Pastitsio Recipe (aka Greek Lasagna)

One of my all-time favorites growing up was my Mom’s pastitsio, a traditional Greek macaroni baked with meat filling and covered with a crema sauce, better known as bechamel sauce.  

This is a meal that goes great as a side dish with leg of lamb on Greek Easter in spring, or in the summer it’s  great with salad and french bread poolside with a glass of perfect rose.   

My Mom always doctored her recipes and to this day I feel her nearby when I get out her cookbook, flip to the page, and see her penciled notes in her handwriting alongside the recipe where she dabbled and tested until the dish was to her satisfaction.   I’ve carried on the tradition and some of my notes are now there too.  Enjoy this meal. It’s delish. Prepare to have every pot and pan in the house come out but it’s worth every ounce of prep and clean-up.  Make it with love and savor every bite. 

Made with love, Anthea

Mom’s Pastitsio

1-1/2 lb. dry macaroni (Mom says 4 cups in her penciled notes) 

2 lb. ground beef

½ lb. ground lamb

1 lb. grated cheese (use Parmesan and Romano) 

3 small white onions chopped fine

½ small can tomato paste

3 eggs slightly beaten, add a little milk and ½ lb. crumbled feta to the eggs too)

½ lb. butter, melted

½ cup red or white wine

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash of nutmeg & cinnamon

Boil macaroni in salted water, drain and return to pot. 

Prepare meat sauce by frying the chopped onions in a little olive oil adding the meat, tomato paste, small glass of wine and seasoning. (Salt/pepper and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg)

Cook until meat is done, adding a little water or wine if necessary to keep it moist.  Set aside.

Pour half the melted butter over the macaroni. Add the grated cheese.  (Save some grated cheese for topping.)  Add the egg mixture to the  macaroni carefully to blend ingredients.   Season with a smidge of salt and pepper if desired. 

Crema sauce

1 qt whole milk

2 eggs

5-7 tbsp corn starch

1/8th tsp salt

½ of the original butter 

Place remaining melted butter in saucepan and add the corn starch and milk, stirring all the while on medium to medium high heat. I add one tbsp at a time until the corn starch is fully blended and the mixture starts to thicken, then add the next and so on until you have a silky, creamy thickened sauce.  Add salt and remove from the stove. 

Get ready for assembly:

Using a 9x13 or 10x14 greased roasting pan add a smidge of crema sauce to the bottom of the pan in a very very thin layer.  Add a good solid layer of noodles as this will be the ‘foundation’ for the dish being careful to reserve enough noodles for two more layers. Then add a layer of meat and pour on some more crema sauce making sure it’s dripping through.  Repeat with another layer of noodles and meat and add more crema.  Again make sure it’s getting through.   Add final layer of macaroni, add final crema and then top the dish with the remaining parm/romano grated cheese mixture.  You will have a total of five layers:  Macaroni, meat, macaroni, meat, macaroni. 

The crema acts as a binding agent when the pastitsio bakes so this is why you want ample portions dripping through each layer and a slightly thicker layer of macaroni on the first layer. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. If the top gets too golden then tent with foil and finish baking.   

Let cool slightly, cut in squares and serve.  

This is a dish that can reheat or freeze nicely and makes for delicious leftovers.  It’s a great dish and really savory and satisfying.  

Enjoy!