Greek Baked layered Pasta (Pastitsio or the alter ego of Moussaka ! )

>>>>This recipe is part of my ebook « Vivian Is Cooking Greek – 44 Authentic Recipes to Try at Home » <<<<

Pastitsio, the alter ego of Moussaka, is a comforting Greek pasta dish, often compared to lasagna. Exactly like Moussaka, it consists of layers of pasta (instead of vegetables), rich meat sauce, and a creamy béchamel topping..

INGREDIENTS

• Pasta: 600g (20 oz) bucatini or penne

Meat Sauce:

• 750g (1.5 lb) ground veal (or half veal, half pork),
• 1 diced onion,
• 400g (14 oz) canned or 3 ripe quality tomatoes,
• 4 tbsp chopped parsley,
• 1 cup water

Béchamel:

• 1L milk,
• 1 cup all-purpose flour,
• 2 tbsp butter,
• 2 eggs,
• salt & white pepper

Cheese: 1 cup grated (mix of gruyere, parmesan & emmental)

Other: Olive oil for frying/cooking

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook pasta, season with salt, white pepper, and olive oil, then set aside.
2. Sauté onion and ground meat until browned. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, parsley, and water, then simmer for 30 minutes.
3. For the béchamel, heat milk, flour, salt, and white pepper over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat, mix in butter, then quickly whisk in eggs.
4. In a 30×40 cm baking dish, layer half the pasta, meat sauce, half the cheese, remaining pasta, and béchamel. Top with cheese and breadcrumbs, then bake at 180°C (350°F) for 40 minutes until golden.

SERVING TIPS & VARIATIONS

Serve warm with a Greek salad. If you want to gain time, make the meat sauce days ago, freeze it and unfreeze the night before. You can make a double dose of meat sauce and make another time moussaka.  

Want more authentic Greek recipes? 📘 Discover my eBook here!