| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Prep: | 40 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound ziti
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 1 pound ground beef or lamb (or a combination)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 15 -ounce can tomato sauce
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups grated kefalotyri or parmesan cheese (about 6 ounces)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups plain 2 percent Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Meanwhile, make the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cinnamon and cook until the onion is soft, about 5 more minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and wine and cook until the wine starts to evaporate, about 2 more minutes. Add the tomato sauce, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the parsley and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs and remove from the heat.
- When the pasta is done, drain and return to the pot off the heat; stir in the butter, then the beaten eggs and 1 cup cheese until the pasta is coated.
- Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Spread half of the pasta in the dish, then top with the meat filling and the remaining pasta.
- Make the bechamel: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. (Do not let the flour brown.) Whisk in the yogurt and 3/4 cup water and gently simmer, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 5 more minutes. (Do not let the mixture boil.) Remove from the heat and whisk in the eggs, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Pour the bechamel evenly over the pasta in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheese and 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs and bake until golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 602 |
| Total Fat | 33 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 154 mg |
| Sodium | 697 mg |
Reviews
tasted great but there was too much sauce. Maybe a cup less yogurt.
What I love about this rustic dish is the simplicity of it, and the different things you can add or reduce to dietary needs or preferences, and still get the flavor you are looking for. I have made this recipe many times many ways. The best way is with the beef or turkey. But in any case. You can also make ahead of time and refrigerate. But don’t add the beschemel till the day you cook it. The noodles will soak up the sauce. And it won’t set up properly. Great dish! Making it now.
Haven’t tried this yet but wanted to make it ahead – like a day ahead – and wondered if that could be done since there are eggs and yogurt in it.
my Recipes
My husband cut out red meat and pork from his diet for health reasons. I think I can, but needed confirmation; can I substitute ground turkey for the beef?
Michael Simon did this on another show. I had it at a Greek place and it was all beef which I am glad since I am not a fan of Italian sausage. Can not wait to try it.
I used shell pasta instead, and that worked just fine. I also added an additional 1/2 lb or so of sausage. Only made half the bechamel sauce and it was plenty.
Delicious!! I have also made Ina Garten’s version, we prefer inas version! I love the shells verses the tubes. They hold the meat sauce way better. The tubes make the dish seem too pasta-y. Food network version didn’t have enough meat. Next time I will try food networks version with another pound of meat and shells!!
This recipe is excellent! I made a few changes: I cut the pasta and bechamel by half, used whole wheat penne and ground organic hamburger. I’m not sure why others said this was time consuming; it took me 30 minutes to put it together. I am a multitasker so I was making the meat, bechamel and pasta simultaneously ( not very difficult. If you cut the cinnamon that defeats the purpose as that is the signature spice in pastitso!
Easy and very tasty!