Pastitsio

Name: Pastitsio
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 400g tubular pasta such as ziti or penne; 500g beef mince; 2 onions, diced; 400g crushed tomatoes; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground allspice; 800ml bechamel sauce; 100g parmesan, grated; 3 tbsp olive oil

Greek baked pasta with spiced beef mince and bechamel — hearty comfort food for a crowd.

Total time

85 min

Prep

30 min

Cook

55 min

Difficulty

medium

Cuisine

Mediterranean

Ingredients

400gtubular pasta such as ziti or penne

500gbeef mince

2onions, diced

400gcrushed tomatoes

4 clovesgarlic, minced

1 tspground cinnamon

1 tspground allspice

800mlbechamel sauce

100gparmesan, grated

3 tbspolive oil

Instructions

Cook pasta until very al dente, drain.

Fry onion in oil until soft, add garlic and beef mince, brown well.

Add tomatoes, cinnamon and allspice, simmer 20 minutes.

Mix pasta with half the bechamel and half the cheese.

Spread pasta mixture in a deep baking dish.

Spread meat sauce over pasta.

Top with remaining bechamel and scatter with remaining cheese.

Bake at 180C for 45 minutes until golden. Rest 20 minutes before cutting.