This pastitsio recipe is a Greek-style macaroni cheese, which I’ve been told numerous times does not remotely resemble the authentic Greek recipe. However, this is how my father taught me to make it. In this easy family favourite recipe, layers of ooey, gooey macaroni cheese sandwich a spiced lamb mince, and it’s been a go-to family recipe for many of my blog readers for years.
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- What is Pastitsio?
- The ultimate comfort food
- Ingredients needed for Pastitsio – Greek Macaroni Pie
- How to make Pastitsio – Greek Macaroni Pie – Step-by-step Instructions
- How to make the BEST Greek mac and cheese
- Other mac and cheese recipes you might like
- Pin this recipe for later
- Other lamb recipes you might like
What is Pastitsio?
Pastitsio is a baked pasta dish made with ground meat and béchamel sauce, a sort of Greek-style macaroni cheese.
Recipes vary, but the traditional pastitsio usually has a base of tubular pasta (like bucatini) with an egg and/or cheese mix to bind.
The bottom pasta layer is topped with a layer of ground beef and/or pork in tomato sauce seasoned with cinnamon and cloves. The top pasta layer is mixed with a béchamel sauce flavoured with nutmeg or allspice, and the whole dish is topped with a layer of grated Greek goat cheese.
In Cyprus, a similar dish is made with ground lamb. Flavoured with mint, parsley or cinnamon, pastitsio is usually served at Easter time along with a spit roast.
My Canadian father gave me this version of pastitsio. It’s been a firm family favourite in our house for over a decade, and it’s been a reader favourite since I originally published it.
Note – the original recipe I shared back in 2015 included a recipe and photographs showing pastitsio made with cheddar cheese instead of the traditional Greek Kefalotiri cheese.
I confess I have been rightfully chastised for the inauthenticity of this recipe numerous times. No self-respecting Greek woman would use cheddar in her Greek macaroni pie, or cumin, for that matter, I’ve been told.
Lucy from Supergolden Bakes is a Greek food blogger, and there’s cumin in her pastitsio recipe so I’m keeping it!
In March 2019 I updated this recipe. I still can not source Kefalotiri cheese, so I’ve substituted it with Parmesan, as she suggested (but I’m not giving up the cumin!). The original cheddar was my father’s variation, and although it tastes fabulous, it’s not pastitsio.
The ultimate comfort food
This morning I hit the floor running. It was go-go-go all day, with my not finding the time to scoff breakfast until about half-past one in the afternoon (and even that was a hurried banana while heading off to another meeting!).
I’d taken a packet of lamb mince out of the freezer last night with no idea of what I was going to do with it, but come time to make dinner I was in a carbohydrates sort of mood.
A macaroni and cheese sort of mood.
Macaroni and cheese with a layer of lamb mince spiced with toasted cumin kind of mood.
Pastitsio it would be!
This recipe is the ultimate in comfort food, ticking all the boxes for carbs, cheese and flavour. Leftovers reheat really well too.
Ingredients needed for Pastitsio – Greek Macaroni Pie
- Dry elbow macaroni – alternatively, use bucatini pasta for a more authentic recipe.
- Olive oil – I use Pomora, for frying the onion, garlic and lamb mixture.
- Onion – use a large brown onion, finely chopped.
- Garlic – because all the best recipes have garlic in them.
- Lamb mince – use a good quality ethically reared, locally sourced lamb mince from your local butchers.
- Lamb stock – homemade lamb stock will give your recipe an even better flavour.
- Tomato puree – this gives the lamb mixture a nice pop of tomato flavour.
- Cumin seeds – whole seeds toasted and ground give the best flavour for this recipe.
- Ground cinnamon – gives a warming, homely flavour to the recipe.
- Fresh mint – According to the theory of food pairing, lamb and mint are a scientific match because mint is rich with branched-chain ketones. These are chemically related to lamb’s branched-chain fatty acids and have similar, though not identical, aromas.
- Butter – for making the bechamel sauce. Again, try and support your local dairy, if possible.
- Plain flour – for thickening the bechamel sauce.
- Plain, natural yoghurt – this adds a unique, Greek flavour to the bechamel sauce.
- Milk – use full-fat milk from your local dairyfor the best flavour.
- Kefalotyri cheese – if you can source it, use this Greek cheese. Substitute with Parmesan or Romano cheese if you can’t find Kefalotyri.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
How to make Pastitsio – Greek Macaroni Pie – Step-by-step Instructions
- Cook your macaroni according to packet instructions. Reserve some of the pasta water to make the stock, and rinse the cooked macaroni under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan and saute the onion & garlic until softened. Add the lamb mince, season well, and cook until browned. Add the stock, tomato puree and spices, reduce the heat and simmer until thickened.
- Make a béchamel sauce with butter, flour, yoghurt and milk. Stir in half of the cheese.
- Mix the cheese sauce with the cooked, cold macaroni and spoon half into the bottom of a pie dish.
- Top with the lamb layer and add the remaining macaroni cheese.
- Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake at 180 C/ 375 F for 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly on top.
Click here for the full recipe instructions.
How to make the BEST Greek mac and cheese
This recipe tastes incredible when made with cheddar cheese (but it’s not pastitsio!), as shown in the old photos above. Simply replace the lamb mince with beef mince, and use 135 grams/ 1.5 cups of grated mature cheddar cheese.
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Pastitsio – Greek Macaroni Pie
Ingredients
- 235 grams dry elbow macaroni reserve the pasta water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 500 grams lean lamb mince
- 1 lamb stock pot
- 2 tsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds toasted and ground
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves
- 50 grams butter
- 50 grams plain flour
- 135 grams plain natural yoghurt
- 125 ml full fat milk
- 80 grams Kefalotyri cheese or Parmesan
- Shetland sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
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Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 375 F.
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook 235 grams dry elbow macaroni according to the package instructions, until al dente. About 8 minutes. Reserve 300 ml of the pasta cooking water to make your stock with.
- Drain the pasta in a colander and pour over plenty of cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saute pan.
- Gently saute 1 large onion, finely chopped, and chopped 2 garlic cloves in 2 tbsp olive oilfor 8-10 minutes, until softened. Add 500 grams lean lamb mince, season well with Shetland sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until browned all over.
- Mix 1 lamb stock pot with the pasta water to make a lamb stock, and pour into the lamb mixture along with 1 tsp whole cumin seeds, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp tomato puree and 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped.
- Simmer, gently, for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture is thick.
- Heat 50 grams butter in a small saucepan until melted and beginning to bubble. Stir in 50 grams plain flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in 125 ml full fat milk and 135 grams plain natural yoghurt.
- Return to the heat and cook gently for a further five minutes. Remove from the heat again and stir in half of the 80 grams Kefalotyri cheese.
- Mix the cooked macaroni with the cheese sauce and spoon half of the mixture into the bottom of a medium-sized pie dish.
- Spoon over the spiced lamb mince and top with the remaining macaroni. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly.
- Serve with a side salad!
Video
Notes
Beef & Cheddar Mac & Cheese Variation
Simply replace the lamb with ground beef and use beef stock instead of lamb stock. Replace the Kefalotyri (or Parmesan) with 135 grams/ 1.5 cups of grated mature cheddar.Nutrition
Other mac and cheese recipes you might like
- Macaroni Cheese with Bacon, Leeks & Peas – another of our family favourites!
- Scotch Lamb Mac n Cheese – Scottish comfort food at its best and then some!
- Smoked Salmon & Leek Macaroni Cheese – inspired by a fabulous lunch at Mat Follas’ Bramble Cafe.
- Cauliflower & Broccoli Mac and Cheese – all in one simple and ultimately satisfying dish.
- Mac and Cheese – an easy one-pot camping recipe.
- Healthy Mac and Cheese – a big bowl for under 350 calories and it tastes delicious!
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese – five ways!
Muckle Roe Lighthouse
I don’ know where did you find this recipe but as Greek and Chef I can tell you that this is not pastitsio. Has nothing to do with pastitsio. First of all patsistio is not a pie and has nothing to do with such mesh. Pastitsio is like Italian Lasania. At the bottom a layer of bugatini pasta (is the only pasta that we use for pastitsio) then a layer of sauce bolognese (beef) and finish with besamel and on top grated cheese. Pls do not ruine traditional recipes.
Healthy mac n’cheese, pah! That wouldn’t taste good would it?? But then… *takes a forkful*… speechless. OH MY. So good. The “Greek ingredients’ add so much flavor and the crunch of the topping is to die for! So good. Thanks hon, love everything about this healthy recipe! x
I so enjoy your site and your recipes. Would you please consider adding a print option so we can enjoy your recipes a little more easily. Thank you.
I’m glad you enjoy my recipes, and you can find a print button in the recipe card and at the very top of each blog post. 🙂
Being a Cyprus lover this is one of my favourite dishes. Normally you don’t find it in the tourist areas and I love to see their faces when you ask for it 🙂
Absolutely loved this and it served 5 and still had 3 dishes for freezing!
I did find it expensive to make so I would only do it on special occasions but going to try the Mac/ Cheese version. having said that, I don’t suppose it is expensive when you count the amount it fed…. 🙂
One question tho Elizabeth, can you adapt it for Slow Cooker use please,
Thanks
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! It is definitely one of our favourites too. I’ve never tried making it in a slow cooker, to be honest, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Perhaps I’ll experiment over the winter and find out!
This is delicious, my family of 4 demolished it, it wouldn’t have served 6 in my house! Personally I’d have had a higher ratio of pasta and sauce to meat sauce, but husband reckoned perfect as is. Flavours all amazing regardless. Putting this on because it drives me crazy to see all the ratings/reviews from people who haven’t made it, I find that really unhelpful.
I am so glad your family like my recipe! It warms my heart when I receive comments like this one, thank you so very much!
The photos of your food always look amazing and so delicious. This reminds me of a bit like a shepherds/cottage pie but instead of potato it’s macaroni. Looks and sounds absolutely amazing and one that I’m sure my kids would love too.
Not sure on this it looks east enough but think only my youngest will like it but you don’t know until you try :0)
Ooh i really want to try this, I love macaroni cheese and I love the way this would all crisp up on top – yummy
Ohh, this looks absolutely wonderful! I can’t wait to try making it. I’m hungry now, ha. 🙁
I’m sure this would work well vegetarianised too, great combination of flavours
Looks fabulous
I think this would be a dish my children would really enjoy!
This looks like a really tasty, wonderfully comforting dish that I think anyone would enjoy, especially in autumn.
Loks great and w would give it a go
This recipe is AMAZING! It was simple to make and so delicious! My husband normally does all of the cooking, but he was very impressed when I pulled this out of the bag!
This looks really nice and would love to try but my kids seem to have a reaction whenever they eat mince so would have to look at an alternative for them
Generally pasta dishes are not my first choice but this one looks really tasty, although it seems to have a high content of fat and many calories.
I love the sound of this and I have haven’t come across pastitsio before so this will be a first. I love cheddar too but I also love parmesan to happy to follow your suggestion. I’m always looking for dishes for my family to try and I think my son will like this one.
Forget to rate!
it looks really nice winter comfort food and something i would probably be able to make
It looks very tasty and easy to make, I can’t wait to try it out and eat it. I’m hungry now.
I would definitely try a veggie version with mushrooms or Quorn. I like that you gave some alternatives underneath.
This looks amazing. I can imagine my kids would absolutely smash this and come back for seconds
I love a good macaroni pie, the cheesier the better, so this recipe sounds absolutely delicious.
I love that people are willing to wait for good beautiful food just like this
I love Greek food! Great variation, a real winter warmer of a dish that I’m sure the whole family will love
Our family loves Greek food and this looks like a great alternative to a moussaka. Thumbs up.
I had not heard of this dish before but looks a nice recipe my family would enjoy eating
I think it looks and sounds delicious. A great alternative to lasagne and it seems pretty easy too!
I love this recipe, I’m always on the lookout for new versions of Mac & cheese as it’s a firm family favourite
This would be perfect with the kids, they love pasta, so could go down a treat
I LOVE cheese and pasta so this looks a tasty winner!!
Yummy delicious, a dish I cant’t wait to make
Ok I know I said your lamb shank recipe was my favorite but THIS has GOT to be up there- my nan cooks pastisio all the time, and this recipe is really really close to how my nan’s recipe tastes…5 stars!!
Looks great, will have to give this a go!
That does look delicious but oh so many calories so not for me at the moment.
Is there any way you could put up the picture of the original recipe you tweaked for this version. I know there used to be a picture of that here. I had a hybrid between the original and your recipe that worked with what my small town grocer carries. I should have just put it down on paper myself, but hindsight is twenty twenty.
I will scan the original and email it to you. 🙂
Thank you so much!
I’m confused! How does the pasta water become lamb stock?
You add your lamb stock cube/stock pot to the pasta water instead of boiling water to make the lamb stock. 🙂 Hope that helps!
This looks delicious and total comfort food. I love a twist on mac and cheese.
This looks delicious, with lots of healthy ingredients. Our family love tasty dishes, and this would go down a treat. Will be trying it out.
This looks so delicious Elizabeth, my family would love it! The photographs are out of this world good too! Thanks for linking to my recipe:-)
I made this dish twice now, and I have one word to describe delicious!
you may use ground beef, or a combination of beef and veal, but never turkey. and please, no self respecting greek woman would ever use cumin or (gasp) cheddar in a proper pastichio! kasseri is preferred, but if you must substitute any hard cheese may be used, like romano or parmesan.
I like pecorino romano as a best substitute. It gives it that nice bite.
What spices would you recommend if I replace the lamb, which I don’t like, with ground turkey?
Thanks!
I’ve only ever made the recipe with lamb so I can’t speak from experience, but I’d just leave the rest of the recipe as is and swap the lamb for the turkey and see what happens. Let me know how you get on if you do make it! 🙂
I made a vegetarian version with Gardein meatless ground. My family couldn’t tell that it wasn’t lamb until I confessed. To get a smoother mince consistency, I puréed the “meat” after it was cooked in a Ninja food processor. It came out quite well. Adding this one to our rotation, thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Hi
Thank you for the recipes you share with everyone. It islovely to see real food made for real families. I hope you dont’ mind me sharing this recipe with my newsletter. It is a newsletter about Independent Authors and one of the things we do is share favourite recipes.
I have put your link and one photo from here so people can refer back to your other recipes.
Thank you.
Claire
Thank you for including a photo of the original recipe, with cups, and pounds! This looks so good!
This is heaven for me in a photo, wow, I never knew this dish existed and now I do, I want it x
Well my hubby has loved your recipes so far and I think this will probably be a fave for him! I love your recipe posts, so professional, just fantastic, ty again x x
Really love the look of the crust on the top of this pie
I eat EVERYTHING that I share on my blog too, and this is one of my FAVOURITE recipes of all time – I have a Cypriot recipes from my time on Cyprus that I love to make! Karen
Don’t be so modest! You clearly have an eye to create photos with a great composition, matching simple materials and colours into delicious looking photos.
My husband just leant over to look at the top picture and said ‘that looks nice’! That’s high praise! If he noticed what I was looking at then it must be a great dish….. I agree with him…… Definite comfort food. The pasta version of shepherds pie! I would love a big bowl please x
I love the sound of this dish and it’s what I could do with eating right now!! Delicious
Oooh this looks lovely, my lot would love it! x #recipeoftheweek
This dish looks awesome! I’d go for that vegetarian version as well. Yum! I’m lucky because I live where there’s sun year-round. But I always say that I follow the light around the house. I’m in different rooms depending on the season. Love this dish, thanks!
This looks like a lovely dish! I’m interested too whether someone can come up with a good veggie version. I love this spring light which is making taking photos easier – I even took some blogging photos outside yesterday, it was so sunny!
Love the look of this, not heard of it before. I plonk, photo and eat. Your photos are miles better than mine though
I’m the same way, I cook it, photograph it, and eat! It’s what you gotta do 😉
I’m smiling all through this post because I’m the same w/ my blog. I blog what I eat instead of eating what I blog. I don’t have great light in my kitchen so I run it down to the basement where I have some lights set up. More often than not by the time I’ve gotten my dish back upstairs, the family has already begun eating and mine is COLD! The things we do, lol. This dish is comfort food at it’s finest, I love the lamb substitution!
I’ve never had this before but it sounds fantastic!
wow this looks so delicious Elizabeth – totally going onto my meal plan. The kids will love it
I haven’t had this forever, yours looks amazing. I have to make this again soon!!
I do the same thing with food for my blog! My family is waiting while I snap a few quick pics! Love this comfort food 🙂
That looks so good! I did a fab macaroni cheese this week – maybe I’ll have to add some mince next time 😉
Thanks 🙂 I sometimes add beef mince to my macaroni dishes and it works well. Do give it a go!
My husband is crazy about lamb, can’t wait to try your recipe, delicious! Nettie
OOh I hope he likes it! Lamb can have a lovely flavour.
Wow, that looks so tasty, thanks for sharing the recipe, I’ll be trying this one out.
Do let me know how you get on! Bet you’ll have seconds 😉
This looks amazing! Something my boys would def love.
My children certainly scoffed theirs! 🙂
Looks really good – great comfort food 🙂
Absolute comfort food! After sensible eating for so long to shift some weight this was a welcome treat!
Your dish looks and sounds delish and love the images! There’s no substitute for natural light when you have it!
Aw thanks! They were quite hastily snapped (we were all hungry!) but I’m pleased how well they have turned out.
We’re talking serious comfort food here. Your photos are stunning and have put my tummy into a growling war. In the best way.
Haha! My job here is done! 😉 Thank you!
I’ve been meaning to make a vegetarian version of pastitsio for aaages – maybe you’ve finally given me the push I needed! Your version looks fab, love that it’s a bit more nutritious than plain old macaroni cheese, but just as comforting 🙂
What would you use in a vegetarian version? Quorn? TVP? Lentils? Curious!
This looks like such a comforting dish and making me hungry at 8am.
8am is a good a time as ever for macaroni and cheese, lol! 😀
We are the same at our house. I can’t cook without a camera and I try to get the photo before everything is cold. I love that you get a produce box. I do too. I open it and I feel like I’m on “Chopped”. “What is that, and what am I going to do with it!” is a familiar mantra! You did good with that recipe. Looks fantastic! 🙂
It’s like Christmas morning every time the veg box arrives – I just get whatever is in season and it’s always so vibrant and lovely! Thank you for your lovely comment. 🙂
I am so happy the days are getting longer… so many people don’t realise how much the start of Spring is the bloggers dream. No longer do we have to cook like maniacs to get the light right, eating meals at odd times of the day and getting grumpy when we don’t capture that image. I like you, eat everything I cook. If I have the luxury of time I will sometimes make supper at lunchtime, let it cool so it looks better in a photo and then reheat later in the day but this is very rare these days. Your mac n cheese looks stunning. Wish i’d been there, waiting patiently for you to photograph the food!
It’d be lovely to have you over for dinner sometime Dom, if you are ever up this far North do pop in! 😀
I actually need to have this in my life. NEED, I tell you. Adding to my Make Now list!!
Haha! Oh I hope you do make it – let me know what you think if/when you do!
What a stunning photo that caught my eyes right away! Great recipe
Aw thanks! It was so hurriedly shot I wasn’t sure how well it would work, but I think it’s become my #1 pinned image!!
As a Greek I love pastitsio and make it very often at my home. I love your version with lamb and mint!
Aw thanks! The official Greek seal of approval! 😀
You take great photographs of your food. Would love to try the recipe.
Aw thank you so much for your lovely comment, I am very grateful!
Wow what a fabulous looking dish that is all in one! Lovely photography and such a clean look! I’ll make this for my family tonight!
Aw thanks! How did you like it? Was your family pleased? 😀
I spect slightly longer than I should of staring at that first picture of pastitsio. I could go for some of this right about now!
Haha! Delighted you liked my images that much! You’ve made my day 😀
Mmm, this looks absolutely delicious. I’m hungry now!!
Louise x
So glad you like the look of it – it’s definitely one of our family favourites. 🙂
This looks absolutely amazing! I am SO going to be making this. I know my whole family will absolutely love it.
Oooh do let me know what you think of it when you do make it! 🙂
Like you, we eat everything that appears on my blog. Actually that is the point for me, I’m simply sharing what I make and I would definitely make your pastitsio, it looks so comforting and tasty. I also saw the eclipse today, we have a huge window where I work and one of my colleagues had the proper eyewear which she generously shared with about 6 of us who stopped work to enjoy the moment. We got a really good view and it created quite a buzz.
Thanks so much for joining me for Recipe Clippings.
Same here – I don’t often go out of my way to make something I normally wouldn’t make (unless I’ve been challenged to!). Glad you got a chance to see the eclipse – there is something magical about them.
I don’t think that dish needs anything fancy in the styling department, it looks heavenly and like a real bowl of comfort food 🙂
Janie x
I didn’t think so either. Thanks for your lovely comment! 🙂