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Greek

Pastitsio

Non-vegetarian

Παστίτσιο · Pastítsio

A Greek baked pasta of tubular noodles, a cinnamon-spiced beef and tomato sauce and a thick layer of golden béchamel, cut into tall squares.

Pastitsio is a Greek pasta dish from Greece, ready in about 2 hours 30 minutes and made with dried pasta, ground beef and milk. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Pastitsio
Photo: Sam Bailey / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
25 min
Cook
1 h 35 min
Rest
30 min
Total
2 h 30 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
689

Ingredients

8 servings

For the cooking water

For the meat sauce

For the béchamel

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Make the meat sauce: soften the onion (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) in the oil, brown the beef, add the wine, then the passata, cinnamon (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab) and salt. Simmer until thick, then remove the whole spices.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Cook the pasta (opens in a new tab) in salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the packet says. Drain and toss with the egg whites (opens in a new tab) and a third of the cheese.

    Pasta boiling in a pot of water
    How it looks · Photo: Gianpiero Ferraro on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Make a thick béchamel with the butter (opens in a new tab), flour and milk (opens in a new tab). Off the heat whisk (opens in a new tab) in the yolks, nutmeg (opens in a new tab), salt and another third of the cheese.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 180 °C. Spread half the pasta (opens in a new tab) in a deep baking dish (opens in a new tab), cover with the meat sauce, then the remaining pasta. Pour over the béchamel and sprinkle with the last of the cheese.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Bake until deep golden, then rest for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

About this dish

Origin
Greece · Well documentedThe name and idea derive from Italian pasticcio; the béchamel-topped version is distinctly Greek.More food from Greece
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Pasta · Casseroles & bakes · Main courses
Cooking method
Boiled, Simmered, Oven-baked
Taste
rich, aromatic / warmly spiced, creamy, savoury
Diet
No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Pork-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Festive & celebration · Batch cooking
Cook more with
Dried pasta · Ground beef · Milk · Egg white · Onion · Garlic
Techniques
Baking · Boiling · Simmering · Roux thickening

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk, parmesan
  • Contains: Eggsfrom dried pasta, egg white, egg yolk
  • Contains: Wheatfrom dried pasta, all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom dried pasta, all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Sulphitesfrom dry red wine

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

689 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 376 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 19%
  • Carbohydrate 37%
  • Fat 44%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy689 kcal183 kcal
Protein32.3 g8.6 g
Carbohydrate62.7 g16.7 g
Net carbohydrate59.2 g15.8 g
Sugars10.7 g2.8 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.5 g0.9 g
Fat32.9 g8.8 g
Saturated fat14.4 g3.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol137 mg36 mg
Sodium826 mg220 mg
Salt equivalent2.1 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
810 mg
Calcium
302 mg
Iron
5.2 mg
Magnesium
78 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
175 µg
Vitamin C
7 mg
Vitamin D
1.9 µg
Vitamin B12
2.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
275 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Lining the tubular pasta up in neat rows gives the classic striped cross-section.

Common mistakes

  • A thin béchamel — it should be thick enough to sit on top in a deep layer.

Food safety

  • Brown the minced beef until no pink remains (71 °C).
  • Cool leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen.

Reheating

  • Reheat covered at 180 °C for 25 minutes, until piping hot (75 °C) in the centre.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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