Making Pastitsio for the First Time | Greece’s Ultimate Comfort Food

Today I’m making a Greek classic — PASTITSIO — for the very first time! 🇬🇷
This hearty baked pasta dish is one of Greece’s ultimate comfort foods, layered with pasta, rich meat sauce, and creamy béchamel. After traveling through Greece and experiencing the incredible food there, I was inspired to try making this beloved dish at home.

Join me in the kitchen as I learn step-by-step how to prepare this traditional recipe and see if I can do justice to one of Greece’s most iconic meals.

If you love Greek food, comfort food, or cooking new dishes from around the world, you’re in the right place!

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Let me know in the comments:
Have you ever tried Pastitsio? Or is there another Greek dish you’d like me to make next?

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RECIPE: PASTITSIO
Serves: 8-10

Meat Sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves , finely minced
2 red onions , finely chopped (sub yellow or brown onions)
2 lb lean ground beef
2 cup red wine
28 oz canned crushed tomato
2 beef bouillon cubes / powder crumbled (stock cubes)
1 tsp white sugar
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick (or 1 tsp cinnamon powder)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Greek Bechamel:
100g / 7 tbsp butter , unsalted
3/4 cup flour , plain / all purpose
1 quart / 4 cups whole milk, full fat
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
100g / 3 oz Kefalotyri Greek cheese, grated (sub Parmesan or Romano)
2 egg yolks, separated (egg whites are used in the pasta)

Pasta:
1 lb / 16 oz Bucatini (sub small ziti)
120g / 4 oz Feta Greek cheese in brine (drained and crumbled)
2 egg whites (yolks used in Béchamel)
Topping:
75g / 3 oz Kefalotyri Greek cheese (sub parmesan or Romano) , finely grated

Instructions

Meat Sauce:
Heat in a large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 5 minutes until onion is soft and translucent. Add beef and cook, break it up as you go until browned all the way through.
Add wine and and reduce the liquid until the wine has mostly evaporated – about 5 minutes.
Add remaining Meat Sauce ingredients. Stir well, bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium low so it’s simmering gently. Cook for 45 min to 1 hour until liquid is mostly gone, stirring periodically. It should be a thick mixture with little liquid, not saucy.
Remove from stove and cool. Preferably to room temperature, otherwise for at least 30 minutes before assembling (lid off).

Greek Béchamel:
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute.
While whisking, slowly pour half the milk in. It should turn into a wet paste. Then again, while stirring, pour in remaining milk – the paste should easily dissolve so it’s lump-free. If not, just whisk vigorously.
Cook, stirring so the base doesn’t stick to the pan, for 5 minutes or until thick enough so it coats the back of a wooden spoon thickly and you can draw a path across it with your finger.
Remove from stove. Stir in nutmeg, cheese, salt, and black pepper.
Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Then whisk in egg yolks quickly. Place lid on and set aside. If sauce cools and gets too thick to pour, just reheat on a low stove until pourable.

Pasta:
When you’re ready to assemble, cook the pasta per box instructions, minus 1 minute for al dente.
Drain, then return to the pot. Leave to cool for 3 minutes, then stir through egg whites. Gently stir through crumbled feta.

Assemble and bake:
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types). Preferably Convection setting.
Place pasta in a baking dish (33 x 22 x 7 cm / 9 x 13 x 2.75″), arranging them so they are all going in the same direction as best you can (for visual effect when sliced). Make the surface as level as you can.
Top with Meat Sauce, then smooth the surface.
Pour over Béchamel Sauce, shooth out, then sprinkle over the cheese.
Bake for 1 hour or until crust turns deep golden brown.
Cool for at least 15 minutes so you can cut neat slices with the layers neatly visible. Serve!

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#pastitsio #greekfood #comfortfood

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