Nikki's Perfect Pastitsio

Ingredients

Meat
- 1 1/2 lbs Ground sirloin

Produce
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1 Onion, medium

Refrigerated
- 2 Eggs, large

Condiments
- 1 can Tomato sauce

Pasta & Grains
- 2 1/2 cups Penne pasta

Baking & Spices
- 2/3 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon, ground
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Salt

Dairy
- 4 cups 2% milk
- 10 tbsp Butter
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese

Time
Prepare: 45M
Cook: 50M
Total: 1H 35M

Found on tasteofhome.com

Description

My mother used to work so hard in the kitchen to make this classic Greek dish, and the results were always well worth her effort. My recipe for pastitsio is easier, a bit lighter and every bit as great as Moms.—Nikki Tsangaris, Westfield, Indiana

A great dish---for all occasions. A keeper.

Made it tonight for the family. I was out so I was not sure how they liked it because they did not seem to eat much. My daughter liked it but felt there was too much cinnamon. She did not say how my SIL liked it. My husband said it was good and he did not notice the cinnamon. I enjoyed it reheated when I came home.. I will put it on the monthly rotation. Gave it the 4 stars because of daughters comment.

To Appy Girl, could you please provide amount of ingredients you used to scale this dish down for 2? Thanks so much

The amount of bechamel sauce in this recipe is WAY too much for just 2-1/2 cups of pasta. I used a pound bag of pasta and it was perfect. I did cut back on some of the parmesan, using only 1-1/2 cups total (1/2 c up in the pasta, 1/2 cup on top of meat sauce, 1/2 cup as topping) and it was plenty. . As others have noted, it wouldnt taste like pastitsio without nutmeg in the bechamel sauce—I added about 1/4 t. I had to use a larger baking pan, and baked it for 1-1/4 hours to get it bubbly in the middle and the top golden brown. I also think the recipe should say it should sit for about 15 minutes once taken out of the oven; otherwise when served it all falls apart and doesnt present like the tidy slice in the photo. My family loved it!

rmbarr I agree that you need a touch of nutmeg in the Bechamel it really adds and gentles the flavor of the cinnamon. This is my husbands favorite dish

After making the noodles and the meat sauce, I thought to myself, no way does this need 4 cups of Bechamel sauce. So, I halved that portion of the recipe, and I thought it was just right. It might not have been perfect to a Greek person, but we thought it was delicious. EDIT: The second time I made this recipe a few months later, I made it exactly as written. EXCELLENT!

Okay. I think it was the cinnamon that was throwing me off.

My husband is Greek and we always make pastitcio and spanakopita for Christmas Eve dinner. Ive been using the same pastitcio recipe for the last several years but decided to try this one on a whim. I believe this recipe will replace the one I used to use. The only thing I missed and would add in the future is some nutmeg to the sauce. Thanks for sharing!

I would recommend to first mix the flour and milk while its cold and then add it on the stove top. Add butter then one knorr for taste. Once it thickens then take off of fire, add cheese, eggs, nutmeg, pepper to taste while stirring.

Hello Theresa,I basically cut the recipe in 1/2. I allowed (1) cup plus of pasta per person. ( Cooked ) For the Meat portion I cooked up 3 hamburgers. (1) small can of tomato sauce, Pinch of Cinnamon. For the parm Cheese. I used a 1/2 cup. (1) clove of Garlic and about a 1/2 cup chopped onion. The last cup of cheese was probably 1/3-1/2.For the B?chamel sauce1/4 cup butter1/3 cup flourSalt and pepper to taste2 cups of whole milk( I dont remember if I used the egg or not) My honest guess is No )I did reduce the amount .I also buttered 2 small individual oven safe casserole dishes and divided up the mixture between them.We really enjoyed this recipe and I hope you try it soon.JanieJanie TOH Volunteer FE

Ingredients

2-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
BECHAMEL SAUCE:
1/2 cup butter, cubed
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups 2% milk
2 large eggs

Directions

Directions Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Toss with butter; add grated Parmesan cheese. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles; drain. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in tomato sauce, salt and cinnamon; heat through. Spoon over pasta. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Pour over beef mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 30-40 minutes longer or until golden brown. Yield: 12 servings. Originally published as Nikki's Perfect Pastitsio in Taste of Home December 2013 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: thumbnails-i, container: taboola-native-stream-thumbnails, placement: Native Stream Thumbnails, target_type: mix });

Nutrition

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tasteofhome.com

195 0 2017-08-02 11:28:34

Title:	Nikki's Perfect Pastitsio
Descrition:	My mother used to work so hard in the kitchen to make this classic Greek dish, and the results were always well worth her effort. My recipe for pastitsio is easier, a bit lighter and every bit as great as Mom's.—Nikki Tsangaris, Westfield, Indiana

Nikki's Perfect Pastitsio