Pastítsio
Public Domain Recipes
https://publicdomainrecipes.com/pastitsio/
15 min
50 min
Pastitsio is a baked pasta dish that typically features a rich meat sauce and a creamy béchamel topping, often spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, cooked until golden brown.
6-8 servings
600g penne rigate
salted water
1 large onion, finely diced
700g lean ground beef
.5 TB ground allspice
.5 TB ground cinnamon
.25 TSP ground clove (optional)
340g tomato paste
226g butter
226g flour
1L cold milk
237ml chicken stock
freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
grated cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 190°C
In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta per package directions. Drain and set aside.
Cook onion in a bit of oil until soft. Add meat and cook until browned, breaking meat into small pieces.
Drain any excess grease and add spices. Stir together and cook ~30 seconds.
Mix tomato paste with enough water to create a viscous tomato sauce. Add sauce to meat and simmer 2-3 minutes before setting aside.
In a saucepan melt the butter and add the flour. Cook 2-3 mins until no longer starchy, whisking frequently. Add milk gradually and whisk continuously. Add stock and cook until sauce is thickened. Add nutmeg and season to taste.
Add thin béchamel layer to bottom of casserole dish and assemble as follows: half pasta, all the meat sauce, 2nd half of pasta, rest of béchamel and cheese.
Bake covered for 45 minutes, removing lid last 5-10 minutes to brown top. Let cool 15 minutes.