Pastitsio: Thick Pasta, Tomato Meat Sauce and a Golden Béchamel in One Dish
Clear layers: pasta, a thick tomato meat sauce, more pasta, and a béchamel enriched with egg yolks and kefalotyri cheese. Boil the pasta short, cook the sauce until it has thickened, and let the baked dish rest before cutting.
Pastitsio is a Greek oven-baked pasta dish. Greece's tourism sector lists it among the Greek staples you can find in tavernas even on Crete, an island with its own distinct pasta dishes, which says a lot about how widely it is eaten across the country. Cut into a pan of pastitsio and you see the structure at once: thick, hollow pasta below, a tomato sauce of meat in the middle, pasta again, and a thick béchamel baked golden on top.
This article follows the pastitsio recipe published by MISKO, a Greek pasta maker, at its original scale of 10 portions. That version has its own character: alongside the ground beef it uses a finely chopped sausage, carrot and a small amount of cumin in the meat sauce. The work happens in parallel parts (pasta, meat sauce, béchamel) that meet in the baking dish, so it helps to read through all the steps before starting.
This recipe has not been kitchen-tested for this article. Amounts, times and the oven temperature are those given in MISKO's recipe. For more dishes from the same country, see Greek recipes.
Pastitsada is a different dish with a similar name, in which meat stewed in tomato is served over pasta. Pastitsio is layered and baked in the oven.
Ingredients (10 portions, as in the source recipe)
Where no amount is given (salt, pepper, nutmeg), the table says "to taste".
Kefalotyri appears twice: 100 g grated as a separate item, and 100 g within the béchamel. The béchamel's 100 g goes in together with the egg yolks, and kefalotyri is sprinkled over the top after assembling; use as much of the separate 100 g on top as you like.
This recipe contains wheat (pasta, flour), milk (butter, milk, cheese) and egg. Check the label of the sausage you buy for its ingredients and allergen information.
Equipment
- A large pot that holds 5 liters of water, plus a colander
- A shallow pan for the meat sauce
- A saucepan and a whisk for the béchamel
- A grater for the tomatoes and cheese
- An ovenproof baking dish
- An oven
Choosing the Pasta and Cheese Outside Greece
Pasta. Use MISKO's Pastitsio No2, a thick tubular pasta made for this dish; it may be hard to find in many countries. A thick tubular pasta of similar shape and thickness, such as bucatini or ziti, is a reasonable candidate. Length and how neatly the layers hold together will differ. Whatever you use, base the boiling time on that product's package and cut it short by 2–3 minutes, as in step 1.
Cheese. Kefalotyri is a hard Greek cheese. If you cannot find it, another hard grating cheese can stand in, but expect differences in saltiness, hardness and aroma. Account for the cheese’s saltiness when seasoning; do not taste the béchamel after adding the raw egg yolks.
Tomatoes. Use 500 g of grated tomatoes.
Method: Three Components, Then the Layers
Boil the pasta first and set it aside, then make the meat sauce, then the béchamel. Everything comes together in the baking dish in step 7.
Serving
The source specifies the 15-minute rest after baking, and it is worth keeping: cutting straight from the oven makes neat portions harder. The recipe is written for 10 portions; how many people that actually feeds depends on your table.
Troubleshooting
| Situation | What to check | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Unsure how long to boil the pasta | The time printed on your package | Cook 2–3 minutes less than the package says; the source does not give a fixed number of minutes |
| The meat sauce is still watery | Whether it has simmered the full 15–20 minutes | Keep simmering over low heat until it has thickened before assembling |
| The flour is browning fast in the béchamel | The color of the butter-flour mixture | The source wants the flour only slightly colored; keep whisking constantly over medium heat |
| Lumps when adding milk | How fast the milk went in | Add the milk a little at a time and whisk quickly, as the source directs |
| Not sure when to add the yolks | Whether the pan is still on the heat | Take the béchamel off the heat first, then mix in the yolks and cheese |
| How much cheese for the top | The source recipe | The source does not say; the amounts in the ingredient list are not redistributed here |
| Portions fall apart when cut | Whether it rested | Rest 15 minutes after baking before cutting |
Variations Within the Dish
Aglaia Kremezi, writing in Saveur, notes that pastitsio is made differently from home to home, in its proportions and in how the layers are built. The version here is one specific recipe, MISKO's, and its beef-and-sausage sauce with carrot and cumin is part of what defines it; other recipes from other sources are not blended in here.
Within this recipe, the variations supported by the materials are practical ones: a thick tubular pasta in place of Pastitsio No2, and a different hard grating cheese if kefalotyri is unavailable, both described above as editorial suggestions with their differences noted.
Culture and History
In Greece's tourism sector guide to Crete, pastitsio appears among the Greek staples found in the island's tavernas, alongside a separate discussion of distinctly Cretan foods such as the island's own pasta, skioufichta makarounia. Pastitsio is presented there as a dish shared across Greece, not as a Cretan specialty.
Kremezi's Saveur article distinguishes the familiar béchamel-topped pastitsio from earlier regional forms made with a pastry crust. In her account, the béchamel version reflects French influence in the early 20th century, associated with the cookbook author Nikolaos Tselementes and French techniques. This is one writer's account of the dish's history, and it points to a dish that took different forms rather than a single point of invention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pastitsio the same as pastitsada?
No. Pastitsada is meat stewed in tomato and served over pasta. Pastitsio is layered pasta, meat sauce and béchamel, baked in the oven.
Why boil the pasta for less time than the package says?
The pasta goes on to bake in the oven. The source tells you to cook it 2–3 minutes short of the package time, so the right number of minutes depends on the product you buy.
How much cheese goes on top?
The source tells you to sprinkle kefalotyri over the top but gives no amount, and it lists a separate 100 g of grated kefalotyri without saying where it is used. This article keeps both amounts as listed instead of guessing how they divide.
How long does the whole recipe take?
The working times in the steps come from the source: for example, 15–20 minutes to simmer the meat sauce, 40 minutes in the oven at 180°C, and a 15-minute rest. A single total time is not given here, because the components overlap and the timing has not been checked in a test kitchen.
Has this recipe been tested?
No. This recipe has not been kitchen-tested for this article. It reproduces MISKO's published amounts, steps, temperature and times.
Sources
- MISKO, "Pastitsio." The 10-portion recipe used here: all ingredients and amounts, the pasta boiling method, the order and timing of the meat sauce and béchamel steps, the layering, baking at 180°C for 40 minutes and resting for 15 minutes. https://www.misko.gr/en/syntages/pastitsio-2/
- Discover Greece (Greek tourism sector), "A foodie guide to Crete." Pastitsio listed among Greek staples found in Cretan tavernas, distinct from Crete's own dishes such as skioufichta makarounia. https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/cover-story/foodie-guide-crete
- Aglaia Kremezi, "Modern Classic: Pastitsio," Saveur. The author's account of the béchamel-topped version, earlier regional pastry-crust forms, the influence of Nikolaos Tselementes and French technique, and household variation in recipes. https://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Modern-Classic-Pastitsio/
