PASTITSIO – GREEK ‘LASAGNA’

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a deep 9” x 13” baking sheet with non-stick spray.

To make the Bolognese ragu, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes until they are soft and fragrant.  Add the ground beef and lamb to the pan and continue cooking, breaking the meat up with a spatula until it is in small pieces and mostly cooked through.

While the meat is cooking add the salt, pepper, Ciao Bella Italian spice blend, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and thyme bundle to the pan, stirring frequently to combine.  Add the wine to the pan and continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Add the tomato paste to the pan.  Stir until well incorporated.  Add the canned tomatoes and stir to combine.  Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef mixture is moist but not wet. When you pull the meat aside in the pan, you will be able to see the bottom of the pan with no moisture seeping in.  Remove from heat and set aside to rest and let the flavors mingle while you make the béchamel.  Discard the thyme bundle.

To make the béchamel, melt the butter in another large deep skillet.  Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to make a paste and cook off the raw flour flavor.  Gradually add the milk, whisking until a smooth thick sauce forms that coats the back of a spoon.   Add the salt, nutmeg, and parmesan to the pan whisking vigorously to combine.

Turn off the heat and add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking vigorously to keep them from cooking.  Continue to whisk vigorously for 2 minutes until the eggs are well incorporated into the smooth thick sauce (this is a great arm workout!).  Remove from heat and whisk in the shredded cheeses until fully melted and smooth.

To assemble the pastitsio, lightly coat the bottom and sides of a deep 9” x 13” baking dish with olive oil.  Place the cooked pasta in the bottom of the dish, taking care to line them up so they are all going in the same direction.  You may need to cut the ends off the noodles to make them perfectly fit in the baking dish.  Season the noodles with the black pepper, drizzle the butter evenly all over, and sprinkle ¼ cup of the parmesan on top.

Spread the Bolognese ragu in an even layer over the noodles with an offset or rubber spatula.

Pour the béchamel over the top of the ragu and spread it evenly with an offset or rubber spatula.  Note – the casserole will be very very full.  Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of parmesan and the ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg over the top.  Place the casserole on a foil lined baking sheet so if there is any spillage, you don’t mess up your oven!

Bake for 40-50 minutes until the casserole is hot and bubbly and the béchamel on top is golden brown.  Cover with foil and let rest for 45 minutes to set before cutting.  This will ensure your casserole will hold together after cutting.  Cut into squares and serve with Greek salad.