Greek pastitsio recipe (Baked pasta)
12
servings40
minutes1
hour
Delicious with every bite, this recipe will have everyone licking their lips. Layers of penne rigate pasta covered with luscious meat sauce and topped with a creamy béchamel sauce. Pastitsio is then baked until golden brown.
Ingredients
MEAT SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 kg mince meat (beef)
5 – 6 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
4 onions (roughly chopped)
400 g diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon paprika (mild)
1 teaspoon mix dry herbs
parsley – bunch (roughly chopped)
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
BECHAMEL SAUCE
1-litre milk (room temperature)
150 g butter
½ cup plain flour (sifted)
1 whole egg (beaten)
salt & pepper (to taste)
½ cup parmesan cheese (normally added on-top of dishes as a final step)
PASTA & ASSEMBLY
500 g penne rigate pasta
125 g parmesan cheese (grated)
3 egg whites (beaten)
Instructions
- Meat Sauce Instructions.
Add olive oil to the hot pot and add mincemeat, stirring continuously until meat liquid dissolves and meat has browned. - Add garlic and onions continuously stir through, adding red wine.
- Stir the mixture thoroughly covering the pot for up to 5 minutes.
- Uncover pot stirring thoroughly mixture and coving pot for a further 5 minutes.
- Add tomato and tomato paste into the mixture, stirring through thoroughly before covering the pot for a further 10 minutes.
- Uncover the pot and add paprika, dry mixed herbs, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Stir through ingredients thoroughly, adding 1 cup of water
- Cover pot and lower heat for a further 5 minutes (allowing the sauce to simmer), turning the heat off and allowing the sauce to rest.
- Pasta & Assembly.
In a large pot add water, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt, bringing water to the boil. - Add pasta, stirring through once or twice until the pasta has softened (dente).
- Drain pasta, rinsing cold tap water over pasta (this stops the cooking process) and adding drained pasta back into a large empty pot.
- Beat 3 egg whites thoroughly, stirring through pasta.
- Add a generous portion of parmesan cheese to the base of the baking dish, adding a layer of pasta (half quantity) to base (spreading evenly) and apply a generous portion of parmesan cheese over pasta.
- Spoon over meat sauce (spreading evenly) over pasta and adding the rest of the pasta over the meat sauce (spreading evenly) and applying a generous portion of parmesan cheese over pasta.
- Béchamel Sauce – How to make béchamel sauce recipe and video.
In a separate hot pot (low to medium heat), stirring until the butter has fully dissolved. - Slowly sift plain flour into the pot, continuing to stir slowly at the same time.
- Continue stirring until mixture begins to change colour (brown colour).
- Slowly add milk, continuing to stir slowly at the same time.
- The mixture will begin to thicken, add 1 beaten whole egg to the mixture – stirring rapidly.
- Add salt and pepper (to taste), continuing to stir slowly.
- Once the mixture thickens, remove the pot from the heat and apply over pasta (spreading evenly).
- Apply a generous amount of parmesan cheese over Béchamel and bake at 180 C for up to 60 minutes or until pastitsio is golden brown.
- Allow pastitsio to cool before serving.
Recipe Video
Notes
- To save time, you can make the meat sauce the night before and heat up as required the following day.
- Pastitsio holds well for up to 3 days (in a sealed container).
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