Authentic Greek Pastitsio Recipe (Gluten-Free)

 

Ingredients You’ll Need

Getting started on this delightful journey is easier than you think, thanks to a handful of simple but essential ingredients. Each element plays an important role, whether it’s building the rich meat sauce, creating the creamy béchamel, or giving the pasta its perfect texture and flavor.

• Red onion: Adds sweetness and depth to the meat sauce.
• Garlic cloves: Bring aromatic warmth and a punch of flavor.
• Olive oil: The ideal healthy fat that sautés the aromatics beautifully.
• Ground beef: The hearty protein base for the rich meat sauce.
• Red wine: Adds complexity and helps tenderize the meat.
• Crushed tomato: Offers tangy sweetness and a luscious sauce base.
• Fresh parsley: Brightens the meat sauce with herbaceous notes.
• White pepper: Gives a subtle heat without overpowering.
• Granulated sugar: Balances acidity in the tomato sauce.
• Nutmeg, oregano, thyme, cinnamon: These spices bring authentic Mediterranean warmth and depth.
• Bay leaves: Infuse a gentle earthiness while simmering.
• Kosher salt: Enhances all the flavors perfectly.
• Whole milk: Essential for creating dreamy béchamel sauce.
• Unsalted butter: The foundation for the creamy béchamel roux.
• Gluten-Free Flour: Thickens the béchamel into a silky sauce.
• Grated Kefalotyri or Pecorino cheese: Adds savory sharpness to the béchamel.
• Egg yolks: Enrich the béchamel and add a beautiful golden color.
• Long Gluten-Free Rice-based Pasta: ziti, pastitsio, or penne pasta: The sturdy noodles that hold all the delicious layers together.
• Egg whites: Help bind the pasta and feta together.
• Feta cheese: Brings tangy creaminess to the pasta layer.

How to make pastitsio (Greek Lasagna):

Making this Greek pasta casserole is similar to assembling a lasagna dish.

First, prepare each component of the Greek lasagna–cook the pasta, make the meat sauce, and make the bechamel.

Use a large casserole dish or a 8 ½ x 13 backing dish.  Give the dish a quick brush with some good Extra Virgin Olive Oil then assemble the Greek lasagna layer by layer. Spread about one half of the cooked pasta first. Next, add the meat sauce and spread it well. Add the rest of the pasta on top of the meat sauce, then finally spread the béchamel sauce on top.

Bake your Greek pastitsio at 350 degrees F heated-oven for one hour or until the béchamel topping bubbles nicely and turns golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes before serving.

Important tip: after baking, allow the pasta casserole to sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting it into pieces, the bechamel sauce needs the time to settle a bit.

For the neat layers arrange the pasta so they’re all going in one direction, and rest the baked Pastitsio for 15 minutes before slicing. Excellent for making ahead (keeps for 4 to 5 days in the fridge) and freezes very well!

Ingredients

CupsMetric

Meat Sauce:

• ▢2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢3 garlic cloves , finely minced
• ▢2 red onions , finely chopped (sub yellow or brown onions)
• ▢1 kg / 2 lb beef mince (ground beef)
• ▢3/4 cup red wine , dry (Note 1)
• ▢800g / 28 oz canned crushed tomato
• ▢2 beef bouillon cubes , crumbled (stock cubes)
• ▢2 tbsp tomato paste
• ▢1 tsp white sugar
• ▢1 bay leaf
• ▢1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• ▢1 cinnamon stick (or extra 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder)
• ▢1/4 tsp ground cloves
• ▢3/4 tsp salt
• ▢1 tsp black pepper

Greek Bechamel:

• ▢100g / 7 tbsp butter , unsalted
• ▢3/4 cup flour , plain/all purpose
• ▢1 litre / 4 cups milk , whole/full fat best but low fat ok
• ▢1/8 tsp nutmeg , preferably freshly grated
• ▢1/2 tsp salt
• ▢100g / 3 oz Kefalotyri Greek cheese (sub Parmesan or Romano) , finely shredded (Note 2)
• ▢2 egg yolks (egg whites are used in the pasta)

Pasta:

• ▢400g / 14 oz Pastitsio No. 2 pasta / Greek bucatini (sub small ziti, penne or normal bucatini, Note 3)
• ▢120g / 4 oz feta , crumbled
• ▢2 egg whites (yolks used in Béchamel)

Topping:

• ▢75g / 3 oz Kefalotyri Greek cheese (sub parmesan or Romano) , finely grated (Note 2)

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Instructions

Meat Sauce:

1. Heat in a large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 – 3 minutes until onion is softened. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from red to brown.
2. Add wine and and cook until the wine has mostly evaporated – about 3 minutes.
3. Add remaining Meat Sauce ingredients. Stir well, bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium / medium low so it’s simmering gently. Cook for 45 min to 1 hour until liquid is mostly gone, stirring every now and then. It should be a thick mixture with little liquid, not saucy like Spaghetti Bolognese (Note 4).
4. Remove from stove and cool. Preferably to room temperature, otherwise for at least 30 minutes before assembling (lid off).

Greek Béchamel (Note 5):

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir for 1 minute.
2. While stirring, slowly pour half the milk in. It should turn into a wet paste. Then again, while stirring, pour in remaining milk – the paste should easily dissolve so it’s lump-free. If not, just whisk vigorously.
3. Cook, stirring so the base doesn’t catch, for 5 minutes or until thick enough so it coats the back of a wooden spoon thickly and you can draw a path across it with your finger.
4. Remove from stove. Stir in nutmeg, cheese and salt.
5. Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Then whisk in egg yolks quickly. Place lid on and set aside. If sauce cools and gets too thick to pour, just reheat on a low stove until pourable.

Pasta (Note 6):

1. When you’re ready to assemble, cook the pasta per packet instructions, minus 1 minute.
2. Drain, then return to the pot. Leave to cool for 3 minutes, then stir through egg whites. Gently stir through crumbled feta.

Assemble and bake:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
2. Place pasta in a baking dish (33 x 22 x 7 cm / 9 x 13 x 2.75″), arranging them so they are all going in the same direction as best you can (for visual effect when sliced). Make the surface as level as you can.
3. Top with Meat Sauce, then smooth the surface.
4. Pour over Béchamel Sauce, then sprinkle over the cheese.
5. Bake 30 min or until crust turns golden.
6. Cool for at least 10 minutes so you can cut neat slices with the layers neatly visible. Serve!