Pastitsio is lasagna’s Greek cousin. It’s calmer, warmer, but it does take a minute or two to figure out. It’s built on three things: pasta, ground lamb, and a properly set béchamel that coats your fork. Just like lasagna, but not… The key difference is that the pasta, a tubular shape with a hole down the center, builds the base layer instead of the wide traditional noodles you’re used to seeing.
When it’s wrong, it’s greasy and loose. When it’s right, you get clean, thick slices, subtle spice, and the incredible flavors of a timeless comfort-food recipe. Think of this as moussaka’s quicker version. Just no eggplant prep; it’s swapped for pasta but still has the same cinnamon-y ground lamb flavors.
There are a few things that are non-negotiable if you’re going for traditional pastitsio: You coat hot pasta with egg whites so the layers lock in. Keep the béchamel pourable, not super thick, so it soaks into everything before it bakes. Let the lamb simmer with cinnamon – both ground and a stick – so you get warmth without it tasting like a dessert. The whole dish takes just over 2 hours, feeds the family, and tastes better the next day.
🔪 Ingredients for Pastitsio
Pasta Layer
- Tubular pasta (pastitsio noodles, ziti, or penne): Short, sturdy pasta with a hole in the center is non-negotiable. Thats what makes true pastitsio.
- Kosher salt: Season the pasta water heavily.
- Egg whites: This is the secret handshake. They bind the noodles so the base slices clean instead of slumping.
Lamb Sauce
- Olive oil: Lamb brings its own fat, but you need a head start to saute the veg.
- Onion: Finely chopped so it virtually melts into the sauce, not chunks.
- Garlic: Enough to smell it immediately, not enough to slay any vampires.
- Ground lamb: Look for American ground lamb with a decent fat content. Just like with ground beef, if it’s too lean, it will lack flavor and get dry.
- Kosher salt & black pepper: Season early so the lamb actually absorbs it.
- Ground cinnamon: When used in savory dishes, cinnamon adds a beautiful, complex flavor that people love.
- Tomato paste: Cook it until it darkens – don’t skip this step, raw paste is a crime.
- Crushed tomatoes: We love fire roasted curshed tomatoes for an extra punch.
- Dry red wine: Like all recipes, use a wine you would serve alongside this recipe.
- Chicken broth: Rounds things out without diluting flavor.
- Bay leaf & cinnamon stick: we realize we’ve doubled down on cinnamon here, trust us.
Béchamel
- Unsalted Butter: This is not the place to cut corners.
- All-purpose flour: Cook it long enough to lose the raw edge, not long enough to brown.
- Whole milk, warmed: Cold milk causes lumps, so be sure to let your milk sit at room temp before cooking.
- Kosher salt & nutmeg: These are both subtle but essential for a classic bechamel sauce.
- Egg yolks: This is what turns sauce into structure.
- Parmesan: Salty, savory, and just enough to anchor the top layer.
To Finish
- Chopped parsley: Brightness and a little visual relief. That’s it.
We’ve been crushing on the flavors of ground lamb lately. Especially American ground lamb. We love Freedom Run Farm lamb for its flavor and fat content. Did you know you can swap ground lamb in any recipe that calls for ground beef if you’re looking to mix up your proteins?
Equipment
- Large pot
- Wide skillet
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
- 9×13-inch baking dish
- Wooden spoon or spatula
📝 How to Make Greek Pastitsio (Step-by-Step)
1. Cook the Pasta
Boil the pasta in salted water until just shy of al dente.
Drain it well — really well — then immediately toss the hot pasta with egg whites and a pinch of salt until it looks lightly glossy and the whites are no longer “clear and slippery.” This looks odd the first time you do it. Trust us and go with it.
2. Make the Lamb Sauce
Cook the onion until soft and translucent with light golden edges – not browned or crispy.
Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. If it starts browning, your heat’s too high.
Add the ground lamb and cook, breaking it up, until no pink remains and you see some browning on the bits (that’s flavor). If the pan looks soupy, keep cooking.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it turns a deeper brick red and starts sticking a little to the pan – the raw-paste smell should be gone.
Add the tomatoes, wine, broth, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick. Simmer until the sauce is spoonable and glossy – when you drag a spoon through, it should leave a clear trail for a second before it fills back in.
3. Make the Béchamel
Cook butter + flour (roux) until it smells toasty/nutty but stays pale — no raw flour smell.
Whisk in warm milk until smooth, and simmer until béchamel coats the back of a spoon. Swipe a finger through it: the line should hold.
After adding yolks + Parmesan, the béchamel should be silky and pourable, like a thick cream soup – not thick like glue.
4. Assemble
Spread pasta evenly (pressing lightly so it’s level) into the baking dish.
Spread lamb sauce edge-to-edge.
Pour béchamel on top; gently tap the pan to level. You want an even layer with no “bare” corners.
5. Bake & Rest
Bake until the center is set (no liquid jiggle), and the top has light golden spots. If you gently shake the pan, it should move like a soft custard, not slosh about.
And the most important part, rest it for 15–20 minutes so the slices hold their shape. If you skip this one step, the whole pile will crumble on the plate. (If you make this ahead of time, the next day it slices even cleaner.)
🔄 Substitutions & Variations
- Spice level: Want it warmer? Add a small pinch of clove or allspice. Keep it subtle, though…. This isn’t pumpkin spice season.
- Ground beef instead of lamb: It works, really, any ground protein can work in this dish. Add a pinch of allspice or a tiny bit more cinnamon to keep the warmth.
- Pasta swaps: Ziti or penne are the easiest. Avoid anything delicate (it turns to mush).
- Cheese swap: Pecorino for a sharper bite; kefalotyri if you have it and want to really earn some brownie points from Grandma at the dinner table.
💡 Meat Nerd Tips
- Don’t skip either the egg whites or the yolks in this recipe; both play an important role in the overall texture and flavor.
- Pastitsio gets better overnight, so make it a day before you want to serve it for the best flavors.
- The key to perfect slices is letting the pastitsio rest for a solid 15 to 20 minutes before you slice it. If you cut into it too soon, it will all crumble and fall apart on the plate. Patience in this case is an absolute must. Open a bottle of wine, enjoy an appetizer, and wait this one out.
🍽️ What to serve with traditional Pastitsio
- A sharp green salad with lemon to cut the richness.
- Crusty bread for the corners of the pan.
- Beer or a dry red wine.
🧊 Storage & Leftovers
- Make-ahead: Assemble and refrigerate up to 24 hours; bake straight from cold with 10–15 extra minutes.
- Fridge: Cool, cover, refrigerate up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Cover and warm at 325°F until hot through. (Microwave works, but the béchamel softens more, so we avoid it.)
- Freezer: Best frozen after baking and then sliced into portions. Thaw overnight and reheat covered. The texture stays good, but the béchamel will be a touch softer.
Have you tried this recipe? Do us a favor and rate the recipe card with the ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ and drop a comment to help out the next reader.
Traditional Pastitsio Recipe
Recommended Equipment
- Large pot
- Wide skillet
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
- 9×13-inch baking dish
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Foil (optional)
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 1 lb tubular pasta Greek pastitsio noodles, or Penne, Ziti, Rigatoni, Italian Bucatini
- 1 tbsp kosher salt for the water
- 2 egg whites
For the Lamb Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 lb ground lamb
- 1 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup dry red wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
For the Béchamel
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk warmed
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 2 large egg yolks
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- Chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
Cook the Pasta
- Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Boil the pasta in well-salted water (1 tbsp kosher salt) until just shy of al dente. Drain well.
- Whisk 2 egg whites with a pinch of salt. Immediately toss the hot pasta with the egg whites to coat; set aside.
Make the Lamb Sauce
- In a wide skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until just shimmering.
- Add onion and cook 5–6 min until soft.
- Stir in garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the ground lamb and cook, breaking up, until no longer pink with some good browning.
- Season the lamb with 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp pepper, and 1 tsp ground cinnamon.
- Stir in tomato paste; cook for 1 minute until a dark rusty color.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, red wine, chicken broth, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Simmer for 15–20 min until thickened and spoonable.
- Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick; and taste before seasoning with more salt if needed.
Make the Béchamel
- In a saucepan, melt 6 tbsp of butter over medium heat.
- Whisk in ½ cup flour; cook for 2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in 4 cups of warm milk until smooth.
- Simmer, continuously whisking, for 3 to 4 min until lightly thickened.
- Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in ¾ tsp kosher salt and ¼ tsp nutmeg.
- In a small bowl, whisk 2 egg yolks.
- Slowly ladle in 1 cup of the hot sauce into the bowl while whisking the eggs to temper.
- Then whisk yolk mixture back into the pot. Stir in ½ cup Parmesan cheese.
Assemble
- Spread all of the egg-white–coated pasta in the prepared baking dish.
- Spoon the lamb sauce evenly over the pasta.
- Carefully, pour the béchamel over the top; tap the pan to level it all.
Bake & Serve
- Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is set with light golden spots.
- Rest for 15–20 minutes before slicing to give you the best square slices or serve sooner for a slightly more rustic, creamier slice.
- Garnish with chopped parsley.
Notes
- Shopping tip: Choose hollow pasta. Pastitsio works best with pasta that has a center hole (pastitsio noodles, ziti, penne, or bucatini).
- Salt the pasta water well. This is the only chance to season the noodles themselves.
- Drain the pasta completely before adding egg whites. Excess water prevents the pasta from binding, leading to a loose bottom layer. But work quickly, because if the pasta is cool, it won’t have the same effect when tossing with the egg white.
- Brown the lamb before adding liquids. If the pan looks watery, keep cooking. That’s moisture that’s still releasing, not ready for the sauce yet.
- Keep the meat sauce spoonable, not too thick.
- Warm the milk for the béchamel. Cold milk increases the risk of lumps and uneven thickening. Let your milk sit at room temp or gently warm it before whisking it in for a velvety smooth sauce.
- Béchamel should coat a spoon. If it’s too thick in the pot, it will dry as it bakes.
- Tap the pan after assembling. This levels the béchamel and eliminates hidden air pockets.
- Let the pastitsio rest before slicing. This is what makes or breaks your slice. You must rest it for 15-20 minutes.
- Expect better leftovers. Pastitsio firms up overnight and slices even cleaner the next day. And let’s not forget, the flavors deepen, so really this is a perfect make-ahead meal.
Nutrition
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❓ FAQs
Pastitsio is a Greek baked pasta dish made with tubular noodles, a spiced meat sauce (traditionally lamb), and a thick béchamel sauce baked until set and sliceable.
Pastitsio usually falls apart if the meat sauce is too runny, the pasta isn’t bound with egg whites, or the dish isn’t rested before slicing.
Pastitsio is done when the center is set (no liquid jiggle), and the top has light golden spots. When you gently shake the pan, it should move like a soft custard, not slosh.
Yes. Pastitsio can be fully assembled up to 24 hours ahead, refrigerated, and baked later with extra time added since it starts cold.
Yes. This is a perfectmake ahead dish. Pastitsio freezes best after baking and then cooling completely. Slice it into portions and freeze. Thaw overnight, then reheat, covered to prevent drying.
Yes, ground beef works, but lamb provides more depth and warmth. If using beef, add a small pinch of warm spice to compensate.
The béchamel should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but still pourable. If it’s stiff, the finished dish will be dry.
Egg whites bind the pasta layer so it holds together after baking – think of it like glue – allowing the pastitsio to slice cleanly instead of collapsing.
