Pastichio

Pastichio is layered ziti noodles and a tomato meat sauce topped with a creamy béchamel sauce cooked until golden brown and bubbly. This dish has always been a staple in my Yia-Yia’s household. Like many of the other Greek dishes, Pastichio was always on the table for holidays. It’s definitely one of the easier Greek dishes to make. Pastichio is more or less a form of lasagna….but a Greek lasagna. No more wasting time…let’s make Pastichio!

Jump to Recipe

LIST OF INGREDIENTS

DAIRY: Milk, butter and an egg
PRODUCE: Parsley and onion
Ground Beef
Grated parmesan cheese
Red wine
Ziti noodles
Flour

MEAT MIXTURE FOR PASTICHIO

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Put a large saute pan over low to medium heat and add a tablespoon of butter. Saute your chopped onions in the butter until soft. Next, add in your hamburger and season it with salt, pepper and the parsley. Cook until the hamburger is no longer pink and drain. Of course it is up to you if you want to drain the mixture. I find myself draining about half.

Once your meat mixture is cooked go ahead and add the tomato sauce and your choice of either, red wine (pinot), water OR beef broth. As you get to know me I will always choose wine! I really do like wine! Let simmer and come together. Remove from heat and add in a tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese. Mix until combined. Set aside.

If you feel like the mixture has excess liquid, take it off the heat, double up a couple of paper towels and place over the pan. Put a lid on it. While you are finishing up the rest of the steps the paper towel will help absorb some liquid. Learned that fun trick from my Yia-Yia.

Meanwhile, cook the ziti as directed on package. Drain and set aside until you are ready to assemble the Pastichio. Some of the noodles will stick together. I don’t have a problem with that but if that bothers you add a drizzle of olive oil to the cooked ziti and stir. That should help keeping the noodles from clumping together.

BECHAMEL SAUCE (WHITE SAUCE) FOR PASTICHIO

Next up, white sauce. Well the fancier term is a Béchamel sauce but I grew up hearing white sauce. No fancy words being flung around in this household! Start by melting the butter in a tall pot over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour, a tablespoon at a time, whisking as you add. I always like to cook the flour mixture for about a minute just to get the raw taste of the flour out.

Slowing start pouring your milk in, whisking as you add all of the milk. Keep the stove on a medium low heat, whisking constantly. If you don’t whisk constantly the bottom of the pot will start to burn. Whisk until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Once it starts to bubble, it will thicken quickly. Additionally, the white sauce should coat the whisk. Shown below.

Once the base of the white sauce is complete, take your egg and whisk it. While whisking, slowly start adding a small amount of the white sauce, at a time, to the egg. I’d say you want to add a total of about a 1/4 cup of the white sauce to the egg. This process is known as tempering the egg. Meaning, you are slowly getting your egg to a temperature so that when you pour the egg into the white sauce it won’t curdle on you. You don’t want that to happen. Once your egg mixture is tempered pour it back into the pot and add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Stir until combined.

ASSEMBLY

Assembly time! Take your 9×13 casserole dish and butter her(him) up! Place half of the macaroni on the bottom of the dish. It doesn’t matter if some noodles are facing a different direction. They don’t have to be lined up…but hey, if you want to make a total masterpiece then do it!! Sprinkle 1/3 cup of cheese and then top with all of the meat mixture. Top with the remaining noodles, sprinkle with another 1/3 cup of cheese and pour the white sauce all over the noodles. Lastly, top with the remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes and then remove foil and bake for another 45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Let rest for about 10 minutes and then get ready to sink your teeth into a lasagna that shouts, “It’s all Greek to me”! Serve with a Greek salad or spanakopita.

Additionally leftovers are amazing!

I hope you enjoy this dish and it becomes a staple in your households as well. ~Christina