Greek-Style Pastitsio

Partner Content

4 years ago

Pastitsio (you may have seen it spelled as ‘pastichio’) is a baked pasta dish with ground meat and béchamel sauce. Found in Greek, Egyptian, Turkish, Maltese and Cypriot cuisines, you simply must try this absolute classic.

A perfect dish for freezing or enjoying as soon as its cooled, the Greek-Style Pastitsio is a great recipe to have under your belt.

A tip from Matt: any minced meat you choose to use will be fine, just make sure you’re seasoning with every step of the recipe for maximum flavour impact.

For a new spin on this classic dish, chef Matt Golinski has created this baking delight – Pastitsio – Greek Style Lamb and Pasta Bake.

Get Set Go Bake | Pastitsio

Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

30ml olive oil

500g lamb mince

50g tomato paste

1 x 400g tin diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, roughly chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

250g penne pasta

Salt and pepper

2 cups milk

40g butter

40g flour

75g parmesan, grated

1/2 cup Greek yoghurt

2 eggs

Method

Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft.

Add the lamb mince and fry over a medium heat until starting to brown.

Add the tomato paste and stir over the heat for 2 minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes, oregano and cinnamon and simmer for 30 minutes, topping up with water as necessary.

Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the penne in salted boiling water until just underdone (remembering that it’s going to be baked in the sauce so it will continue to cook).

Drain and rinse under cold water.

Mix the pasta through the lamb sauce and spread evenly into a deep-sided baking dish.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until almost boiling.

In a medium saucepan, stir the butter and flour over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture starts to bubble.

Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth, thick sauce.

Stir in half of the parmesan and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Stir in the yoghurt and eggs and pour evenly over the pasta mixture to completely cover.

Top with remaining parmesan and bake at 180°C for 35–40 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Allow the pastitsio to cool for an hour or so before serving to let the pasta ‘set’.

Download the recipe

You can be faithful to this classic dish, but if you really want to challenge yourself create your own version with a twist, then head to Apia’s Facebook page and share photos of your own version in the comments section of the video for your chance to win.

The top five entries for each recipe will be selected by Apia and shared with Matt who will personally select the winners. T&Cs apply: https://bit.ly/2DnlfJl

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