Before you cook
Background Recipe story & origin
Pastitsio is Greek baked pasta, often called 'Greek lasagna,' featuring tubular pasta layered with spiced meat sauce and béchamel. The name derives from Italian 'pasticcio' (hodgepodge), reflecting Venetian influence on Greek cooking during centuries of occupation. The dish uses tube pasta (typically bucatini or ziti), meat sauce spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg (Greek aromatics), and a thick béchamel topping that browns in the oven. Egyptian feteer meshaltet and Turkish variations exist, demonstrating Ottoman-era spread. Pastitsio is Sunday food, gatherings food, requiring advance preparation. The dish represents Greek adoption of Italian techniques, transformed with Middle Eastern spices into something distinctly Greek. Proper pastitsio has distinct layers: pasta, meat, pasta, béchamel—not mixed together—and should be firm enough to slice cleanly.
Before you start Equipment you'll need
- large baking dish — Provides structure for baking layered casseroles until golden and bubbling on top
Ingredients
Instructions
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Make the meat sauce
Brown beef with onion. Add tomato sauce, cinnamon. Simmer 20 minutes.
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Build the base
Make thick béchamel. Off heat add eggs and half the cheese. Cook pasta. Layer: pasta mixed with some cheese, meat sauce, remaining pasta, béchamel. Top with cheese. Bake at 350°F 45 minutes.