Pastitsio is one of those ultimate indulgence sort of meals, like lasagna and mac and cheese. Hot, cheesy, and so damn good.
But What is Pastitsio?
Pastitsio is one of those ultimate indulgence sort of meals that need their own food group, like lasagna and all forms of mac and cheese. Any time dinner consists 97% pasta and 3% the stuff slathered all over it, it probably has some political official spending some ungodly amount of dollars building a campaign saying it slaughters innocent giraffes. (I know it most definitely upsets Mister Oliver, and really, he’s kind of awesome, so don’t eat this every day, mkay?). You could add a nice spinach salad to the side, you know, round things out. But lets face it, nothing is undoing this…
Grab that glass of wine and can handle the repercussions.
Ingredients
▢ 3 tbsp olive oil good quality
▢ 1 large yellow onion diced
▢ 1 lbs lean ground beef
▢ 1 lbs lean ground lamb
▢ 1/2 cup dry red wine
▢ 1 tbsp minced garlic 3 large cloves
▢ 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
▢ 1 tsp dried oregano
▢ 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
▢ Pinch of cayenne pepper
▢ 28 oz crushed tomatoes
▢ Salt and pepper
▢ 1 1/2 cups whole milk
▢ 1 cup heavy cream
▢ 4 tbsp unsalted butter
▢ 1/4 cup flour
▢ 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
▢ 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
▢ 2 large eggs beaten
▢ 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
▢ 3/4 lbs pasta shells small
Instructions
Start with the meat sauce:
-
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion for 5 minutes, until soft.
-
Add the ground beef and lamb and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking up with a spoon.
-
Drain off any fat if needed.
-
Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes.
-
Add the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes longer.
-
Add the tomatoes and season with 2 teas salt and 1 teas pepper, if desired. Simmer for 40 – 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the béchamel sauce.
-
Heat the milk and cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until just starting to simmer, there will be bubbles around the edges and steam coming off the top.
-
In another larger saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour, stir, and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk away.
-
Slowly pour in the heated milk and whisk vigorously. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes longer, stirring often, until thick.
-
Add the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper if desired. Add 3/4 cup of the shredded Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of the tomato meat sauce.
-
Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Lastly, stir in the eggs and yogurt.
Pastitsio
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13″ baking dish.
-
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until just al dente. You’re going to continue to bake it, so don’t over cook it. Drain.
-
Toss the pasta in with the meat sauce to combine. Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.
-
Pour the bachamel sauce over the top and shake the pan about to spread evenly. Top with the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
-
Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Save Recipe BookmarkSaved Recipe!
