We love simple pasta dishes – especially the ones made in a casserole dish ;) You can find those dishes in pretty much every international cuisine. Of course, not always prepared the same way ;) In Greece, for example, they have this absolutely awesome Greek Pasta Bake aka. Pastitsio which not only looks great but also tastes excellent. It might look like a lot of work, but honestly, it’s not that complicated ;)
We got a lot of different pasta bakes here in Germany as well. I mean, there are so many types of pasta you can use and so many veggies and other things you can add… the possibilities are pretty much endless. And Germany really likes their cheesy pasta bakes ;) One of my favorite casserole dishes with pasta is definitely my Cheesy Pasta & Ham Bake – easy to make and really delicious.
Pastitsio is besides Moussaka one of the most famous casserole dishes from Greece. The dish usually has a base layer of pasta (often macaroni or similar pasta), a layer of meat sauce, and then on top of that more pasta and béchamel sauce (with a bit of cheese). At least that’s how I learned to do it at school… and yes we were cooking at school ;P
I use Parmesan cheese in my recipe here. It adds flavor and also helps the pasta to stick together a bit ;) In Greece, they use most of the time a Greek cheese like Kefalotyri, of course. A cheese that is a bit harder to come by here in Germany – Parmesan or Pecorino are much more common in supermarkets ;) I think you could also use Feta here – I can imagine the flavors work well with the meat sauce and the pasta.
There are two ways to make this dish: super easy or with a bit more effort ;) The easy way is to throw the cooked pasta into the casserole dish – if you have a bit more time and patience you can arrange the pasta neatly. Pretty much what I did and what you can see in the pictures. To be honest – it’s not really necessary to do it that way, but it looks better for pictures, and guess what… I take a lot of pictures of food ;P So for everyone with less time at hand – throw the pasta into the casserole dish (maybe use shorter pasta here), add the meat sauce, add more pasta on top and finish with the béchamel sauce. Then off to the oven ;P
Well… if you have someone to impress or plenty of time – go for the neater look I guess ;) Use regular-sized long macaroni, cook them, and cut them into shape if needed. The first few layers are pretty easy to lay down, but after that, it can get a little messy. The macaroni are not always happy to stay in place and will try to move/escape. The more compact you can place them in the casserole dish the better.
As mentioned before – this Greek Pasta Bake is not the only casserole dish with pasta on this blog. There is plenty more to try. Some of my favorites are shown below. Just click on the picture you like and it will take you to the corresponding page.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(5-6 servings)
For the meat sauce:
some olive oil for frying
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
14 oz. (400g) minced meat
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine
1 can (14 oz./400g) chunky tomatoes
1/2 cup (120ml) water
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1 tsp. paprika powder (sweet)
salt, pepper
For the béchamel sauce:
1 oz. (30g) butter
1 oz. (30g) all-purpose flour
8.45 fl. oz. (250ml) milk
8.45 fl. oz. (250ml) vegetable broth
some fresh nutmeg
salt, pepper
2 medium eggs
14 oz. (400g) macaroni
about 3.5 oz. (100g) Parmesan
(4-5 Personen)
Für die Hackfleischsauce:
etwas Olivenöl zum Anbraten
1 große Zwiebel, gehackt
3-4 Knoblauchzehen, gehackt
400g Hackfleisch, gemischt
1 EL Tomatenmark
120ml trockener Weißwein
1 Dose (400g) stückige Tomaten
120ml Wasser
1/2 Bund Petersilie, gehackt
1 TL Paprika Pulver (edelsüß)
Salz, Pfeffer
Für die Béchamelsauce:
30g Butter
30g Mehl (Type 550)
250ml Milch
250ml Gemüsebrühe
etwas Muskatnuss
Salz, Pfeffer
2 Eier (M)
400g Makkaroni
etwa 100g Parmesan
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Peel and finely dice the onion and garlic. Wash and dry the parsley and chop coarsely. Set aside.
2. Heat up a large pot or Dutch oven with some olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and glossy. Add the minced meat and let cook until nicely browned. Next, add the tomato paste, stir in, and let cook for a minute or so, then deglaze with the white wine. Let the wine boil down as much as possible, then add the chunky tomatoes and water and bring everything to a boil. Add the chopped parsley, season with the paprika powder, salt, and pepper, and let simmer for about 1 hour. Do not forget to stir from time to time. The sauce should have thickened quite a lot. Remove from the heat and let cool down a bit.
3. For the béchamel, add the butter to a small saucepan and heat up until melted and bubbly. Add the flour and let it cook briefly in the butter, then gradually add the milk and vegetable broth while stirring constantly. Bring the sauce to a boil and let simmer for about 1-2 minutes until it has thickened nicely. Season with freshly grated nutmeg and some more salt and pepper, if needed. Remove from heat and let cool down. Stir the sauce sometimes to prevent skin from forming.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni in it for about 2 minutes less than the time indicated on the package for “al dente”. Remove the macaroni from the pot and rinse with cold water. Let drain.
5. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Grease a casserole dish (about 13.5×9.5 inches) and set aside. Stir the two eggs into the cooled béchamel.
6. Layer about half of the macaroni in the casserole dish, and sprinkle with some Parmesan. I tried to do a fairly clean job and placed the noodles one by one in the baking dish to get clean layers for the pictures – you do not have to do that. ;P Add the meat sauce on top of the pasta and spread evenly, then layer the rest of the noodles on top of the meat, again with some Parmesan sprinkled between the layers. Finally, pour the béchamel over the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, the top should be nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
1. Zwiebel und Knoblauch schälen und fein würfeln. Die Petersilie waschen, trocknen und dann hacken. Zur Seite stellen.
2. Etwas Öl in einem großen Topf erhitzen, dann die Zwiebeln und den Knoblauch darin glasig andünsten. Das Hackfleisch dazugeben und krümelig anbraten. Tomatenmark dazugeben und unterrühren, für etwa 1 Minute mit anbraten, dann mit dem Weißwein ablöschen. Den Wein weitestgehend einkochen lassen, dann die stückigen Tomaten und das Wasser dazugeben und alles zum Kochen bringen. Die gehackte Petersilie dazugeben, mit Paprikapulver, Salz und Pfeffer würzen und dann für etwa 1 Stunde köcheln lassen. Zwischendurch immer wieder einmal umrühren. Die Soße sollte gut eingedickt sein. Vom Herd ziehen und etwas abkühlen lassen.
3. Für die Béchamel die Butter in einen kleinen Topf geben und erhitzen, bis sie geschmolzen ist. Das Mehl dazugeben und kurz anschwitzen lassen, dann nach und nach Milch und Gemüsebrühe unter ständigem Rühren dazugeben. Die Béchamel aufkochen lassen und dann etwa 1-2 Minuten köcheln lassen, bis sie schön angedickt hat. Mit frisch geriebener Muskatnuss und ggf. noch etwas Salz und Pfeffer würzen. Vom Herd ziehen und abkühlen lassen – zwischendurch immer wieder umrühren, damit sich keine Haut bildet.
4. Einen großen Topf mit Salzwasser zum Kochen bringen und die Makkaroni darin etwa 2 Minuten kürzer kochen, als auf der Packung für “al dente” angegeben wird. Die Makkaroni abgießen und mit kaltem Wasser abschrecken. Abtropfen lassen.
5. Den Ofen auf 200°C (390°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Eine Auflaufform (34x24cm) einfetten und zur Seite stellen. Die beiden Eier unter die abgekühlte Béchamel rühren.
6. Mit der Hälfte der Makkaroni zwei Schichten Nudeln in die Form legen und jede Schicht mit etwas Parmesan bestreuen. Ich hab hier recht sauber gearbeitet, damit man später beim Anschnitt die einzelnen Nudelschichten sehen kann, aber das ist nicht unbedingt notwendig. ;) Das Hackfleisch auf die Nudeln geben und gleichmäßig verteilen, dann die restlichen Nudeln auf das Fleisch schichten – wieder mit etwas Parmesan zwischen den Schichten. Als Abschluss die Béchamel über die Nudeln gießen und dann mit dem restlichen Parmesan bestreuen. Den Auflauf für etwa 45-50 Minuten backen – die Oberfläche sollte gut Farbe bekommen haben. Aus dem Ofen holen und etwa 15 Minuten abkühlen lassen vor dem Servieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Greek Pasta Bake (Pastitsio)
- Prep Time: 00:40
- Cook Time: 01:50
- Total Time: 03:00
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Greece
Description
The perfect family dinner that everybody loves: Greek Pasta Bake (Pastitsio). Noodles, a delicious meat sauce, and béchamel – what’s not to love? ;)
Ingredients
For the meat sauce:
some olive oil for frying
1 large onion, chopped
3–4 garlic cloves, chopped
14 oz. (400g) minced meat
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine
1 can (14 oz./400g) chunky tomatoes
1/2 cup (120ml) water
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1 tsp. paprika powder (sweet)
salt, pepper
For the béchamel sauce:
1 oz. (30g) butter
1 oz. (30g) all-purpose flour
8.45 fl. oz. (250ml) milk
8.45 fl. oz. (250ml) vegetable broth
some fresh nutmeg
salt, pepper
2 medium eggs
14 oz. (400g) macaroni
about 3.5 oz. (100g) Parmesan
Instructions
1. Peel and finely dice the onion and garlic. Wash and dry the parsley and chop coarsely. Set aside.
2. Heat up a large pot or Dutch oven with some olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and glossy. Add the minced meat and let cook until nicely browned. Next, add the tomato paste, stir in, and let cook for a minute or so, then deglaze with the white wine. Let the wine boil down as much as possible, then add the chunky tomatoes and water and bring everything to a boil. Add the chopped parsley, season with the paprika powder, salt, and pepper, and let simmer for about 1 hour. Do not forget to stir from time to time. The sauce should have thickened quite a lot. Remove from the heat and let cool down a bit.
3. For the béchamel, add the butter to a small saucepan and heat up until melted and bubbly. Add the flour and let it cook briefly in the butter, then gradually add the milk and vegetable broth while stirring constantly. Bring the sauce to a boil and let simmer for about 1-2 minutes until it has thickened nicely. Season with freshly grated nutmeg and some more salt and pepper, if needed. Remove from heat and let cool down. Stir the sauce sometimes to prevent skin from forming.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni in it for about 2 minutes less than the time indicated on the package for “al dente”. Remove the macaroni from the pot and rinse with cold water. Let drain.
5. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Grease a casserole dish (about 13.5×9.5 inches) and set aside. Stir the two eggs into the cooled béchamel.
6. Layer about half of the macaroni in the casserole dish, and sprinkle with some Parmesan. I tried to do a fairly clean job and placed the noodles one by one in the baking dish to get clean layers for the pictures – you do not have to do that. ;P Add the meat sauce on top of the pasta and spread evenly, then layer the rest of the noodles on top of the meat, again with some Parmesan sprinkled between the layers. Finally, pour the béchamel over the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, the top should be nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
