Greek Pastitsio

Ingredients

• 500g long tubular pasta (bucatini or ziti)
• For ragu: 700g beef mince, 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1 can chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 cup red wine, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp allspice, 2 bay leaves
• For béchamel: 100g butter, 100g flour, 1 litre milk, 4 yolks, 100g grated cheese, nutmeg
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Cook pasta in salted water 8 minutes; drain.
2. Make the ragu: brown beef and onion; add garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes, wine and spices; simmer 30 minutes.
3. Make béchamel: melt butter, whisk in flour 1 minute, whisk in milk until thick; stir in nutmeg, yolks and most of the cheese.
4. Layer: pasta, ragu, béchamel; top with remaining cheese.
5. Bake at 180C for 40 minutes until golden.
6. Rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Serving suggestions

• Lovely with a sharp Greek salad.

Storage & reheating

Keeps 4 days; freezes well.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is not yet available for this recipe. Values vary with portion size and exact ingredients — we will add verified figures here soon.

Frequently asked questions