Pastitcio Baked Pasta Recipe

There’s a small family-run restaurant in the town I grew up in called Pasta Pantry. It’s a place you can run in and grab pasta to go or sit down and get a quick bite to eat. The pasta is made in-house, but everything is ready when you walk in. They have a Pastitcio there that my husband loves. I decided to see if I could create a Pastitcio Baked Pasta freezer meal.

I wasn’t sure I could pull it off at home, especially as a make-ahead meal. But I was worried that I might not be able to get rich enough flavors. Somehow, I pulled it off!

My kids love baked pasta, so I also snuck some extra veggies in there with the carrots! This ensures some extra nutrients without complaints.

I know that this is a long ingredient list and that can be intimidating. The instructions are not nearly as simple as most of our other freezer meals either, but if you’re not a beginner at freezer meals or if you aren’t afraid of a small challenge, I encourage you to give this a try. It’s not as complicated as it looks.

Pastitcio Baked Pasta Freezer Meal Recipe:

• 500 g cavatappi pasta
• 2 lbs. ground beef, browned
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1  Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/2  tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
• pinch salt and pepper
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2  eggs, lightly beaten
• jar Alfredo sauce
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• optional: shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Assembly instructions:

1. Brown the ground beef.
2. While the beef is browning, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse. Set aside.
3. In a very large bowl, mix together the cooked ground beef, chopped onion, diced carrots, minced garlic, diced tomatoes, red wine, tomato paste, brown sugar, seasonings, and the first amount of Parmesan.
4. Stir in the pasta.
5. In another bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs and mix in the Alfredo sauce and second amount of Parmesan cheese. Fold into pasta mixture.
6. Scoop everything into a freezer-safe baking dish or large resealable freezer bag. If using a casserole dish, cover with two layers of foil. If using a freezer bag, remove excess air and seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

1. 1. Thaw.
   2. If desired, top with shredded cheddar cheese.
   3. Bake in an oven-safe dish at 350° for 1 hour. If baking from frozen, increase the cooking time by half an hour.

I had assumed that Pastitcio was an Italian dish because the restaurant we had it at is Italian, but apparently, it’s a Greek dish. Knowing that makes the spices included in the recipe make more sense.

Serve with garlic bread and a nice fresh salad.

Check out some of our other make-ahead pasta recipes:

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake

Creamy Tomato Beef Skillet

Tex Mex Pasta Bake

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Pastitcio Baked Pasta Freezer Meal

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: freezer meal, pasta

Servings: 8

Calories: 496 kcal

Ingredients

• 500 g cavatappi pasta
• 2 lbs. ground beef browned
• 1 onion chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1  Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/2  tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. fennel seeds crushed
• pinch salt and pepper
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 2  eggs lightly beaten
• jar Alfredo sauce
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Brown the ground beef.

2. While the beef is browning, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse. Set aside.

3. In a very large bowl, mix together the cooked ground beef, chopped onion, diced carrots, minced garlic, diced tomatoes, red wine, tomato paste, brown sugar, seasonings, and the first amount of Parmesan.

4. Stir in the pasta.

5. In another bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs and mix in the Alfredo sauce and second amount of Parmesan cheese. Fold into pasta mixture.

6. Scoop everything into a freezer-safe baking dish or large resealable freezer bag. If using a casserole dish, cover with two layers of foil. If using a freezer bag, remove excess air and seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Bake in an oven-safe dish at 350° for 1 hour. If baking from frozen, increase the cooking time by half an hour.

Recipe Notes

If desired, top with shredded Cheddar cheese before baking.