# Pastitsio

Pastitsio, Greece\u2019s answer to lasagne, is an incredible creation.

- Cuisine: Italian
- Category: Soup
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 1 kg ground beef
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 30 g tomato paste
- 150 ml red wine
- 150 ml milk
- 300 ml beef broth
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 113 g butter
- 0.5 cup flour
- 4 cups milk
- 0.5 cup Kefalotyri cheese
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 3 eggs
- 500 g pastitsio pasta
- 0.5 cup grated cheese

## Instructions

1. Unwrap the ground beef.
2. Place a pot on the stove and add small portions of ground beef to brown.
3. Stir and break up the meat until it's evenly browned.
4. Remove the cooked ground beef from the pot and set aside.
5. Add olive oil to the same pot, utilizing the rendered fat and browned bits for flavor.
6. Chop the onion into small pieces.
7. Dice the carrots into small cubes.
8. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery to the pot.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Stir the vegetables until softened.
11. Add sliced garlic to the pot and mix.
12. Return the cooked ground beef to the pot with the vegetables and stir.
13. Add tomato paste and mix well to coat the meat and vegetables.
14. Pour red wine into the pot and simmer.
15. Add milk and stir to combine.
16. Pour in beef broth.
17. Add a cinnamon stick, sprigs of thyme, and rosemary.
18. Cover the pot and let it simmer.
19. Once simmering, remove the thyme and rosemary sprigs.
20. Add bay leaves and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally.
21. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick once the sauce has thickened.
22. Transfer the meat sauce to a separate bowl.
23. In a clean pot, melt butter for the bechamel sauce.
24. Add flour and whisk continuously to create a roux.
25. Gradually whisk in milk until the sauce is smooth and thick.
26. Add Kefalotyri cheese and whisk until melted and incorporated.
27. Season with pepper and grated nutmeg.
28. Whisk in eggs to the béchamel sauce.
29. Boil water in a pot, add salt and pastitsio pasta.
30. Stir the pasta gently to prevent sticking.
31. Grease a baking pan with olive oil.
32. Arrange the cooked pasta in a single layer at the bottom of the pan.
33. Sprinkle grated cheese over the pasta.
34. Spread a layer of meat sauce over the cheese and pasta.
35. Add another layer of pasta on top of the meat sauce.
36. Pour the béchamel sauce evenly over the top layer of pasta.
37. Smooth the béchamel sauce with a spatula.
38. Grate cheese over the béchamel sauce.
39. Bake the pastitsio in the oven until golden brown.
40. Remove the baked pastitsio from the oven.
41. Cut a slice of pastitsio using a knife and spatula.
42. Carefully transfer the slice to a plate.
43. Garnish with fresh parsley.
44. Serve and enjoy.

## Equipment

- cutting board
- knife
- pot
- wooden spoon
- bowl
- whisk
- grater
- baking pan
- spatula
- oven
- plate
- fork

## Source

- Original video: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16x9Defadc/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/b0197be6-f9a8-4246-ba01-2042a654e032
- Extracted: 2025-08-25

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt