Lately, I’ve been testing a couple of Greek Pastitsio recipes. Pastitsio, Greek-style lasagna, is so delicious. Instead of just making one pan, it’s just as easy to make two. You can bet they’ll both get eaten.

Zitoni Lunghi is a long, tube-shaped pasta used specifically for Pastitsio. I used Bucatini in this dish because it is readily available at local grocery stores. I recently visited an International market, about 30 minutes from my home, and found the traditional pasta for this dish (pictures below).

I’m also going to make a few changes to this dish. As you know, ground lamb is traditional for this dish. For my Pastitsio, I’ll be making a Bolognese-style sauce filled with vegetables, ground veal, lean ground sirloin, sweet Italian sausage, and a variety of Mediterranean spices. This is going to be a hearty meat sauce.

Making Pastitsio is a labor of love and is usually made on special occasions. There are three components to this dish: first, the pasta, the meat sauce, and finally the Béchamel Sauce.

Let’s get started.

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Yields: 18 servings
Equipment: 1 (6-quart) saucepot, 1 (6-quart) braising pot with a lid (Dutch oven), 1 (3-quart) saucepot, 2 (9 x 11) deep-sided ceramic baking dishes, 1 (10-cup) food processor, 2 medium-size mixing bowls, 2 large mixing bowls, a large slotted spoon, a whisk, tongs, a box grater, chef’s knife, cutting board

Ingredients for the Pastitsio Meat Sauce:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large yellow onion, processed
1 red bell pepper, processed
1 yellow bell pepper, processed
1 Fresno chili, seeded and processed
1 Poblano pepper, seeded and processed
1 medium-sized carrot, peeled, diced, and processed
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and  processed
1 pound of sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound of ground sirloin (90% lean)
2 pounds of ground veal
1 cup of Cabernet Sauvignon
1 1/2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of thyme leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of oregano leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes with their juice
8 tablespoons (1stick) of butter, unsalted and softened (reserve some for greasing the baking dish)

Ingredients for the Béchamel Sauce:
2 cups of whole milk
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
16 tablespoons of butter, unsalted (2 sticks)
4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg, freshly-grated
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
3 cups of Pecorino cheese, freshly-grated (1 1/2 cups for the Bechamel, 1 cup to toss with the pasta, 1/2 a cup using a box grater to grate the cheese for the topping)
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
1 cup of Greek yogurt, room temperature
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Garnish:
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Ingredients for the Pasta:
2 pounds of Zitoni Lunghi (300 Ziti), substitute ziti

Instructions for the Pastitsio Meat Sauce:
Start with grating the cheese. Dice up the Pecorino cheese and add it to a food processor. Pulse until cheese is processed, as seen in the pictures above. Transfer the grated cheese to a small plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Set aside.

Next, prep all the vegetables.
First, remove all the seeds from all the peppers, including the Fresno chili, then roughly chop. Set aside. Peel and roughly chop the garlic and onion, and set aside. Peel and chop the carrot into 1 1/2-inch dice, and set aside. Clean the mushrooms, then quarter them.

Start by processing the mushrooms, then the onions and garlic together, next, the diced carrots, and finally all the peppers. Transfer the processed vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a 6-quart braising pot (Dutch oven) over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the sweet Italian sausage. Break up the sausage with the back of a wooden spoon. Next, add the ground sirloin and ground veal. Stirring occasionally, allowing all the meat to brown until no pink remains, around 20 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon to drain any excess fat, transfer the cooked meat to a large mixing bowl and set aside. Discard any fat left in the pot.

Using the same pot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. To the oil add the dried oregano, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, allowing the spices to *bloom and become fragrant for about 1 minute. Next, add the processed vegetables, kosher salt, and fresh-ground black pepper, and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and add the wine. Allow the wine to boil, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer until it’s reduced by half, 5 minutes.

Adjust the heat to medium, add the browned meat back into the pot, and stir to combine. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice. Stirring occasionally, simmer for another 45 minutes. Halfway through, taste for seasoning. This is the perfect time to add a light sprinkling of kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper if needed. Once the meat sauce is done, finish by adding freshly chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped oregano leaves, and finely chopped thyme leaves, and stir to combine. Turn the heat off and cover to keep warm.

Instructions for the Béchamel sauce:
The next step is to *scald the milk/cream mixture.
In a 3-quart saucepot over medium heat, bring the milk and heavy cream to just below the boiling point.

Making the *roux for the Béchamel sauce.
In a 6-quart pot over medium heat, melt 1/2 a stick of butter. Add in the all-purpose flour, vigorously whisking until the mixture becomes a paste, cooks and bubbles a bit, but don’t let it brown, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the scalded milk/cream mixture to the *roux, whisking continuously. Bring to a boil. Switch to a wooden spoon, add kosher salt, fresh-ground black pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. Lower the heat and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat.

Add 1 full ladle of the meat sauce, and stir to combine. Allow the Béchamel sauce to cool completely.

Once the Bechamel has cooled, add the beaten eggs, the Greek yogurt, and 1 1/2 cups of Pecorino cheese, whisk to combine. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Instructions for the Pasta:
In a large pot of salted boiling water, add 1 pound of Ziti (Zitoni) pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta well. Repeat the process for the 2nd pound of pasta.

Well, that’s the last of the components for this dish. Now it’s time to put this bad boy together.

Instructions for Assembling the Pastitsio:
Use 1/2 stick of butter to coat both baking dishes, including the sides.

For the first layer, divide the hot pasta (as shown in the picture above) equally between the two buttered baking dishes. Add 4 tablespoons of softened butter to the pasta. Using tongs, gently toss the butter to coat all the pasta. Next, add the Pecorino cheese, once again, gently toss to coat. Repeat for the second baking dish.

For the second layer, equally divide. Ladle the Bolognese sauce over the pasta.

For the final layer, equally divide. Ladle the Béchamel sauce over the Bolognese.

Sprinkle a good helping of the freshly grated Pecorino cheese over the top of each dish. Transfer the baking dishes to the middle rack in the oven and bake for 1 hour until bubbly and golden brown.

Sprinkle freshly chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley over the top.

Allow the Pastitsio to rest for at least 15 to 20 minutes to set before cutting.

There you have it, my Pastitsio.

Notes:
1) *Bloom is the process of gently frying them in oil and is a quick way to deepen their flavor.

2) *Roux is a mixture of fat (especially butter) and flour used in making sauces.

3) *Scalded milk is milk heated to just under the boiling point. This happens when you see small bubbles appear around the inner rim of the pot.

4) Tip for Freezing Baked Pastitsio:
Let cool completely, wrap in foil, then wrap again in tightly-wrapped plastic wrap. Label and date them so you can have Pastitsio any time you like. When you are ready, place a pan into the fridge to thaw overnight. Next, remove the foil and plastic wrap. Take a new piece of foil and lightly spray the dull side with a non-stick cooking spray.  This will prevent the cheese topping from sticking to the foil. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until hot all the way through. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until bubbly and the Bechamel top is lightly golden.

5) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through a preferred online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/