Greek Baked Ziti
Inspired by the classic Greek comfort dish known as pastitsio, this pasta casserole uses fresh and flavorful ingredients.
Inspired by the classic Greek comfort dish known as pastitsio, this pasta casserole uses fresh and flavorful ingredients.
Made according to instructions with no changes. The cinnamon, lemon, oregano flavors were delicious. Took this to a potluck and no leftovers. Everyone loved it. Will make again. Thank you! Comfort food at its best.
I liked it but my husband didn't like the cinnamon. Aside from that, though, it was good. I used tricolor rotini because the store had no ziti; nice choice. The bechamel sauce takes a LOT longer than 5-7 mins. to get good & thick. I only cooked it until it barely started to thicken, so it turned out a bit soupy. Overall this was rather time-consuming but I'll make it again. I made a full batch and froze half; that worked well.
Next time I'll omit the cinnamon (might try a little garam masala) and give the bechamel LOTS of time to get good and thick (I didn't this time, so it all sank to the bottom). For two of us, we got 4 filling dinners; good investment of my time.
Great, yummy, quick..and Cheap
What makes it "Greek" is the Cinnamon. This sounds good and is easier than the truly baked ziti. Baked Ziti doesn't have ground beef, it has homemade meatballs, dollops of ricotta, cubed mozzarella, homemade tomato gravy, browned Italian sausages. Layered with ziti noodles. The Italians in Sicily make their lasagna and ziti the same just different noodles.
Made this although what makes it Greek? Next time I may use ground lamb with mint.
Love this recipe. I undercooked my pasta as it continued to cook in the oven and I didn't thicken the cheese sauce completely as it continued to thicken in the oven. Comfort food at it's best!
My Greek husband and kids loved this! Will definitely make again!
This recipe is very similar to my Greek mother-in-law's! My Greek husband confirms it! Kids loved it, I loved it and still definitely be one of my monthly meals in my house!
Made one-half the recipe because it's just the two of us; I loved it (and overate) and husband did not. He said the oregano was too strong but I suspect it may have been the cinnamon he was finding fault with (since I know he's not fond of cinnamon - except cinnamon rolls - I didn't come clean and let him think it was the oregano). Oh well, more for me tomorrow! I didn't have ziti so used dry gnocchi instead and used Panko bread crumbs rather than regular. When I first read the recipe (from another site perhaps) it said have dinner on the table in 30 minutes. Ha! Hands-on time was a good 45 minutes before I even got it into the over. With the 10 minute stand time, you better allow an hour and 20-30 minutes. But it was worth it! Next time I'll make a second pan to put in the freezer.
Made this today and actually followed the recipe. The cinnamon left an unpleasant taste. Won't be repeating this.
I've only recently been cooking for my family and scouring the internet for recipes. My Filipino family is very picky and usually only eats rice dishes and chicken alfredo. It was a hit with them and with me! I followed the directions accordingly and it turned out great! I used a smaller pan (for my small family) and had another pan left over to be frozen. I personally love the cinnamon in the sauce and it does take a while for the cream sauce to thicken so I added 2 tbsp of flour because i'm impatient. I will definitely be making this again!
Although this was good,it didn't really give me the "Greek" taste.i think because I use 1% milk it didn't get the really creamy texture and the cinnamon which I was hesitant to add but did left no discernible flavoring(my spices might have been a bit old )but overall it was delicious.this was my first attempt at a white sauce and I was apprehensive and it took longer than expected to thicken.i think I'll listen to the earlier review and use more flour when I make this again.
Easy to make! Moist and just the right amount of each ingredient. We added more mozzarella because my husband is Italian. And can't get enough. I wouldn't change a thing!
I used ground turkey instead of beef. I don't measure unless I have to, so the white sauce was all that I measured. The meal was delish! I think that the recipe is great: as is. You can alter it to your family's tastes. I'll prob add summer squash next time. Be prepared that this is a hands-on recipe, and you will be at the stove for a good portion of the prep. Thanks for sharing!
Also: my noodles were a bit overcooked (very soft, but still good). I would suggest cooking the Ziti to "al dente" doneness according to the box.
We made this dish tonight...it was very good but I recommend leaving the cinnamon OUT! Planning to make this again, without the cinnamon!!
I did not have some of the ingredients but it came out delicious. I can't wait to make it exactly as the recipe says. It's a keeper!
I just made this and wow, delicious! I made it exactly as listed with the exception of adding just a tad more flour as mine was not getting thick and bubbly. But this is by far the best baked ziti I've had. My experience with baked ziti is that it tends to be a dry dish. This, however, was very creamy and packed with flavor! This is def a keeper! Thank you for sharing!
This is simply amazing. At first, I thought it was going to be a little too cinnamony, but it turned out well with the pasta mixture. I haven't had a dish this delicious in a while. Will definitely be making again.
When do you add the pasta?
Looks absolutely yummy..surely going surprise my Greek boyfriend
We just made this and it is incredible. Anything I altered was only cause I didn't have exactly what it called for: I toasted bread and put it in the blender for bread crumbs, I only had 1can of tomato sauce and 1 15 oz, jar of Caccitore sauce. So, I tossed it in. Amazingly, I had everything else and it is great. Not all that easy for a regular guy like me. But it was a Saturday night and I knew my wife was wanting something good to eat but we didn't want to go out to eat. Thank you for posting this. It was wonderful to us.
I am a great fan of Greek food and this is a wonderfully easy dish with Greek roots. I adjusted the quantity to 2/3 to use only one pound of lean ground beef. Serve it with a village style of cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and feta and you can offer a delicious near-Greek meal that is sure to please. Company worthy but easy enough to do on a weeknight.