If you’re looking for Greek comfort food, look no further! This hearty dish is no stranger to the average Greek home and comes chalk full of carb-y goodness! Call it a love affair between a traditional Italian lasagna and Greek Moussaka perhaps? Probably not one to add to the typical Greek Mediterranean diet list but, we can all be bad sometimes right?!
Sometimes known as Greek lasagna, this cheesy baked pasta dish combines Pastitsio noodles (more on that below!) with a ground meat and tomato sauce. As if that isn’t enough, this is all topped with Béchamel sauce, parmesan cheese, and baked to golden perfection. It’s the perfect comfort food that warms up your insides on a chilly day.
What makes this dish truly special is its unique blend of flavors and spices. Greeks love to spice their ground meat, especially in dishes like this. Besides the classic Oregano which is almost never left out in most Greek dishes, the cinnamon added to the meat truly brings out such an amazing aroma and enhances the yummy meaty flavor. If you have left over meat sauce, definitely save that guy and add it to your next spaghetti night – so good! The noodles are important here. The Misko brand Macaroni Pastitsio No. 2 kind are legit. Commonly found at most grocery stores or Greek markets, picture these noodles as really thick spaghetti straws. They layer really nicely in this dish and create a really pretty circular pattern when you cut into a piece of this yummy casserole. If you can’t find these noodles, typical penne pasta, albeit not as traditional, will also do! Finally, to top this off with the Béchamel sauce is the icing on the cake! This white sauce pairs really nicely with the sweetness of the tomato and the savory flavors from the ground meat. The addition of the feta to this sauce gives it the best, salty, cheesy, texture you can imagine. And if that’s not enough cheese, we add parmesan to top it all off. It truly adds the perfect golden finish to this dish! At the end of the day, it may seem like a lot of work and a lot of steps to prepare this Greek classic but, the good thing is, this can be prepared in stages making it easier for assembly. The flavors really do come together when they have at least a day to sit anyways.
Perfect for that Sunday comfort food meal with family and friends or, perfect for your next potluck, Pastitsio will soon be your new fav casserole for years to come. Read on for the recipe!
Greek Lasagna (Pastitsio)
Ingredients for noodles with meat sauce:
1 pound, Misko Macaroni Pastitsio No. 2 (or penne pasta)
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 large Onion, chopped
1 pound Ground Beef (or try Lamb instead!)
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1, 14 ½ Ounce can Whole Tomatoes, roughly chopped with their juices
1/2 cup Dry Red Wine
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano (I would typically almost always use fresh herbs but, dried works best in this particular case. Just make sure there are no preservatives and/or GMOs!)
1 ½ teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, minced
Ingredients for Bechamel sauce:
1/2 cup, Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup, All-Purpose Flour
4 ½ cups Hot Milk
3 Egg Yolks, beaten
Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Pinch of Nutmeg
1/2 cup Feta, crumbled (I love the Macedonian feta cheese the best!)
1 cup (4 ounces) Parmesan Cheese, Grated
Step 1:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package instructions (note: you do want the noodles to be slightly underdone). Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside.
Step 2:
Heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 3:
Add ground meat and garlic, stirring to break up the meat. Cook until no longer pink (about 8 minutes).
Step 4:
Stir in tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, cinnamon, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Stir in parsley. Set aside.
Step 5:
In a medium saucepan, heat butter until melted and whisk in flour. Under low heat, gradually add milk (read: gradually!), constantly whisking until mixture has thickened. Your sauce should be a lava-like texture. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Step 6:
Add a small amount of your béchamel sauce to the egg yolks and add back to béchamel sauce, whisking until smooth. Cook on low heat for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in feta cheese and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese. Set aside.
Step 7:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Combine meat sauce and noodles in a large bowl and add to baking dish. Pour béchamel sauce over the noodle mixture (the sauce should completely cover the noodles until no longer visible). Top with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake until set and golden on top, approximately 35-40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
