melt the butter in pan.
Procedure
Add the flour, and stir well over heat until bubbling.
Procedure
Remove pan from heat, and gradually add the milk. The mixture will become thick and will then thin again.
Procedure
Return pan to heat, and cook until sauce bubbles then thickens.
Procedure
Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted and smooth.
Procedure
Transfer to mixing bowl and cool slightly.
Procedure
Mix in the egg yolks.
Procedure
Boil the pasta as per directions on packet until tender.
Procedure
Drain pasta, and transfer to mixing bowl.
Procedure
Mix the hot pasta with the Parmesan cheese and eggs.
Procedure
Grease baking dish.
Procedure
Press pasta mix into base of pan.
Procedure
Top pasta mix with the meat sauce.
Procedure
Pour the Bechamel sauce over the meat sauce, then smooth the top.
Procedure
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top.
Procedure
In a preheated oven, bake at 180°C (350°F) for 1 hour until golden brown.
Procedure
Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes, tips, and variations
To avoid a large clean up at the end, just reuse the same saucepan.
Notes, tips, and variations
Leftovers freeze well, so it is a great freezer cooking dish.
Notes, tips, and variations
It is a good idea to start your meat sauce first as this needs to cool before you can begin construction.
Notes, tips, and variations
If desired, try adding a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg to the bechamel sauce.
Photo: Robert Kindermann · CC BY-SA 2.5 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 30 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Nutrition information is not available for this recipe yet.
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