Pastitsio is a classic which is like a Greek version of lasagna. I spotted a simplified one-pot version of it in Georgina Hayden’s cookbook Greekish: Everyday recipes with Greek roots. In Greece it is made with a long tubular pasta which is also called pastitsio, which is like the Italian pasta bucatini, but with a larger hole in the center. I was able to buy the pastitsio pasta from Amazon. A fallback would be to use penne.
This took about an hour to cook. The cookbook thought this was 4 servings, but it makes 6 servings for us. I made it with ground lamb, but as I relook at the book, I see the author actually used beef.
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. ground lamb (or beef or pork)
2 onions, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. tomato paste
250 g. pastitsio pasta (or bucatini or penne)
1 qt. beef broth
300 ml. sour cream
2 egg yolks
125 g. mixture pecorino Romano and mozzarella (original suggests graviera or kefalotyri)
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil and brown the meat, breaking it into small pieces. Season with black pepper. After about 5-8 minutes, check the amount of oil in the pan. Spoon off all but about 2 Tbs. into a small bowl to use if needed. Add the onions, garlic, oregano, and cinnamon to the meat and cook until the onions are translucent. Create a hole in the center of the pan and fry the tomato paste for a minute or 2. Break the pastitsio pasta in half and add it to the pan. Add the beef broth and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. When done, check for seasoning.
While the pasta is cooking, mix together in a bowl the sour cream egg yolks and 2/3 of the cheese. Season with black pepper
Preheat the broiler with a rack positioned a little above the middle of the oven.
Spoon the sour cream mixture over the pasta and top with the remaining cheese. Broil for 3-6 minutes until the top is nicely browned. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.