Pastitsio

Submitted by 2Bleu

"Pastitsio is a traditional Greek dish made with ground beef, pasta, and a thick bechamel (cream) sauce. Here is our version which omits the sweet spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon that traditionally go in this dish."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 25
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• MEAT LAYER

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning or 1 teaspoon all purpose Greek seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons sliced kalamata olives (optional)
• 1 cup diced tomatoes or 1 cup sliced roasted red pepper
• 1⁄4 cup white wine or 1/4 cup red wine

• PASTA

• 12 ounces ziti pasta
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup 2% low-fat milk or 1 cup half-and-half

• BECHAMEL SAUCE

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
• 1 1⁄2 cups half-and-half
• 1⁄2 cup chicken stock
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 1⁄2 cups parmesan cheese, grated

• Garnish

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

directions

1. MEAT LAYER: Preheat oven to 350°F Melt butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add onion and garlic and saute' for 2-3 minutes. Add beef and seasonings. When meat is cooked thru, drain off fat, return to pan and add the olives, tomatoes, and white wine. Simmer uncovered about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. PASTA: Cook pasta according to package directions. Mix remaining pasta ingredients and place in a large bowl. When pasta is cooked, drain and immediately stir into the large bowl, mixing well.
3. BECHAMEL SAUCE: In a medium saucepan over moderate heat, melt butter. Add flour, salt, black pepper, and dry ground mustard. Stir for about 1 minute. Slowly wisk in half and half and chicken stock to incorporate. Stir constantly till thickened (about 5 minutes).
4. Remove from heat. Add a little of the bechamel to the egg to temper it, then wisk egg mixture back into pot and add the parmesan cheese. Stir until well blended.
5. ASSEMBLY: To a large loaf pan or a deep oven-proof casserole pan (10"), place half the pasta mixture. Pour 1 cup of the bechamel sauce over top. then place meat layer over top of that. Top that with another cup of the bechamel.
6. Place remaining pasta over that, then the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to set for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Reviews

[Tamaretta]

This definitely benefits from sitting overnight. When we had it the first night, it was just OK and I would have rated it a 3 but after sitting overnight I changed my mind to a 4. Thanks for posting.

 

[HotPepperRosemaryJe]

Had this before at a friends house years ago and forgot all about it til I discovered it here! It is a keeper...for sure! Jelly

 

[jerison]

Delicious! I, too, added a little more seasoning and have tried it with and without olives, with different noodles, with a dash of cinnamon/nutmeg, and with ground turkey. Both times it came out delicious even with so many substitutions. Try this - you can't go wrong. Yummy! Thanks for sharing.

 

[4QTpies]

This was great! I loved it without the traditional sweet spices and even the kids were eating it up. I used chianti in place of the white wine and a can of crushed tomatoes since I didn't happen to have any fresh ones on hand. This has become the recipe we will turn to when we want to dish up some Pastitsio! Thanks!

 

[PalatablePastime]

Wonderful! I wasn't sure how well I would react to the change in seasonings from the usual Pastitsio recipe I make, but this was really nice! In fact, the flavor really reminded me of Italian manicotti with bechamel sauce on it which I just adore. And actually, comparing the two, this recipe is better because it is much easier to make a layered casserole than to stuff manicotti shells. I did use Dreamfield's low carb pasta in this which makes it allowable for me as a diabetic. All in all, wonderful! And I will surely be making this again. Thanks for sharing! ~Sue