# Pastitsio (παστίτσιο)
**Pastitsio** (παστίτσιο) is a Greek baked pasta casserole built in layers: a bottom layer of long, hollow tubular pasta, a middle layer of ground-meat sauce cooked with tomato and warm spices such as cinnamon, and a thick, cheese-enriched béchamel on top that browns in the oven.[1](https://thegreekfoodie.com/pastitsio-greek-pastitsio-pasta-bake/) It is often described as Greece's answer to lasagne, though the pasta shape, the layering, and the cinnamon-scented meat sauce distinguish it from the Italian dish.[2](https://www.menuella.com/food-wiki/pastitsio)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Structure | Three layers: tubular pasta, spiced ground-meat tomato sauce, and a thick béchamel topping[1](https://thegreekfoodie.com/pastitsio-greek-pastitsio-pasta-bake/) |
| Pasta | A long, thick, hollow noodle sold in Greece as "pastitsio pasta"; bucatini is a common substitute[3](https://gurmestan.com/en/recipes/pastitsio/) • [4](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pastitsio) |
| Signature spice | Cinnamon, sometimes with a little clove, worked through the beef sauce[2](https://www.menuella.com/food-wiki/pastitsio) |
| Name | From the Italian *pasticcio*, meaning both "pie" and "mess"[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/12/19/pastitsio-greek-food-christina-xenos/) |
| Modern form | Credited to the chef Nikolaos Tselementes, whose cookbook first appeared in 1910[6](https://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Modern-Classic-Pastitsio/) |
| Cypriot name | In Cyprus the dish is also called *makaronia tou fournou*, "oven pasta"[7](https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/745/1/Widdows%2C%20Alexander%20Matthew%20C-Kent%20%282016%29%20Authenticity%2C%20nostalgia%20and%20taste%20...%20cleaned.pdf) |
| Storage | A baked pastitsio can be cooled, wrapped tightly, and frozen for up to 3 months[1](https://thegreekfoodie.com/pastitsio-greek-pastitsio-pasta-bake/) |
## The dish and how it is made
A traditional pastitsio has a deep layer of tubular pasta, an aromatic beef ragù, and a thick, velvety béchamel on top.[8](https://adanahaal.meb.k12.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/01/19/968967/dosyalar/2023_07/08195636_culinary_guide_through_europe.pdf?CHK=8bdbf0e3c14653ba6461626d09de6f59) The pasta is the long, thick, hollow type sold in Greece specifically for this dish; bucatini works when it is unavailable.[3](https://gurmestan.com/en/recipes/pastitsio/) • [4](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pastitsio) The meat sauce is typically ground beef cooked with onion, garlic, tomato, red wine, and warm spices; published recipes commonly include cinnamon, and some add cumin, cloves, or allspice.[4](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pastitsio) • [2](https://www.menuella.com/food-wiki/pastitsio)
**The béchamel layer.** The topping is a cream sauce enriched with a sharp Greek cheese such as kasseri or kefalotyri, spread thickly over the meat before baking until the surface is speckled brown.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/12/19/pastitsio-greek-food-christina-xenos/) • [4](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pastitsio) Many recipes also stir cheese and egg yolks into the béchamel itself; one Greek recipe uses 2.2 liters of milk, 200 grams each of butter and flour, grated graviera and parmesan, and the yolks of three eggs for a six-serving tray.[9](https://www.gastronomos.gr/syntagh/pastitsio-vinteo/119030/) Typical baking is around 180 °C until the béchamel takes a golden-brown color, with published recipes giving roughly 40 to 60 minutes until the top is puffed and spotty brown.[10](https://www.yiannislucacos.gr/recipe/ellinika-spitika-zymarika-ryzi/7518/pastitsio) • [11](https://judystupak.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pastitsio.pdf)
**Clean slices.** Cooks who want neat, restaurant-style squares chill the meat sauce overnight so it spreads as a defined layer, and the pasta is often cut into shorter pieces so portions hold together when served.[4](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pastitsio) • [9](https://www.gastronomos.gr/syntagh/pastitsio-vinteo/119030/)
## History
The name comes from the Italian *pasticcio*, a word meaning a mixed pastry dish, pie, or mess.[3](https://gurmestan.com/en/recipes/pastitsio/) • [5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/12/19/pastitsio-greek-food-christina-xenos/) The dish probably reached Greece through the [Ionian Islands](https://www.edgepedia.org/ionian-islands), the part of Greece nearest Italy and under Venetian influence for centuries; the Venetians occupied parts of present-day Greece from the 12th to the 18th centuries.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/12/19/pastitsio-greek-food-christina-xenos/)
**Early versions.** The Greek food historian Aglaia Kremezi describes early versions as thick spaghetti mixed with chopped liver, meat, eggs, and cheese, wrapped in phyllo pastry.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/12/19/pastitsio-greek-food-christina-xenos/) In 1863 the Greek chef Nikos Sarantis, writing in a cookbook published in Constantinople, gave a doctored pastitsio recipe containing fish or game, adapting French techniques and the fashions of the day.[12](https://www.tovima.gr/grace/good-life/pastitsio-i-istoria-piso-apo-to-agapimeno-mas-piato/)
**Tselementes and the modern dish.** The layered pasta-and-béchamel pastitsio known today is the creation of Nikolaos Tselementes, the French-trained Greek chef whose cookbook, first published in 1910, fundamentally changed the taste of modern Greek food; his adaptation added the French-rooted béchamel and removed the outer pastry and the many mixed ingredients of the older versions.[6](https://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Modern-Classic-Pastitsio/) • [12](https://www.tovima.gr/grace/good-life/pastitsio-i-istoria-piso-apo-to-agapimeno-mas-piato/) Tselementes detested garlic and most spices, which he saw as reminders of the Ottoman occupation, and considered olive oil too heavy.[6](https://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Modern-Classic-Pastitsio/) Through his pages the dish spread through the rest of Greece and became a classic urban Sunday meal.[13](https://www.argiro.gr/ellinikes-paradoseis/pastitsio-tis-giagias/)
## Regional and related versions
**Venetian-style pastitsio.** The older Venetian-style pastitsio survives in Corfu, where pastitsio is still made in a sweetish version encased in pastry; Corfu also keeps a sweet version called *pastitsio dolce*, a complex recipe whose origin is traced to the cuisine of ancient Rome.[3](https://gurmestan.com/en/recipes/pastitsio/) • [14](https://www.greekgastronomyguide.gr/en/item/pastitsio-dolce-edesma-kerkyra/) In Ioannina, a local version wraps the layered pasta in phyllo (crust) pastry, which keeps the juices inside so the center stays juicy even a day after baking.[15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZJtwNv4sp4)
**Cyprus.** In Cyprus the baked pasta dish is also called *makaronia tou fournou*, "oven pasta."[7](https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/745/1/Widdows%2C%20Alexander%20Matthew%20C-Kent%20%282016%29%20Authenticity%2C%20nostalgia%20and%20taste%20...%20cleaned.pdf) Cypriot food guides describe pastitsio as a baked dish rather like macaroni cheese with a layer of spiced meat in the middle.[16](https://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/highcom/highcom_newdelhi.nsf/all/3AF861EE6C2042E0C2257A4D0037CD2B/%24file/Flavours%20of%20Cyprus.pdf?openelement=)
**Household variation.** Practice varies: some cooks do away with the careful layering of the ingredients and simply mix everything together, a habit noted even in accounts of family cooking.[6](https://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Modern-Classic-Pastitsio/) What most accounts treat as essential is the layered structure of pasta, meat sauce, and béchamel, with the béchamel on top.[1](https://thegreekfoodie.com/pastitsio-greek-pastitsio-pasta-bake/)
## Place in Greek food culture
Pastitsio is one of the most popular dishes in Greece today and is widely described as a beloved family dish and comfort food, served in homes and tavernas alike.[17](https://bonappetit.gr/pastitsio-paradosiaki-elliniki-syntagi/) • [18](https://alexander-edu.org/life-at-school-leas-favorite-greek-dish-pastitsio/) It sits alongside moussaka as a defining baked casserole of the Greek table; the two share a spiced meat layer and a cheesy béchamel finish, with pastitsio using pasta where moussaka uses eggplant.[4](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pastitsio) Because it involves several stages, sauce, meat, boiling pasta, béchamel, and baking, it is considered time-consuming to prepare, which is part of why it is associated with Sunday and festive meals.[19](https://www.tanea.gr/2006/01/20/lifearts/culture/pastitsio-xronoboro-alla-elkystiko-kai-arwmatiko/) • [13](https://www.argiro.gr/ellinikes-paradoseis/pastitsio-tis-giagias/)
## References
1. [Pastitsio – Greek Lasagna with Béchamel, The Greek Foodie](https://thegreekfoodie.com/pastitsio-greek-pastitsio-pasta-bake/)
2. [Pastitsio: origin, ingredients & serving, Menuella Food Wiki](https://www.menuella.com/food-wiki/pastitsio)
3. [Pastitsio recipe — Greek cuisine, Gurmestan](https://gurmestan.com/en/recipes/pastitsio/)
4. [Pastitsio Recipe, Bon Appétit](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pastitsio)
5. [Greek pastitsio is reason enough to throw a party, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/12/19/pastitsio-greek-food-christina-xenos/)
6. [Modern Classic: Pastitsio, Saveur](https://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Modern-Classic-Pastitsio/)
7. [Authenticity, Nostalgia and Taste (Widdows, UWTSD repository)](https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/745/1/Widdows%2C%20Alexander%20Matthew%20C-Kent%20%282016%29%20Authenticity%2C%20nostalgia%20and%20taste%20...%20cleaned.pdf)
8. [Culinary Guide Through Europe](https://adanahaal.meb.k12.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/01/19/968967/dosyalar/2023_07/08195636_culinary_guide_through_europe.pdf?CHK=8bdbf0e3c14653ba6461626d09de6f59)
9. [Παστίτσιο (βίντεο), Gastronomos.gr](https://www.gastronomos.gr/syntagh/pastitsio-vinteo/119030/)
10. [Παστίτσιο, Γιάννης Λουκάκος](https://www.yiannislucacos.gr/recipe/ellinika-spitika-zymarika-ryzi/7518/pastitsio)
11. [Greek Pastitsio recipe PDF, Judy Stupak](https://judystupak.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/pastitsio.pdf)
12. [Παστίτσιο: Η ιστορία πίσω από το αγαπημένο μας πιάτο, Tovima/Grace](https://www.tovima.gr/grace/good-life/pastitsio-i-istoria-piso-apo-to-agapimeno-mas-piato/)
13. [Η ιστορία για το παστίτσιο της γιαγιάς, Argiro.gr](https://www.argiro.gr/ellinikes-paradoseis/pastitsio-tis-giagias/)
14. [Pastitsio dolce – Recipe from Corfu, Greek Gastronomy Guide](https://www.greekgastronomyguide.gr/en/item/pastitsio-dolce-edesma-kerkyra/)
15. [Greek Baked Pasta aka Pastitsio in Phylo pastry (Ioannina), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZJtwNv4sp4)
16. [Flavours of Cyprus, High Commission of Cyprus](https://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/highcom/highcom_newdelhi.nsf/all/3AF861EE6C2042E0C2257A4D0037CD2B/%24file/Flavours%20of%20Cyprus.pdf?openelement=)
17. [Παστίτσιο – Παραδοσιακή Ελληνική Συνταγή, Bon Appetit.gr](https://bonappetit.gr/pastitsio-paradosiaki-elliniki-syntagi/)
18. [Life at School: Lea's Favorite Greek Dish – Pastitsio, School of Greek Language & Culture "Alexander the Great"](https://alexander-edu.org/life-at-school-leas-favorite-greek-dish-pastitsio/)
19. [Παστίτσιο: χρονοβόρο αλλά… ελκυστικό και αρωματικό, ΤΑ ΝΕΑ](https://www.tanea.gr/2006/01/20/lifearts/culture/pastitsio-xronoboro-alla-elkystiko-kai-arwmatiko/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Dishes, foods, and foodstuffs › Rice, noodle, pasta, and grain dishes*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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