Pastitsio is a layered Greek casserole of macaroni and seasoned ground lamb, topped with a thick cream sauce. This version substitutes beef in place of the lamb to suit American tastes.
I have made this recipe for years and it is a winner. It takes a few bowls and pans but this can be cleaned up during the baking - and it's well worth it! As the kids were growing up, they had this recipe right up there with pizza as their favorite. I never knew the real name but called it Greek Macaroni Bake.
Read MoreI made this exactly as written. Not very good. The make-shift bechamel sauce was pitiful. A lot of work, a good bit of expense and not worth it. Very disappointed!
Read MoreI have made this recipe for years and it is a winner. It takes a few bowls and pans but this can be cleaned up during the baking - and it's well worth it! As the kids were growing up, they had this recipe right up there with pizza as their favorite. I never knew the real name but called it Greek Macaroni Bake.
Good stuff. I quartered the recipe for the wife and I, added some spinach and baked in a square pan. Will make again.
I thought this was great, but I only made half the recipe since it's way too much for two of us.
I made this for a Greek Party we had and even the couple that was Greek thought it tasted as good as her mom's.
We all loved it! Easy enough to prepare ahead of time too. Satisfied my Greek tooth.
Loved it and so did my kids! Next time I make it though I'll leave the foil on a bit longer bc the noodles on the very top got a bit too crunchy. Also replaced the allspice with just an extra sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon and it turned out great!
This was very good. The ratio to noodles was a little high so when I make it again I will use less. Other that that it was tasty and filling.
This is moussaka for those who don't like eggplant. Couple of points: 1. I used ground lamb. You don't need to cool down to remove fat as directed. 2. I had a problem getting the cream sauce thick enough. Will use corn starch next time. 3. If you want it to look more like moussaka, put the noodles on the bottom, the meat on top and then the sauce over the meat. 4. I made mine with egg noodles. Nice alternative to pasta.
This recipe is complicated but is worth it. I had to reduce the servings which made my measurements and serving portion smaller than I thought. Baking at 400 degrees was also too high and my finished dish was dry and the pasta became too hard to eat on the outside edges. Next time I will only bake at 350 degrees and keep to the original portion size. The flavors were spot on so I will be making this dish again
Dad loved it! The boys, who are now 9, weren't sure what to make of it. They ate it, but didn't love it. Maybe it will grow on them. I did overhear their bragging that they ate "Pitaki" for dinner AND Lamb, which I did use. For pasta, I used two Mac N' Cheese boxes, folding the cheese powder into the hot meat mixture prior to refrigerating. In place of the parmasean, I used garlic parmesan cheese which added to the garlic flavor. Cinnamon is mostly used for baking in my home so I was reluctant to use it. However, I did and I'm not sure what its purpose was, since you can't taste it. I am sure, though, it would not have come out right without it. Made for great leftovers! The recipe looks scary, but it was pretty easy to follow and execute with minimal dishes used.
I made this exactly as written. Not very good. The make-shift bechamel sauce was pitiful. A lot of work, a good bit of expense and not worth it. Very disappointed!
