You may be asking what exactly is Pastitsio? In a nutshell, it’s the Greek version of an Italian Rigatoni pasta bake; it’s sometimes called a Greek Lasagna. A traditional Pastitsio is typically made with ground lamb and includes the addition of cinnamon in the tomato sauce. This version uses ground beef and Italian sausage instead of ground lamb with the addition of a little nutmeg to the béchamel sauce instead of adding cinnamon to the tomato sauce. The inclusion of a traditional béchamel sauce gives this dish its rich decadent creaminess that will have you coming back for more.
There are three parts to this casserole, the meat sauce, the béchamel sauce and assembling everything with the cooked pasta and baking the casserole. It sounds a lot more complicated to make than it is. I will walk you through each part of the process, step-by-step, so it’s not so overwhelming. This is one of those special dishes that’s perfect to serve at the holidays. It’s rich and creamy, truly decadent, feeds a crowd, and it can be made in advance so all that’s left to do is pop it in the oven at the appropriate time when dinner time approaches.
Start with the meat sauce:
It’s a pretty straightforward process. In a large Dutch oven pot heat olive oil over medium heat.
Add diced onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the Italian sausage and ground beef to the pot.
Break it up into small crumbles with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
Drain off any excess fat.
Add wine to the pot to deglaze the pan and cook off liquid.
Add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, thyme, cayenne, salt and pepper to the pot and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add crushed tomatoes to the pot and simmer for 45-50 minutes stirring occasionally.
Cover and set aside until needed.
Make Béchamel sauce:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour and cook for about two minutes to cook off the raw flour taste and remove any lumps.
Add milk, whisking continuously until heated through and sauce starts to thicken, about 5-6 minutes.
Add grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to the cream sauce. Stir to combine.
Stir in ¾ cup of the grated Parmesan cheese and cook until cheese has melted into the sauce.
Remove from heat and stir in Greek yogurt. Combine until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Assemble and cook casserole:
Preheat oven to 350℉.
Cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions, drain.
Add cooked, drained pasta to the meat sauce, stirring to combine.
Spread meat sauce and pasta in the bottom of a high sided 13 x 9 inch oven safe casserole dish.
Top with an even layer of the béchamel sauce.
Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and finish with a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown along the edges and the center is hot and bubbly.
NOTES: Casserole can be assembled beforehand up to two days in advance and refrigerated. Increase time in the oven by 20-30 minutes to ensure casserole is hot and cooked all the way through.
I love, love, love that this rich, decadent, pasta dish can be made in advance so I can enjoy the holiday’s with my family and friends instead of spending all my time in the kitchen. It makes a lot of food so it will easily feed a hungry crowd. Add a crisp green salad and garlic bread to round out the meal. Once you’ve made this decadent pasta dish it will become one of your favorite holiday go-to meals. Leftovers are even better the next day after all the flavors have melded together in the fridge. Give this dish a try. I’m betting it will become a classic, family favorite that will make an appearance on your holiday table year after year. This one is definitely a keeper!!!
Pastitsio; A Greek inspired Pasta Bake
Equipment
- 13 X 9 inch oven safe casserole dish
Ingredients
For the meat sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Bechamel sauce:
- 2½ cups milk
- 4 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1½ cups Parmesan cheese, grated
- ⅔ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 lb rigatoni or ziti noodles, cooked al dente, according to package directions
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
Make the meat sauce:
- In a large Dutch oven pot heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add diced onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and Italian sausage to the pot and break it up into small crumbles with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Drain off any excess fat.
- Add wine to the pot to deglaze the pan and cook off liquid.
- Add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, thyme, cayenne, salt and pepper to the pot and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add crushed tomatoes to the pot and simmer for 45-50 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Cover and set aside until needed.
Make Béchamel sauce:
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for about two minutes to cook off the raw flour taste and remove any lumps.
- Add milk, whisking continuously until heated through and sauce starts to thicken, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to the cream sauce. Stir to combine.
- Stir in ¾ cup of the grated Parmesan cheese and cook until cheese has melted into the sauce.
- Remove from heat and stir in Greek yogurt. Set aside.
Assemble and cook casserole:
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions, drain.
- Add cooked, drained pasta to the meat sauce, stirring to combine.
- Spread meat sauce and pasta in the bottom of a high sided 13 x 9 inch oven safe casserole dish.
- Top with an even layer of the béchamel sauce.
- Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and finish with a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown along the edges and the center is hot and bubbly.
Notes
Did You Make This?
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