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    Home » Recipes » Beef Recipes

    Not Your Mama’s Pastitsio

    2 hrs 10 mins | Yield 8 | November 6, 2013 | Updated: November 29, 2018 by Kita | This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Pastitsio is one of those ultimate indulgence sort of meals, like lasagna and mac and cheese. Hot, cheesy, and so damn good.

    Pastitsio | Kita Roberts GirlCarnivore.com
    In case you haven’t figured it out, I’m kind of a soulless carb freak. I want my meat and potatoes and I don’t want to have to count calories or chew on celery all day long to repent. I play hard, and I will eat like a fat kid.

    But What is Pastitsio?

    Pastitsio is one of those ultimate indulgence sort of meals that need their own food group, like lasagna and all forms of mac and cheese. Any time dinner consists 97% pasta and 3% the stuff slathered all over it, it probably has some political official spending some ungodly amount of dollars building a campaign saying it slaughters innocent giraffes.  (I know it most definitely upsets Mister Oliver, and really, he’s kind of awesome, so don’t eat this every day, mkay?). You could add a nice spinach salad to the side, you know, round things out. But lets face it, nothing is undoing this…

    Grab that glass of wine and can handle the repercussions.

    Pastitsio | Kita Roberts GirlCarnivore.com

    If you’ve tried my Pastitsio recipe or any other recipe on GirlCarnivore.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below. I get inspired by your feedback and comments! You can also FOLLOW ME  on Instagram@girlcarnivore as well as on  Twitter and Facebook.

     

    Pastitsio | Kita Roberts GirlCarnivore.com
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    Pastitsio

    This is an all afternoon sort of meal with home made meat and creamy sauce. Pure guilt, pure indulgence, and 100% rocking because you flexed those culinary skills and made it all from scratch.
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Author: Kita Roberts
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time2 hrs
    Total Time2 hrs 10 mins
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 680kcal

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoon olive oil good quality
    • 1 large yellow onion diced
    • 1 lbs lean ground beef
    • 1 lbs lean ground lamb
    • ½ cup dry red wine
    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic 3 large cloves
    • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
    • Pinch of cayenne pepper
    • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
    • Salt and pepper
    • 1 ½ cups whole milk
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
    • ¼ cup flour
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
    • 1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan
    • 2 large eggs beaten
    • ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
    • ¾ lbs pasta shells small

    Instructions

    Start with the meat sauce:

    • Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion for 5 minutes, until soft. 
    • Add the ground beef and lamb and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking up with a spoon. 
    • Drain off any fat if needed. 
    • Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. 
    • Add the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes longer. 
    • Add the tomatoes and season with 2 teas salt and 1 teas pepper, if desired. Simmer for 40 - 45 minutes.

    Meanwhile, make the béchamel sauce.

    • Heat the milk and cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until just starting to simmer, there will be bubbles around the edges and steam coming off the top. 
    • In another larger saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour, stir, and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk away. 
    • Slowly pour in the heated milk and whisk vigorously. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes longer, stirring often, until thick. 
    • Add the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper if desired. Add ¾ cup of the shredded Parmesan cheese and ½ cup of the tomato meat sauce. 
    • Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Lastly, stir in the eggs and yogurt.

    Pastitsio

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13" baking dish. 
    • Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until just al dente. You're going to continue to bake it, so don't over cook it. Drain.
    • Toss the pasta in with the meat sauce to combine. Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. 
    • Pour the bachamel sauce over the top and shake the pan about to spread evenly. Top with the remaining ¾ cup Parmesan cheese.
    • Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

    Notes

    Good Ol' Ina Garten

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Pastitsio
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 680 Calories from Fat 351
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 39g60%
    Saturated Fat 19g119%
    Cholesterol 137mg46%
    Sodium 252mg11%
    Potassium 695mg20%
    Carbohydrates 47g16%
    Fiber 4g17%
    Sugar 8g9%
    Protein 33g66%
    Vitamin A 900IU18%
    Vitamin C 9.5mg12%
    Calcium 162mg16%
    Iron 4.4mg24%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information provided is an estimate. For specific health concerns, please put the recipe into your Dr recommended nutrition calculator.
    Made My Recipe?Mention @girlcarnivore and tag #girlcarnivore!

    Pastitsio | Kita Roberts GirlCarnivore.com

    Pastitsio | Kita Roberts GirlCarnivore.com

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    About Kita

    Hey, I'm Kita, the Meat Maven, outdoor junkie, campfire connoisseur, adventure-seeking and world traveled recipe developer and photographer behind GirlCarnivore.com. My mission is to break down savory eats and inspire you to get a little grit under your nails while having fun with your food. READ MORE

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christiane ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says

      November 06, 2013 at 11:40 am

      I will join you in the carb love. It doesn’t even matter what kind of carbs it is! Beef AND lamb? Swoon.

      Reply
    2. Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says

      November 06, 2013 at 12:23 pm

      I’ve never made pastisio, I always depend on my local greek restaurant for those cravings because it’s the best greek food I’ve ever had. But heck I should try it! And I’m also a huge believer in eating what I want. I also work my butt off at work and at the gym so I deserve some fat-kid activities.

      Reply
    3. Harriet Tsokanos says

      November 06, 2013 at 12:55 pm

      Looks great and reads great. It is close to the traditional Greek recipe but if you really want the dish they serve in Greek restaurants you really need to adjust it a bit. For the amount of meat stated you need 1 lb. pasta preferably a tube shaped pasta. Also you definitely need more bechamel sauce. The sauce on Greek pastitsio sits on top of the dish at least 1 inch thick. You really don’t need the cream. Plain milk will do. 2 quarts milk, 2 cup flour and 8 eggs. The amount of butter you use should be 1 stick but cutting down on that amount will not affect the taste. AND a very large pan. A lasagna pan will accomodate nicely.

      Reply
    4. Diane says

      November 06, 2013 at 8:34 pm

      This looks mighty tasty!!

      Reply
    5. Mimi says

      November 07, 2013 at 8:58 am

      I’m glad you. Kept some lamb in the recipe. It’s what makes this such a fabulous dish! Beautiful!

      Reply

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