Pastitsio is a rich Greek pasta bake, often referred to as Greek Lasagna. This recipe's star ingredients are ground beef, Béchamel, cheese and savory spices. Pastitsio is comfort food at it's finest!
Add olive oil to a large skillet or dutch oven and heat to medium-high. Add the onion and cook until soft.
Add ground beef and use a wooden spoon to separate the beef into crumbles. Cook until browned. Drain and return to dutch oven.
Add wine and stir until evaporated.
Add tomato paste and mix until ground sirloin mixture is coated in paste. Add in cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and oregano and combine. Add crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper and stir. Add bay leaves and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes on low heat. Remove bay leaves and discard.
Cook pasta just under al dente (about 2 minutes less than the package cooking time instructs). Drain and return to pot.
Bechamel
Melt butter in saucepan under medium heat. Whisk in flour until combined and frothy about 3 minutes.
Gradually add warm or hot milk stirring constantly until thickened (should cling to spoon and show stir tracks in the saucepan).
Remove from heat and whisk in cheese. Whisk in lightly beaten eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of nutmeg.
Add ½ of the meat sauce to the pot with the noodles and combine. Spray 9" x 13" pan with olive oil and add the noodles.
Sprinkle with grated cheese and add the remaining meat sauce.
Top with Béchamel and the remainder of grated cheese.
Bake at 350° F for 45 - 55 minutes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and place under broiler for 4 - 5 minutes until cheese is golden brown.
Allow to set for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Keyword greek lasagna, greek pasta bake, Pastitsio