Yiayia’s Pastitsio Recipe

I’m so excited to share with you my Yiayia’s Greek Pastitsio Recipe. Pastitsio is a quintessential Greek dish — it’s synonymous with being Greek: large parties, plenty of food, drink, and celebration. It’s true that Greeks love to celebrate. We love to cook, feed our friends, dance, and celebrate life.

Yes, that’s me! It’s 1984 and I’m celebrating Greek Independence Day.Whenever I think of pastitsio, I am instantly transformed back to my childhood. I become the little girl you see in the photo, dressed in my traditional Greek costume, anxiously waiting to recite my poem during the annual Greek School Independence Day program at my Church, The Cathedral of the Annunciation, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Don’t worry, Pastitsio is more complicated than it looks!

It may look complicated, but it’s not too hard to prepare Yiayia’s Greek Pastitsio Recipe.  There are, however, multiple steps involved, so give yourself a little extra time and patience.

Greek Pastitsio is definitely a showstopper and worth the effort! Your guests are sure to be impressed.

If you need a dish to take to a potluck function or for a special occasion, Yiayia’s Greek Pastitsio is the one. You can make one large dish, or you can use two smaller pans with this recipe if you’d like to make one to store in the freezer. It tastes just as delicious thawed and reheated in the oven on low heat.

What I love about Yiayia’s Greek Pastitsio

What I love about Yiayia’s Greek Pastitsio Recipe is the delicious combination of flavors — the hints of cinnamon in the meat sauce, the sturdy bucatini noodles, and the nutmeg-flavored, creamy bechamel sauce that just melts in your mouth.

Plus, it’s the kind of dish that doesn’t need extra side dishes. Serve it alongside a plate of fresh greens, some olives and cheese and you have a balanced, delicious meal.

I hope you enjoy making my Yiayia’s Greek Pastitsio Recipe and sharing it with your family and friends. It’s truly one of the best Greek main dishes I’ve ever had.

Yiayia’s Pastitsio Recipe

24 oz. of Ground Beef (Or Ground Turkey)

1 lb. Pasta (I used bucatini pasta, but you can also sub penne or rigatoni)

28 oz. can crushed tomato

1 tbsp. olive oil

One medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Bechamel Sauce:

4 Cups 2% Milk

2 large eggs

3/4 cup flour

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

Dash of nutmeg

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Yiayia’s Greek Pastitsio Recipe: Step By Step Instructions

There are three distinct steps to making Greek Pastitsio

1. Boiling the pasta while cooking the meat sauce.

2. Preparing the bechamel sauce.

3.  Assembling the dish.

Preparing the Meat Sauce:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large dutch oven, cooking pasta according to package instructions. Once pasta is cooked and drained. Add back to dutch oven and coat with a splash of olive oil to keep noodles from sticking. Cover and set aside.

1. In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil and add in ground beef and onions. Saute until ground beef is browned and onions are translucent.

1. Stir in salt, pepper, and cinnamon.
2. Next stir in tomato. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off fire and move pan aside.

Preparing the Bechamel Sauce:

1. In a dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Make a roux (Flour and butter mixture to thicken bechamel sauce). Stir in flour and continue to stir until its coated in butter. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring gently.

1. In a large microwave bowl, warm 4 cups of milk in microwave for about one minute. Add in two eggs and whisk well.
2. Turn heat to medium high and whisk milk mixture into flour/butter. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.

1. Whisk constantly to smooth out any lumps and prevent the mixture from sticking.

1. Keep your full attention on this step, as the mixture needs to constantly be whisked. It takes about 5 minutes or so for it to thicken. Once it thickens and reaches a pancake batter consistently turn off flame and remove from stove.

Assembling the Pastitsio

1.  NOTE: You will need either TWO 9 x 12 dishes or one DEEP 10 x 13 dish to properly fit the mixture and prevent the bechamel from overspilling.
2. Spread about 1/2 cup meat sauce on bottom of pan — just enough to cover the bottom.

1. Layer half of the noodles and top with the meat sauce and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
2. Next, layer the remaining noodles.

1. Pour the bechamel sauce on top of the noodles evenly to cover.

1. Sprinkle 1 cup of parmesan evenly on top of the bechamel sauce.
2. Bake covered for 20 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 30-45 minutes, or until the top of the bechamel is golden brown.

1. Let the dish sit for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Enjoy!

Here’s the recipe for Yiayia’s Pastitsio!

3.81 from 31 votes

Print

Yiayia's Pastitsio Recipe

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 20 mins

 

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Pounds of Ground Beef Or Ground Turkey
• 1 lb. Pasta I used bucatini pasta, but you can also sub penne or rigatoni
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomato
• 1 tbsp. OIive oil
• 1 Medium Onion chopped
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper

Bechamel Sauce:

• 4 Cups 2% Milk
• 2 large Eggs
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 Stick Butter 1/2 cup
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper
• Dash of nutmeg

Instructions

Preparing the Meat Sauce:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large dutch oven, cooking pasta according to package instructions. Once pasta is cooked and drained. Add back to dutch oven and coat with a splash of olive oil to keep noodles from sticking. Cover and set aside.
3. This is the correct amount of salt needed to make delicious tasting pasta!
   
4. In a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil and add in ground beef and onions. Saute until ground beef is browned and onions are translucent.
   
5. Stir in salt, pepper, and cinnamon.

6. Next, stir in tomato. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off fire and move pan aside.

   

Preparing the Bechamel Sauce:

1. In a dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Make a roux (Flour and butter mixture to thicken bechamel sauce). Stir in flour and continue to stir until its coated in butter. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring gently.
   

3. Then, In a large microwave bowl, warm 4 cups of milk in microwave for about one minute. Add in two eggs and whisk well.

4. Turn heat to medium high and whisk milk mixture into flour/butter. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.
5. Whisk constantly to smooth out any lumps and prevent the mixture from sticking.
6. Keep your full attention on this step, as the mixture needs to constantly be whisked. It takes about 5 minutes or so for it to thicken. Once it thickens and reaches a pancake batter consistently turn off flame and remove from stove.
   

Assembling the Pastitsio

1. NOTE: You will need either TWO 9 x 12 dishes or one DEEP 10 x 13 dish to properly fit the mixture and prevent the bechamel from overspilling.
   

2. Next, spread about 1/2 cup meat sauce on bottom of pan -- just enough to cover the bottom.

3. Layer half of the noodles and top with the meat sauce and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
   

4. Next, layer the remaining noodles.

5. Pour the bechamel sauce on top of the noodles evenly to cover.
   

6. Lastly, sprinkle 1 cup of parmesan evenly on top of the bechamel sauce.

7. Bake covered for 20 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 30-45 minutes, or until the top of the bechamel is golden brown.
   

Recipe Notes

Let the dish sit for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.

P.S. If you love Yiayia’s Pastitsio, you will be sure to love:

Ground Beef and Orzo

Share on Facebook

Post on X

Follow us

Save