Pastitsio
παστίτσιο
Baked pasta, cinnamon meat sauce and béchamel — the other Greek tray, related to Italy and not a copy of it.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: παστίτσιο.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 40 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Pastitsio is tubular pasta, a spiced mince sauce, and a thick béchamel baked until it cuts. Nutmeg in the cream. It is a cousin of pasticcio, not lasagne with oregano.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Boil pasta shy of done. Fry onion and mince, add tomato, cinnamon, salt. Simmer thick.
25 minStep 2
Béchamel: butter, flour, milk, then eggs and cheese off the heat. Pasta, meat, sauce. Bake 40 minutes at 180°C. Rest.
50 min
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.
Substitutions
Beef → Lamb mince
Closer to some house trays.
Tips
- A pinch of nutmeg in the béchamel is the usual.
- It cuts after a rest. Serve lava and it slumps.
History & culture
Sunday and the tray you take to someone. It wants a salad, not more starch.
Italian baked pasta ideas that Greece made cinnamon-scented and béchamel-heavy.
Modern adaptation
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: Sam Bailey via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pastitsio%20homemade.jpg
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Pastitsio take?
1 hr 40 min all in — 30 min prep, 50 min cook, 20 min rest. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 trays. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Milk, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.
What can I use instead?
Beef → Lamb mince. Closer to some house trays.
Any tips from this recipe?
A pinch of nutmeg in the béchamel is the usual. It cuts after a rest. Serve lava and it slumps.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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