↑This stove top Pastitsio is a simple and light version
of the very traditional Greek pasta dish.
“All in good time”, “Good things come to those who wait”, “Patience is a virtue”, “There will be no wine before it’s time”, wait that last one is just plain silly! There’s ALWAYS time for wine”!! But those previous sayings always get me while I am anxiously waiting for my absolute favorite Greek dinner! I love, love, love pastitsio!! And my mom seriously makes the best Pastitsio!
If you are unfamiliar with this classic Greek pasta dish, then I must enlighten you. The components of this mouth-watering dish is pasta, combined with a hearty, cinnamon infused meat sauce that has simmered for just under an hour. The pasta is then cooled because over top of it will be poured a rich, creamy, egg based bechamel sauce that will rise after an hour in the oven. This dish is heavenly! Don’t be fooled by the pillowy top. It is NOT a light dish. But that can be said for a slew of delectable dishes! When you eat them, you enjoy them and forget about calories and fat!
The fat and calories are not the reason I avoid serving my family this traditional delight. It’s just that I don’t have the time, the patience, or the stamina to conjure up this sort of dinner. However, I’m not the sort to deprive my family of a deliciously savory meal. So I created my own, quick, easy and light stove top version of this Greek pasta dish. The meat sauce comes together quickly while the pasta is boiling. The egg-laden white sauce is omitted and replaced with a bit of heavy cream and plain Greek yogurt. All the flavors of my traditional Pastitsio in a fraction of the time and with minimal effort!
I think this Pastitsio would make my mom proud. I still love her cooking, but this pasta dish may just take the title of best Pastitsio ever! Grab the Ouzo! Opa!
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Stove Top Pastitsio
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground sirloin
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon McCormick Greek seasoning
- Salt, pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt such as Chobani
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package direction.
- Heat ground beef in a large skillet until browned. Add onions and garlic and cook another 2 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, salt, pepper, nutmeg and Greek seasoning. Add heavy cream and Greek yogurt stirring until well blended. Reduce heat and cook until thick, about 1 minute.
- Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Combine pasta, water and ground beef mixture. Add Parmesan cheese just before serving. Serve immediately
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 316 Total Fat 14g Saturated Fat 7g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 5g Cholesterol 70mg Sodium 387mg Carbohydrates 24g Fiber 2g Sugar 4g Protein 24g
Julie (@JuliesEatsTreat) says
July 18, 2013 at 11:04 amThis sounds so unique and interesting! Awesome recipe!
Lemonsforlulu says
July 20, 2013 at 7:55 pmThank you Julie!
Laura @ The Rookie Cook says
July 18, 2013 at 11:17 amYum, sounds delicious! I love a lightened up meal, although the original also sounded divine!
Lemonsforlulu says
July 20, 2013 at 7:56 pmThank you Laura. The original is amazing!
Jen Nikolaus says
July 18, 2013 at 11:23 amOh! My kind of recipe!! Easy, healthier and yum! I’ve made a similar sort of dish and my boys loved it so I’m definitely going to try this! Thanks for sharing, Tanya!
Lemonsforlulu says
July 20, 2013 at 7:58 pmI hope you do try it Jen! Thank you!
marcie@flavorthemoments says
July 18, 2013 at 11:38 amBravo for this wonderful, quick version! I have always loved pastitsio, but have never made it because yes — it is time consuming. I will try it this way!
Lemonsforlulu says
July 20, 2013 at 7:58 pmOh boy it takes all day! It’s worth it, but I just can’t find that kind of time. Thank you Marcie!
Charlotte Moore says
July 18, 2013 at 3:25 pmI think yours sounds better. The egg mixture does not appeal to me.
Lemonsforlulu says
July 20, 2013 at 8:05 pmI can understand that, it’s very thick. I sort like NOT having that layer myself!
Aimee @ See Aimee Cook says
July 18, 2013 at 8:36 pmOooh, that sounds delicious! Pinned 🙂
Deb@CookingOnTheFrontBurner says
July 18, 2013 at 9:00 pmWell, you know I love Greek inspired food! Pinned and will share on FB tomorrow!
cindyeikenberg says
July 19, 2013 at 7:10 amTanya, this looks and sounds so delicious and I’ve never tried this before – but I will now! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. Pinning and buffering!
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet says
July 19, 2013 at 10:28 amThis is very intriguing to me because I only make pasta the Italian way but man this looks great! Thanks for sharing!!
Gloria Phillips (@simplygloria1) says
July 19, 2013 at 11:43 amI love a good bechamel sauce! This dish is definitely making me drool! Pinning!
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips says
July 19, 2013 at 8:20 pmWhat a great idea to simplify and lighten up a classic dish!
kate | Food Babbles says
July 19, 2013 at 9:33 pmThis is a dish I’d never heard of but it sounds just wonderful! So hearty and flavorful. I know my family would love this. Gotta try it!
Alison says
July 20, 2013 at 10:50 amYum!!! This is my favorite food ever! My brother’s Nouna makes my favorite! I will have to try it 🙂
Lemonsforlulu says
July 20, 2013 at 8:09 pmAllison, this was a good substitute although there is nothing quite like the real thing! I’m sure Nouna’s is pretty darn good!
Julie @ This Gal Cooks says
July 20, 2013 at 6:52 pmOMG. This looks so good, Tanya, I wish I had the stuff to make it right now because I totally would!
Lemonsforlulu says
July 20, 2013 at 8:08 pmYou need to make a grocery run Julie! It’ll be worth it. Thanks you!
The Domestic Rebel says
July 20, 2013 at 7:38 pmI lalalalalaLOOOVE pastitsio! One of my favorite comforting Greek dishes. This looks WAY easier than layering everything with bechemal and baking it.
Samantha @ Five Heart Home says
July 20, 2013 at 8:59 pmThis looks like a Greek version of skillet lasagna…yum! Can’t wait to try it! Hopping over from Sundae Scoop to say thanks for the recipe!
Lemonsforlulu says
July 22, 2013 at 2:24 pmThank you Samantha!
Patricia Krank says
July 21, 2013 at 1:14 amThis looks so amazing. I’m actually torturing myself by coming over to see what the ingredients are because my hubby has called for a no-carb diet for awhile! Ugh! I may have to make this while he is away at work! Thanks for sharing your recipe and blessings to you, Patti@OldThingsNew
Lemonsforlulu says
July 22, 2013 at 2:23 pmOh no! I’m so sorry, this one will be difficult for your husband to pass up!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
July 22, 2013 at 12:54 pmThis pasta dish looks fabulous, definitely going to give this a try for dinner one night soon! Thanks for sharing!
Lemonsforlulu says
July 22, 2013 at 2:15 pmThank you Pamela!
cookingwithcurls says
July 22, 2013 at 2:32 pmOMG…Pastitsio is my absolute FAVORITE dish!!! I used to get it every time we went to The Greek Place, the one that closed last year 🙁 I am soooo totally going to try this!!! I will miss the billowy top however 🙂
Lemonsforlulu says
July 24, 2013 at 10:46 amOh that billowy top is so good and so bad isn’t it? This was nice, light version!
Cathy says
July 22, 2013 at 7:12 pmI LOVE all things Greek, Tanya! I may have to sub turkey…but this dish looks delicious!
Lemonsforlulu says
July 24, 2013 at 10:45 amI think turkey would be perfect Cathy. I think you will love this dish!
Kat_iwantcrazyblog says
July 22, 2013 at 9:24 pmThis looks so good! Saw your link Tasty Tuesdays and had to click over! I’ve never made much greek food so I’m going to have to give this a try!
Lemonsforlulu says
July 24, 2013 at 10:45 amIt was delicious Kat!
Lane R (@supperforasteal) says
July 22, 2013 at 10:16 pmWould have never thought to make pastitsio like this. Looks great!
Lemonsforlulu says
July 24, 2013 at 10:41 amIt was really good Lane!
aiming4simple says
July 25, 2013 at 1:37 pmWhat a great idea to make pastitsio quicker and simpler! I’ve wanted to make the traditional version, but never have because of the time involved.
Karly says
July 27, 2013 at 7:04 pmThis has me craving pasta for sure! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Lemonsforlulu says
July 30, 2013 at 8:18 amThank you Karly!
Leslie Gagne says
July 30, 2013 at 3:07 pmOMG! My best friend has turned me into a Greek….. Love it and all of the Greek cooking! I’ve actually made some the wonderful Greek pastries. The recipes was from her mother and they were almost a century old.
Mary says
July 31, 2013 at 4:48 pmLooks delicious. I am making it this week. Just wondering if that is “¼ CUP plain Greek yogurt such as Chobani”?
Lemonsforlulu says
August 2, 2013 at 5:50 pmYes and I believe I fixed the recipe. Thanks Mary!
Kalamity Kelli says
August 1, 2013 at 10:34 amCongratulations on being featured!! This looks so doggone good!
Lemonsforlulu says
August 2, 2013 at 5:46 pmThanks Kelli! This might be one of the best things I ever made!
Jenne says
August 12, 2013 at 5:26 pmLooks simply delish! Pinning!
Lemonsforlulu says
August 13, 2013 at 5:38 pmThank you Jenne!
Chung-Ah (@damn_delicious) says
November 8, 2013 at 6:56 pmWhat an easy weeknight meal!
Lemonsforlulu says
November 11, 2013 at 10:43 amIt is so easy and so good! Thank you!
Lisa @ Wine & Glue says
March 7, 2016 at 8:23 pmWe made this tonight Tanya! SO EASY! And so delicious!
Lemonsforlulu says
March 9, 2016 at 12:40 pmAwe thank you Lisa!! You have made me on happy blogger!
Sandra says
September 11, 2016 at 8:52 pmPastitsio has always been a favorite. Yum! I don’t have Greek Seasoning. Can you recommend individual herbs and spices? I have Cavenders, which I figure might suffice. Thanks!
MEAl5 says
October 25, 2017 at 11:41 pmSO EASY! And so delicious!
Tanya Schroeder says
November 3, 2017 at 5:20 pmThank you!
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky says
January 11, 2018 at 7:51 amThis stove top pastitsio recipe looks absolutely fantastic. Beautiful photos, too. I look forward to trying this.
Can i post it on my blog?
Bella Hardy says
May 29, 2018 at 9:06 amI had a similar stove top pastitsio at a restaurant recently and found myself craving it and wondering if I could recreate it today.
Tanya Schroeder says
May 30, 2018 at 7:24 amI love this quick and easy stove-top version. Traditional pastitsio takes a long time and it is quite rich!