Pasticcio (Greek Lasagna)

published Jul 12, 2021

5 from 8 votes

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Pasticcio is a Greek lasagna style baked pasta dish with layers of bucatini noodles, rich, meaty bolognese and creamy bechamel sauce. Make this pastitsio recipe for a comforting meal!

Baked pasta dishes could be considered the culinary equivalent of a warm blanket on a cold day; they’re comforting and reliable.

I don’t know about you, but I can always count on a warm plate of macaroni noodles, sauce, and cheese to make me feel cozy and loved.

Even better, no matter where you travel along the Silk Road, there’s sure to be a regional pasta recipe for you to try.

Pasticcio

Cuisine: Mediterranean / Greek

When you travel to Greece, of course you’ll try the popular favorites like gyros with authentic tzatziki and maybe some saganaki or spanakorizo.

Do yourself a favor and order a fregola salad with grilled halloumi, and of course, pastichio.

Alternate Names and Spellings: pastitsio, pasticcio, pastichio, Greek lasagna

Pronunciation: pa – stEE – she – o

Course: Main

Recipe Difficulty: Easy 🥄

Description:
Long, tubular pasta noodles, meaty bolognese sauce spiced with cinnamon, and cheesy bechamel sauce layered in a baking dish. The top of the casserole is covered with a layer of shredded cheese, then baked.

Pasticcio vs Lasagna

Although making a pastitsio recipe is similar to making a traditional Italian lasagna, one look at the ingredients and it’s pretty obvious that the two dishes are quite different.

Despite the different ingredients, because the dishes look similar, some people like to call it a Greek lasagna.

large serving of pastichio sits on spatula above the pan

Pastitsio Recipe Video

To see the entire process of cooking and assembling this delicious baked pasta dish, watch the video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Meat Sauce (Bolognese)

The majority of the ingredients in the Greek bolognese are the same as you’d find in an Italian meat sauce; garlic, tomatoes, diced onion, bay leaf, and red wine.

The unique ingredients that make the flavor shine are cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. They lend depth of flavor and deliver an amazing aroma! In a pinch, you could probably use ground spices as a substitute, but try to avoid that; the flavor from whole spices is more potent.

MEAT OPTIONS: This pastitsio recipe uses lean ground beef, but any ground meat of your choice may be substituted. In Greece, many people use a combination of beef and veal.

bowl with raw ground meat and smaller bowls of ingredients for pastitsio recipe

overhead: large pot of meat sauce for Greek lasagna

White Cheese Sauce (Greek Bechamel)

Bechamel is one of the five basic French mother sauces, meaning other ingredients are added to the basic sauce to create secondary sauces. In this case, bechamel is the mother and the addition of shredded cheese turns it into a secondary sauce.

Greek bechamel (spelled besamel in Greece) is a bit different than the French version. Eggs are added to Greek bechamel to give it a nice light yellow color. Those eggs, plus extra flour, make the sauce much thicker than other cheese sauces.

NOTE: The bechamel should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. You’ll know it’s ready when you can run your finger through it to create a solid strip.

Thick cheese sauce coats the back of a spoon

Cheese options:

Traditionally, pasticcio cheese sauce is made with shredded Kefalotyri cheese. It’s a pasteurized Greek cheese made from goat and sheep’s milk. If you’re unable to find Kefalotyri in your local grocery store, you can use an unpasteurized Greek cheese called Kasseri. Other good melting Greek cheeses are Mizithra and Graviera.

SUBSTITUTIONS: If none of those options are available, you can use Asiago, fresh Gouda, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or even Monterey Jack.

Pasticcio Pasta

The unique pasta used in Greek lasagna is essentially a thicker version of Italian bucatini. The long tubes are hollow, which allows sauce to seep inside. This is a MUCH better option than using sheets of lasagna noodles! You’ll want to use Pastitsio No. 2 pasta noodles if possible.

Good substitutes for pastitsio pasta include the thinner, Italian bucatini, mostaccioli, or any smooth (without ridges) tubular pasta.

Assembling the Pastichio

Assembling the Greek pasta dish is pretty straightforward:

Noodles mixed with feta cheese and egg whites on the bottom of a greased pan
Cover pasta with a layer of bolognese
Add a layer of Greek bechamel
Top with shredded cheese

Similar to a traditional lasagna, there are people who like to add an additional layer of noodles and sauce. Feel free to do so, but you’ll need to cook twice as many noodles and double the amount of ingredients for the sauces.

overhead: layer of meat sauce in casserole dish for pastitsio (greek lasagna) — layer of beef bolognese

overhead: layer of bechamel sauce in baking dish for pastichio (greek lasagna) — layer of beef bolognese

Pastitsio Recipe Notes

Cook the pasta al dente to prevent it from becoming mushy. Just cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructions state and you’ll be fine.
Allow the baked pasta to rest for 15 minutes before slicing. This will help you cut the slices cleaner.

golden brown kefalotyri cheese on top of greek lasagna

Greek Lasagna FAQ

Can I make pastichio ahead?

Just like most other baked pasta recipes, pastichio can be made up to two days ahead of time, either fully prepared and baked or unbaked.

What should I serve with Greek lasagna?

There are plenty of carbohydrates in the lasagna, but a basket of warm Greek breads, soft barbari bread, or whole wheat Khubz would be a welcome addition.

Also, where there is Greek food, there’s usually a bottle of red wine nearby.

close up: serving of pasticcio baked pasta

titled image: serving of Greek pasticcio

Pasticcio (Greek Lasagna)