Hello everybody, hope you’re having an incredible day today. Today, we’re going to prepare a distinctive dish, greek pastitsio. One of my favorites food recipes. For mine, I’m gonna make it a little bit tasty. This will be really delicious.
Pastitsio is a layered Greek pasta bake topped with white sauce. You can also use a mixture of half minced beef and half minced pork for this recipe, and use penne instead of macaroni. Today, we are talking comfort food, Greek style. I'm sharing my mom's version of Greek pastitsio, a delectable, flavor-packed baked pasta.
Greek Pastitsio is one of the most well liked of current trending meals in the world. It’s appreciated by millions every day. It’s easy, it’s fast, it tastes yummy. They’re fine and they look wonderful. Greek Pastitsio is something which I have loved my entire life.
To begin with this particular recipe, we must prepare a few ingredients. You can cook greek pastitsio using 32 ingredients and 10 steps. Here is how you cook that.
The ingredients needed to make Greek Pastitsio:
- Make ready Main Ingredients
- Get 2 tbsp margarine, melted
- Make ready 2 large onion, chopped
- Make ready 3 large carrots, peeled & finely chopped
- Take 3 stick celery, finely chopped
- Get 4 clove crushed fresh garlic
- Prepare 2 bay leaves
- Prepare 2 can chopped tomatoes
- Make ready 2 tbsp tomato paste
- Make ready 1 1/2 cup beef stock
- Take 1 tbsp oregano
- Make ready 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- Get 1 tsp ground cloves
- Prepare 1 tsp ground cumin
- Take 2 tsp sugar
- Make ready Freshly ground black pepper
- Make ready Salt
- Get 2 lb ground beef (80/20)
- Take Pasta
- Take 1 lb ziti, cooked
- Make ready 1 egg, beaten
- Get 2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for topping
- Prepare Bechamel Sauce
- Make ready 1 quart milk
- Prepare 1 cup (2 sticks) margarine
- Take 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- Prepare 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Get 1 Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Take 1 tsp paprika
- Get 1 cup cheddar cheese
- Get 2 eggs, beaten
- Take 2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
While the meat is cooking start on the crema (bechamel style sauce). Mix the eggs with the milk in large pot. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. The pasta that is usually used in Greece is a long thin macaroni called Perciatelli.
Steps to make Greek Pastitsio:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Meat Sauce Directions:
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and saute onion, garlic, carrots, celery until soft and fragrant. Add the ground beef, stirring continuously, until all the meat is cooked and browned. Drain and add the tomatoes, paste, beef stock, bay leaves, herbs and sugar and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in salt & pepper to taste. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, then remove the bay leaves.
- For Pasta:
- While the meat mixture is simmering, boil the pasta till al dente.
- Mix the beaten egg with the parmesan cheese and toss with cooked & drained pasta.
- For the Bechamel Sauce:
- Heat the milk in medium saucepan over low heat. In separate medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the margarine, then add the flour and mix well. Stir in the heated milk one tablespoon at a time, and stir until smooth. Stir in spices & cheese. Season to taste. Keep warm until ready to use.
- To Assemble dish:
- Spray a large casserole dish generously with nonstick spray. Combine pasta with half the Bechamel Sauce. Transfer half of the pasta to baking dish. Spread all the meat sauce over pasta. Cover with remaining pasta. Top with Bechamel Sauce and sprinkle with more grated Parmigiano. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven and let rest about 5 minutes. Serve with salad and crust bread.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. The pasta that is usually used in Greece is a long thin macaroni called Perciatelli. If you can't get this then Penne is a good substitute but it is important to use a pasta that has a hole through it as the sauce seeps in and makes it extra delicious. The addition of cinnamon is also important and is an influence of the Ottomans. The Pastitsio (or Pastichio) is a famous Greek pasta bake with a spiced meat sauce and a silky béchamel.
So that is going to wrap it up for this exceptional food greek pastitsio recipe. Thank you very much for reading. I am confident you can make this at home. There’s gonna be interesting food in home recipes coming up. Don’t forget to bookmark this page in your browser, and share it to your loved ones, colleague and friends. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!
