Pastitsio. Get Pastitsio Recipe from Food Network. If you want to test the waters, try adding half the amount of cinnamon called for in the recipe. Pastitsio is a layered Greek casserole of macaroni and seasoned ground lamb, topped with a thick cream sauce.

Pastitsio is a favorite traditional Greek dinner recipe. It's a Greek version of lasagna- characterized by a white and creamy bechamel sauce used in place of marinara and a hint of cinnamon. And I think you'll find that this is one of the most delicious dinner recipes you've ever had! You can have Pastitsio using 24 ingredients and 13 steps. Here is how you cook it.

Ingredients of Pastitsio

It's 500 g of various grated cheese or kefalotiri cheese.
You need 1 1/2 packets of macaroni No3 (usually long, thick, hollow pasta).
It's of butter.
Prepare of For the mince layer.
Prepare 750 g of ground beef.
You need 1 of large onion, finely chopped.
You need of olive oil.
It's 2 of fresh ripe tomatoes, chopped.
It's 500 ml of Passata.
Prepare of salt.
Prepare of pepper.
You need of ground nutmeg.
You need 500 ml of water.
It's 200 ml of red wine.
It's of For the bechamel sauce.
You need 7-8 tbsp of flour.
It's 250 g of butter or margarine.
You need 4 of eggs.
It's 1 can of evaporated milk.
It's 1 can of water (use the now empty milk can).
Prepare 300 g of grated cheese (this portion is taken from the 500 g grated earlier).
You need of salt.
It's of pepper.
It's 1 of level tsp ground nutmeg.

Pastitsio is one of my favorite baked pasta dishes. My husband made this recipe for us a couple of months ago. It's not my favorite version; I found the cream sauce way too starchy and pasty. I also thought tossing the pasta with butter & parmesan made it a little too heavy and rich-tasting.

Pastitsio step by step

Boil the pasta in salted water..
Strain the pasta using a colander and rinse with cold water..
Melt 2 tbsp butter in the pot and return the pasta into the pot tossing it well to coat it with the melted butter. Leave it aside to cool..
Preparing the mince Sauté the onion and mince in the heated oil until the mince is browned..
Add the fresh tomatoes, passata, salt, pepper, nutmeg, water, and allow to simmer for approximately 40 minutes (or until most of the liquid is reduced). Just before removing the mixture from the heat, add the wine. Let the mince mixture to cool..
To prepare the bechamel sauce Melt the margarine in a saucepan over medium heat, and add the flour, whisking constantly till flour is lightly browned..
While whisking constantly, pour in slowly the evaporated milk, water, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg and finally add the grated cheese. As soon as the sauce thickens, remove from heat and allow it to cool..
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C..
In a well greased ovenproof dish, place 2/3 of the pasta to create a bottom layer. Level out and sprinkle with some of the remaining 200g grated cheese..
Next spread the mince on top of the pasta..
Cover the mince with the remaining pasta, and more of the grated cheese..
Cover the whole pastitsio with the bechamel sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, which will add extra flavour as well as a golden colour to the finished dish..
Place dish in the pre-heated over and bake for approximately 1 hour..

Pasta for Greek Pastitsio Greek Pastitsio recipe - Prepare the meat sauce. Greek pastitsio (pastichio/pasticcio/Pastizio) owes its distinctive and rich flavour to the two aromatic spices used in the meat sauce of the traditional pastitsio recipe, which are cinnamon and clove. Once put in the oven, the intense aromas of those spices bring back childhood memories. Pastitsio is a common dish, and is often served as a main course, with a salad. [citation needed] Cyprus. In Cyprus, it is an essential dish during weddings and celebrations such as Easter, where it is served along with spit roasted meat.