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Greek Pastitsio (Baked Bucatini Pasta with Spiced Beef and Velvety Bechamel)
The ultimate Greek comfort bake: tubular bucatini pasta layered with a fragrant cinnamon-spiced beef ragù, crowned with a thick golden-crusted blanket of nutmeg-infused creamy bechamel.
Prep
30 min
Cook
50 min
Total
80 min
Ingredients
6servings
- Bucatini or tubular pasta350 g
- Ground beef500 g
- Crushed tomatoes300 g
- Yellow onion, diced1 piece
- Garlic cloves, minced2 clove
- Ground cinnamon0.5 tsp
- Warm whole milk500 ml
- Butter50 g
- All-purpose flour50 g
- Egg yolks2 piece
- Extra virgin olive oil2 tbsp
- Salt1.5 tsp
Preparation Steps
1
Boil pasta in salted water until firm al dente, drain, and set aside.
8 min timer
2
Heat olive oil in a skillet, sauté onion and garlic, add ground beef, and brown thoroughly. Stir in tomatoes, cinnamon, and salt; simmer 15 minutes until thick.
15 min timer
3
For bechamel: melt butter in saucepan, whisk in flour for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in warm milk until smooth and thick. Remove from heat and stir in egg yolks.
6 min timer
4
Spread pasta evenly in a greased baking dish, pour meat sauce over the top, and smooth with a spatula. Pour bechamel over everything in an even layer.
5 min timer
5
Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 40-45 minutes until top is deeply golden brown. Rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
40 min timer
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Provenance & Public Domain Audit
Source: Mediterranean Culinary Heritage / Historic Public Domain Archives (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) & Mediterranean Heritage)
Legal status: Public Domain (17 U.S.C. § 105) • 17 U.S.C. § 105
License: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal
