Name: Pastitsio (Greek Baked Pasta)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 150 g Macaroni Pasta, boiled until just firm; 250 g Ground Goat Meat; ½ Onion, finely chopped; 2 clove Garlic, minced; ½ cup Tomato Puree; 1 tbsp Olive Oil; ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon; ½ tsp Dried Oregano; 1 tbsp Butter; 1 tbsp All-Purpose Flour; ¾ cup Milk, warm; 1 Egg, lightly beaten; 1 pinch Nutmeg Powder; to taste Salt; to taste Black Peppercorns, freshly crushed

1 hr 40 mintotal

1 hr 25 min hands-on15 min hands-off

Prep 25 min · Cook 1 hr

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Hard
Spice: Mild

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Method

Boil the macaroni pasta until just firm, drain it, and keep it aside.
Heat olive oil in a pan and cook the onion until soft.
Add the garlic and mutton mince, then cook while breaking up the mince until it browns.
Stir in tomato puree, cinnamon, oregano, salt, and black pepper, then simmer until thick.
Melt butter in a small pan, add flour, and cook for a minute without browning.
Slowly whisk in warm milk and cook until the sauce thickens.
Remove from heat, cool for 2 minutes, then whisk in the beaten egg and nutmeg.
2 min
Layer the pasta in a small baking dish, spread the mince sauce over it, and top evenly with the bechamel.
Bake at 190°C until the top is set, lightly golden, and bubbling at the edges.
Rest for 15 minutes before slicing so the layers hold together.
15 min

How to tell it's done

The top should be creamy and set, while the pasta layer should slice cleanly without falling apart.

Getting it right

Tip

Keep the pasta slightly firm before baking; it softens more inside the sauce.

What to serve it with

Serve with Greek salad or a cucumber yogurt dip for a balanced meal.

Common mistakes

The pasta bake falls apart when sliced.: Keep the pasta just firm, reduce the mince sauce until thick, and rest the pastitsio before cutting.

Substitutions

Use Pasta if Macaroni Pasta is unavailable, choosing a short shape that holds sauce well.
Use ground lamb where available; in Reciplan, Mutton Mince is the closest master ingredient match.
Do not make the mince sauce watery, because the pasta bake needs clean layers.

Storing and reheating

Refrigerate pastitsio for up to 4 days. Reheat covered until hot; freeze portions for up to 2 months.

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Ingredients