Greek Pastitsio Recipe-Beef Pasta Bake is our answer to lasagna! It is a delicious classic comfort dish with layers of creamy, rich white sauce, a heartwarming beef ragù sauce, and tubular “fat spaghetti” pasta. This Greek beef pasta bake recipe is the epitome of Greek comfort food. And like the Ancient Greeks used to say: Go big or go home.
If you love our Pastitsio, you will also love Moussaka, Papoutsakia or Eggplant Lasagna!
Why this recipe sings
Here is what you need
for the meat sauce and pasta
- Long tubular pasta. The tubular “fat” pasta noodle used for pastitsio is a perfect vehicle for sauces and an excellent base for pasta-baked casseroles. In the USA, you can find pastitsio LOI pasta in many supermarkets. Greek pasta like Melissa or MISKO No 5 are available in Greek markets. Feel free to substitute with penne or rigatoni. Both will work just fine.
- Ground beef.
- Onion.
- Tomatoes and tomato paste. My go-to tomatoes are authentic San Marzano.
- Kefalotiri cheese. Grated. This is a salty, hard cheese Greeks use with pasta. You can also use pecorino Romano.
- Extra virgin olive oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, sea salt and freshly ground pepper
for the white sauce
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- Whole milk.
- Bay leaf.
- Gruyere cheese grated
- Egg yolks from medium size eggs
- Ground nutmeg and sea salt
How to make this pastitsio
Make the beef ragu
Place a wide large skillet on the stove over high, without any oil, on a. When skillet is hot add the ground meat. Using a wooden spoon, beak the meat as it browns. Brown while breaking and stirring constantly for 5-6 minutes, until the ground beef is well browned all over.
Add the onion, and olive oil to the skillet and continue sautéing for another 1-2 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Scrape the burnt bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon as you stir.
Add the tomatoes and stir. Add some fresh oregano leaves. Lower the heat and cook the beef for about 30 minutes, until it’s tender and all its juices have been evaporated.
Leave the meat to cool. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Make the pasta
Boil the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water for 8 minutes, until tender. Drain pasta well and place it back in the pot. Add on the butter and toss.
With kitchen scissors, cut the pasta here and there into smaller pieces, so that they are not too long.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of kefalotiri cheese and toss pasta.
Make the white sauce
Heat the milk slowly in a saucepan with the fresh bay leaf.
Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a deep saucepan. Pour in the flour all together and continue to mix on medium to low heat.
Continue stirring for 3-4 minutes on low heat to cook the flour without darkening.
Pour in the milk and the bay leaf. Increase the heat a little and continue stirring nonstop to gradually dissolve the lumps that form. You can’t avoid lumps; they will dissolve with continuous stirring. It doesn’t need to be perfect, do the best you can.
Add the nutmeg. Simmer the sauce over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often. It will thicken.
Add the gruyere cheese and immediately remove the sauce from the heat. Stir again well.
Throw in the yolks and continue mixing with the whisk.
Assemble
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
Right before assembling add ½ cup of grated kefalotiri cheese in the meat sauce and stir.
Lay the pasta in a rectangular lasagna pan.
Layer all the meat sauce on top of the pasta.
Finally, pour the béchamel on top and smooth the surface with a spatula.
Top pastitsio with the breadcrumbs and grated gruyere cheese.
Bake the pastitsio for about 60 minutes, until it forms a smooth and golden crust on top.
Let it cool for 15 minutes at least and serve.
What to serve with pastitsio
Pastitsio is a rich, hearty dish and pairs well with a leafy green salad like our maroulosalata. Add a couple of slices of warm bread with dipping olive oil, marinated olives with feta and you are all set for an unforgettable meal.
Helpful Q&A
You can refrigerate it for up to three days. It must be covered with a transparent film on the surface of the sauce so that it does not form a crust.
You can’t avoid lumps forming from the flour. Whisking constantly helps dissolve the lumps. If you’re a perfectionist, pass the white sauce through a fine sieve, pressing it with a wooden spoon so that the tiniest clumps of flour don’t remain.
Tubular pasta is hollow through the center, like a tube. It comes in many different sizes and shapes. For authentic pastitsio, you need long tubular pasta. Buccattini is a tubular pasta, but the hole is smaller than that of Greek pastitsio pasta. You can also use rigatoni or penne with good results.
Yes, you can. Refrigerate already cooked pastitsio for up to three days. Freeze individual pieces in freezer-friendly containers for easier reheating.
Yes! Pastitsio freezes and reheats beautifully.
You can assemble and freeze it uncooked or bake it and then freeze it. Consume within three months, not longer.
For uncooked pastitsio: Assemble as directed and wrap the baking pan tightly with heavy-duty foil. Make sure to label and date the foil. Consume within 3 months. Bake in an 180°C / 360°F oven for 1 ½ hours, until fully heated.
For baked pastitsio: Let the food cool completely, wrap the pan tightly with heavy-duty foil, label and date it and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in an 180°C / 360°F oven for one hour, until fully heated.
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Pastitsio-Greek Beef pasta bake
Equipment
- 1 lasagna pan 26 x 35cm / 10" x 14"
Ingredients
for the beef ragù
- 1.2 lb ground beef 500 grams
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 14 oz San Marzano tomatoes chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup kefalotiri cheese or pecorino romano, grated
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
for the white sauce
- ⅔ cup butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 8 cups whole milk 2 lt, warm
- 1 bay leaf
- ⅔ cup gruyere cheese grated
- 3 egg yolks from medium size eggs
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- sea salt
for the pasta
- 11 oz tubular pasta
- sea salt
- ½ cup kefalotiri cheese or pecorino romano, grated
- freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
For the top
- ⅓ cup gruyere cheese grated
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs or panco
Instructions
Make the beef ragu
- Place a wide large skillet on the stove over high, without any oil, on a. When skillet is hot add the ground meat. Using a wooden spoon, beak the meat as it browns. Brown while breaking and stirring constantly for 5-6 minutes, until the ground beef is well browned all over.
- Add the onion, and olive oil to the skillet and continue sautéing for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Scrape the burnt bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon as you stir.
- Add the tomatoes and stir. Lower the heat and cook the beef for about 30 minutes, until it's tender and all its juices have been evaporated.
- Leave the meat to cool. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Make the white sauce
- Heat the milk slowly in a saucepan with the fresh bay leaf.
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a deep saucepan.
- Pour the flour in batches and stir continuously on medium to low heat. Continue stirring for 3-4 minutes on low heat to cook the flour.
- Pour in the milk, all together with it, along with the bay leaves. Increase the heat a little and continue the non-stop stirring to gradually dissolve the lumps that form. You can't avoid lumps, they just dissolve with continuous stirring.
- Add the nutmeg. Simmer the sauce over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring very often with a wooden spoon. The béchamel will thicken.
- Add the cheese and immediately remove from the heat. Stir well.
- Throw in the yolks and continue mixing, with the whisk. If you are not using immediately cover sauce with a cling film and press it lightly on the surface so that it does not form a crust.
Make the pasta
- Boil the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water for 8 minutes, until tender. Drain pasta well and place it back in the pot. Add on the butter and toss.
- With kitchen scissors, cut the pasta here and there into smaller pieces, so that they are not too long. Sprinkle ½ cup of grated kefalotiri cheese and toss pasta.
Assemble
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
- Lay the pasta in a rectangular lasagna pan.
- Add ½ cup of grated kefalotiri cheese in the meat sauce and stir.
- Layer all the meat sauce on top of the pasta.
- Finally, pour the béchamel on top and smooth the surface with a spatula.
- Top pastitsio with the breadcrumbs and grated gruyere cheese.
- Bake the pastitsio for about 60 minutes, until it forms a smooth and golden crust on top.
- Let it cool for 15 minutes at least and serve.
Notes
- Keep more milk and flour around than you might actually need. Just in case an adjustment in the thickness of the sauce is needed.
- I always make more white sauce than I need. It is better to have extra than less, trust me on this. Refrigerate leftover sauce for up to three days. It must be covered with a transparent film right on the surface of the sauce, so that it does not form a crust. Use it over steak with lots of black pepper, fried potatoes, potato fritters or make macaroni and cheese.
- Allow pastitsio to sit for 30 min before serving. It will be easier to cut and serve.
- If you’re a perfectionist do this: Pass the béchamel through a fine sieve, pressing it with a wooden spoon so that the tiniest clumps of flour don’t remain.
- Refrigerate already cooked pastitsio for up to three days.
- Pastitsio freezes and reheats beautifully. For uncooked pastitsio: Assemble as directed and wrap the baking pan tightly with heavy-duty foil. Make sure to label and date the foil. Consume within 3 months. For baked pastitsio: Let the food cool completely, wrap the pan tightly with heavy-duty foil, label and date it and freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
I am such a huge fan of Pastitsio! Two of my best friends are from Greece so I have always been very picky about the way Pastitsio is made. I was pleasantly surprised with your recipe. My husband and kids went back for seconds. Saving this recipe to make again!
I love this recipe, so satisfying and comforting. That color on the top had me from the go, and I really enjoy the building of the recipe through making the ragu and the bechamel, it feels so rewarding when you take that first bite and it’s absolutely delicious.
This whole recipe looks like pure perfection! I’ve never seen a Greek dish like this but I’m impressed!
The perfect family meal. This was the first pastitsio recipe i made and kids loved it. It’ll be going into the weekly routine.
We have a few similar pasta bakes in Italy and they are total comfort foods. This pastitsio looks wonderful, from the top to the inside texture. It is one of those dishes that require to spend some time in the kitchen but they are incredibly rewarding!
I have made a lot of pastitsio over the years from a recipe given to me by the owner of a NYC Greek diner, your recipe blew me away. It’s absolutely delicious and authentic. I love the results.
This is such a great innovative recipe. We loved it for our dinner. Thank you for sharing.
Love
Thanks for your site. My husband is Greek, so, I have been making Greek food, for many years. Your recipe, for, pastitsio, is a little different but very good when I make Greek, I make a good bit because my family is always asking for it.
Hi Susan,
Thank you so much for enjoying the site! Every Greek family has its own version of classic recipes. There are also differences in recipes depending on the region. I am an intuitive cook and love to make recipes mine. My mom was from Crete so I am heavily influenced by Cretan cooking. My grandma from my dad’s side was from Constantinople and was an amazing cook with flavors we in Greece call Politiki kouzina. Thanks again for checking us out! x Jenny
This was absolutely scrumptious! It’s one of those dishes that just wraps you in comfort. I made it 2 days in a row for different friends. Neither of them had tasted a pastitsio before and were very happy – second servings for all! I ordered the Misko noodles from Amazon. Thank you for a great authentic recipe!
Thank you so much Sharon! Your comment made my day! x Jenny