Our Greek Pastichio Recipe Puts Lasagna To Shame
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
1 hour, 30 minutes
Servings:
8 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 ½ pounds ground beef
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of ground nutmeg
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¾ cup red wine
  • 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • ½ cup beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened
  • 14 ounces bucatini pasta
  • 1 large egg, room temperature, whisked
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan
  • 5 ounces butter
  • 5 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ pints whole milk
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ¾ cup crumbled feta
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan
Directions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan to a medium temperature.
  2. Saute the onion and garlic for 5 to 6 minutes, until softened.
  3. Add the ground beef, season well with salt and pepper, and brown.
  4. Add the oregano, cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground cloves to the pan.
  5. Add the red wine, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, bay leaf, and beef stock.
  6. Stir well, season with salt and pepper, and then leave to simmer for 40 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  8. Generously butter a baking dish.
  9. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil.
  10. Cook the bucatini until al dente, a few minutes less than what the package instructions call for.
  11. Drain the bucatini.
  12. Mix an egg and grated Parmesan into the pasta.
  13. Lay the pasta out at the bottom of the prepared, buttered baking dish, and set aside.
  14. For the béchamel sauce, add the butter to a large saucepan over a medium heat.
  15. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour.
  16. Add the milk in increments, whisking continuously, until it has all been incorporated.
  17. Once the sauce has thickened, add a generous pinch of nutmeg.
  18. Remove the béchamel from the heat and quickly whisk in the 2 eggs.
  19. Remove the meat sauce from the heat and discard the bay leaf.
  20. To assemble the pastichio, layer the meat sauce over the pasta in the baking dish.
  21. Pour the béchamel sauce over the meat layer, spreading it out so that it touches the edges of the baking dish.
  22. Top the béchamel with the crumbled feta and the remaining Parmesan.
  23. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden.
  24. Serve immediately.