It's ideal for a delicious Sunday dinner You may also know it as Greek pasta bake, and you know that this is the food to serve whenever you want your loved ones to sit around the table and.
We love Pastitsio in part because it's so delicious and shamelessly in part because the name is so much fun to say.
Ten years ago I was researching pasta bake recipes for a friend who was about to give birth when I came across a list of pasta bakes from around the world.
Ingredients of Pastitsio (greek pasta bake)
- Prepare 500 grams of (gluten free) pasta e.g. fusilli.
- It's 1 of sea salt.
- You need 1 of extra virgin olive oil.
- It's 500 ml of (semi-skimmed) milk.
- You need 3 tsp of margarine.
- It's 6 tbsp of corn flour.
- You need 2 tsp of grated nutmeg.
- Prepare 500 grams of minced veal or extra lean beef.
- You need 250 ml of tomato passata.
- Prepare 1 large of onion, finely squared.
- You need 1 clove of garlic, finely grated.
- It's 1 tsp of grated cinammon.
- You need 2 tsp of allspice.
- Prepare 2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper.
- You need 1/2 cup of red dry wine or 1/4 cup cognac.
- You need 1 cup of grated goat's cheese (e.g. feta).
Pastitsio (greek pasta bake) instructions
- Boil the pasta in salted water and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil , until al dente. Then drain. You shouldn't need to rinse with cold water, because you added oil during boiling..
- Boil the milk in a pan and then reduce the heat. Add the margarine and cornflour ehile continuously stiring to avoid burning at the bottom of the pan. I used a hand mixer at a slow speed. When the sause is slightly thick , you add the nutmeg and set aside..
- In another pan, you saute the minced meat. When brown and all juices are reduced, you add the finely chopped onion and grated garlic until transparent and flavour the minced meat. Then you pour either the wine or cognac. If kids are sharing this dish, then you can skip the alcohol. Then in go the passata and spices. You reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until you get a thick sauce with some juice left..
- In a baking tray, you place half of the pasta with some grated cheese and a scoop of the white sauce whle mixing everything evenly. Then you pour on top of the pasta mix, all the minced meat sauce with a scoop of the white sauce. Finally, you place the remaining pasta with some grated cheese ontop of the previous layers. At the end, you pour the remaining white sauce and grated cheese on top of the final pasta layer. You bake for 20- 30 minutes in a pre- heated oven (at 180oC) or until the top layer becomes golden (I know mine looks more brown :-) )..
There are certain recipes that take me straight back to my childhood and this Greek Pastitsio - mince and pasta bake with cheese sauce, is just one of those dishes. Pastitsio is Greek comfort food, pasta layered with meat, cheese and béchamel sauce. Come to think of it, I think the whole family likes it. A simple authentic recipe for Pastitsio- a baked Greek pasta dish with a rich flavorful lamb (or beef) bolognese infused with Greek spices and flavors. A friend introduced Pastitsio to me a couple of years ago and I was instantly smitten.
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