The Greek Dish My Boys Always Ask For
I’m going to start this recipe post with a confession: Greek pastitsio is not my favorite dish. Not even in my top ten.
My dad, however, loves it. For years, I would make it for holidays because I knew he didn’t get it very often. It was one of those things I could put on the table that I knew would make him happy.
Then my boys got older, and the requests started coming outside of the holidays.
“Can you make pastitsio?”
Apparently, my dad wasn’t the only one waiting for it. I quickly learned that it was my boys’ favorite Greek dish, too. So a meal I originally made for my dad became one that another generation of our family looked forward to.
And that is how you end up spending a few hours in the kitchen making something you don’t really even like…because you love the people who love it.
What Is Greek Pastitsio?
If you’ve never had pastitsio, picture a hearty pasta bake with layers of noodles, meat sauce, and a thick, creamy béchamel topping.
It gets compared to lasagna, but the flavors are very different. The meat sauce has a little cinnamon, and the creamy topping brings everything together. If someone in your house loves a meaty lasagna, there’s a good chance this will become a repeat request.
Fair warning: once they discover it, they may expect you to make it again.
This One Takes Some Time
I’m not going to tell you this is an easy recipe you can throw together after work. It’s definitely not!
There are different parts to prepare, pots to wash, and layers to assemble. It is a process to get it right. Plan on a few hours from getting out your ingredients to putting those first slices on plates, especially the first time you make it.
It also needs a lot of mouths to feed. One pan serves a solid eight to twelve people, depending on how you cut it and how hungry everyone is.
And it is FILLING. Pasta, meat, butter, milk, cheese. This is a rich, hearty meal with plenty of carbs. A simple salad alongside it is more than enough.
My Little Béchamel Secret
Here is where I risk getting in trouble with my aunt in Greece.
There are boxed béchamel mixes that make this part go so much faster.
Jotis Béchamel Mix is one option made for dishes like pastitsio and moussaka. You add milk and prepare it according to the package directions.
Shhh. Don’t tell my aunt. She would be ashamed of me for even suggesting it.
I’ve included a homemade béchamel below, but if the shortcut is what gets pastitsio onto your table, I’m certainly not going to judge you.
BEFORE you make the Greek Pastitsio
The cheese used in the recipe is called kefalotyri and is a Greek cheese that you typically can’t find in the grocery store. Plan ahead and look for it at a Greek grocer if you have one nearby or you can order from Amazon but you need to give yourself some time.
Classic Pastitsio Recipe
Serves: 8–12
Prep and stovetop cooking: About 60–75 minutes
Baking: 45–55 minutes
Resting: 25–30 minutes
Pan: A deep 13-by-18-inch baking dish, at least 3 inches deep
Ingredients
For the meat sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 pounds ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
½ cup water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
For the pasta:
1 pound pasta (bucatini or penne)
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup finely grated kefalotyri cheese
2 egg whites, lightly beaten; reserve the yolks for the béchamel
For the homemade béchamel:
½ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk, warmed
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 egg yolks
½ cup finely grated kefalotyri cheese
¼ cup additional grated cheese for the top
Shortcut option: Replace the homemade béchamel with boxed mix prepared according to its package directions. Make roughly 5–6 cups of prepared sauce. Skip the homemade béchamel ingredients, including its egg yolks, and keep the extra cheese for sprinkling on top. Package sizes and yields vary, so check the box before buying.
Instructions
1. Prepare the meat sauce
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.
Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart, until browned. Drain excess fat if needed.
Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add the tomato sauce, water, cinnamon, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
Simmer uncovered for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and there is very little loose liquid. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
You want a hearty meat layer, so don’t leave the sauce soupy.
2. Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta about 2 minutes less than the package directions. It will finish cooking in the oven.
Drain well and toss with the butter and ½ cup grated cheese. Let it cool for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, before mixing in the egg whites.
3. Make the béchamel
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Gradually whisk in the warm milk, starting with small additions and whisking smooth before adding more.
Continue cooking and whisking until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 8–12 minutes. Lower the heat if it begins catching on the bottom.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the salt, nutmeg, and ½ cup grated cheese.
Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl. Slowly whisk a little of the hot sauce into the yolks to warm them, then whisk that mixture back into the saucepan.
Using the boxed shortcut? Prepare it according to the package instead of following this step.
4. Assemble
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease your baking dish.
Spread half the pasta across the bottom. Spoon the meat sauce evenly over it, the spread the remaining pasta over the meat.
Spread the béchamel over the pasta.
Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup cheese. Leave some room at the top of the dish
NOTE: This dish WILL bubble over if your pan is too shallow.
5. Bake
Bake for 45–55 minutes, until the top is golden and the filling is hot. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
6. Give it time to rest
Let the Greek Pastitsio rest for 25–30 minutes before cutting.
I know. After all that work, you want to eat. But this gives the layers time to settle so you can serve slices instead of scooping a loose pile onto everyone’s plate.
Why I Keep Making It
This Greek Pastitsio will never be the dish I would choose first for myself. But when my dad or my boys ask for it, I know exactly why I pull out the pots and make it again.
I get to watch them sit down, take that first bite, and enjoy something I made especially for them.
That look on their faces makes the time in the kitchen worth it.
Somewhere between the holiday meals and the requests for an ordinary dinner, this dish became part of our family’s story.
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