Pastitsio

Submitted by Sageca

"A greek Lasagna.This is a family favourite. Can be made ahead; refrigerated. Before serving heat in microwave 20 minutes #7; Set under broiler for 5 minutes. I use 1 jar of my Spaghetti sauce that I add cinnamon instead of the meat portion."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 19
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1 cup macaroni
• 8 ounces cottage cheese
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1⁄2 cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano

• Sauce

• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup chicken broth
• 8 ounces milk
• 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg

directions

1. Cook macaroni in a large amount of boiling salted water till just tender; drain.
2. Combine cooked macaroni, 1 beaten egg,cottage cheese1/4 cup parmesan cheese,set aside.
3. In skillet cook ground beef and onion till meat is browned and onion is tender; drain off fat. Stir in tomato sauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and oregano; set aside.
4. For sauce,in saucepan melt butter; stir in flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the milk and chicken broth all at once; cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in the 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese and nutmeg.
5. Place half of the macaroni mixture in an 8x8x2 inch baking dish.
6. Spoon the meat mixture atop; add the remaining macaroni mixture.
7. Spread the sauce over all. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Reviews

[Pryjmaty]

LOVE IT! Made exactly by the directions.

 

[Tea Girl]

This is a very good recipe. I forgot to put in the cottage cheese, only realised it when it was in the oven for a few seconds. Oops! I liked it a lot anyway. My husband said he would like it again but with less cinnamon. I didn't think the cinnamon was too much, but if you are someone not used to cinnamon/meat combination or have picky children, you might want to use a little less.

 

[AB_Fan]

I thought this was good and had good flavor, was easy to make, and well worth the effort. However, I think that 1/2 to 3/4 of the bechamel sauce would have been enough -- that part was a bit overwhelming, in my opinion. Thanks for posting! Made for ZWT4.

 

[Cookingfor7]

This was so very good. We love pasta dishes at Greek restaurants with the nutmeg, but this is the first time I've made something like this at home. The flavors were all great, and this is such a nice change to put on the table. Although we enjoy the flavor of the nutmeg, I think I will cut down on it a little the next time I make it. The nutmeg seemed a little overpowering on the first day. By the 2nd day the flovors had blending together nicely, and the nugmeg had mellowed out a bit.

 

[Busters friend]

This is a really tasty recipe - even though I forgot the beef (rummaging through grocery bags muttering "where's the beef?") and substituted 2 pounds of shredded mushrooms - sauteed in 2 T olive oil so as not to be wet when onion was added to be sauteed further. This is a dish that is even better the second day & the 3rd as well) and it doubled very well. Next time I make it will be for friends - with beef or not! I plan to freeze one for another time (we ate it all over three days this go 'round! Thank you for the yum recipe Sage!