Greek Steakhouse-Style Baked Pasta
This recipe is my attempt to recreate the baked pasta that was at two of my favourite spots that are now long gone: Geno’s Pizza and Pasta in Regina and Eddy’s Nest in Calgary. Many test recipes were made to perfect it. That said, this is a living document and I reserve the right to update it as I see fit.
EQUIPMENT:
▢ Instant pot or a big-enough pot on the stove.
▢ 9x13 cake pan or individual oven-safe baked pasta dishes.
▢ A pasta server/spaghetti ladle helps.
SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 1 large red onion chopped
▢ 3 cloves garlic chopped
▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢ ½ teaspoon ground allspice
▢ ½ teaspoon ground cloves
▢ 1½-ish tablespoons dried oregano
▢ 1 lb / 500g regular ground beef
• Don’t use lean, we need that oily goodness.
▢ 1 tablespoon double concentrated tomato paste
▢ ½ cup white wine that is semi-sweet
• I use the See Ya Later Ranch Riesling. It’s like 12.5% alcohol, so it’s not too sweet.
▢ 28 oz / 796 mL can crushed or pureed tomatoes
▢ 14 oz / 398 mL can crushed or pureed tomatoes
• Or you can use three 14 oz cans, natch.
▢ ½ teaspoon sugar
▢ 1 tablespoon fresh mint chopped
▢ ¾ cup fresh parsley chopped
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ a little black pepper to taste
BAKED PASTA INGREDIENTS:
▢ 1 lb pasta
• I use spaghetti.
▢ 2-3 cups grated mozzarella
• Don’t use pre-grated “Italian blend”, that stuff is too stinky for this.
▢ 1 tablespoon pre-grated parmesan cheese.
• Ideally, the Kraft stuff, but if you insist you can grate it fresh.
▢ Enough butter to grease your pan. 👀
ACCESSORIES:
▢ Garlic toast
▢ Dried red pepper flakes
▢ Caesar salad
LET’S DO THIS:
In an instant pot set to “sear” (or on the stove set to medium, in a pot big enough for all the ingredients) warm the oil and fry the onion until it’s soft. Add the garlic and dry spices and cook a couple minutes longer, until it’s smelling pretty good.
• For the love of whatever you hold holy don’t burn the garlic. If it smells like metal, you’ve gone to far. Abort!Add the meat and cook it until it’s mostly done. If necessary deglaze the bottom of the pot with splashes of wine. Stir the tomato paste in well. Stir in the wine. Let that cook down a little until it’s not soupy.
• Watch your heat. My instant pot has a tendency to get very hot at this point and can burn the mixture. If necessary turn your instant pot off and let it cool down for 5 or 10 minutes after adding the next batch of ingredients.Add the tomatoes, sugar, mint, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook under pressure on the chilli or stew setting for 40 minutes, or on the stove on a very low simmer for 90 min.
After it is done and has sat and cooled a little, taste it. If you find the tomato too tart, add another 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and mix it well.
• You can add more, but be very careful, it can become too sweet very quickly. Always mix it well and taste it each time you add sugar.Can be served right away, but it’s best after sitting in the fridge overnight.
ASSEMBLE:
Turn your oven on to 350. Cook pasta al dente in well-salted water. (two tablespoons at least, don’t be stingy)
Using a spaghetti ladle, scoop the pasta directly into a pot of the warm sauce. (the whole batch) Don’t worry about getting a little pasta water in this, the moisture will do it some good.
Toss it in the pot a little, but don’t mush up the noodles. Less is more.
Pour the mixture into a 9x13 cake pan greased with salted butter. Gently turn the mixture a bit if you you need to redistribute the sauce, but don’t stress over it. Inconsistency is where the charm lives.
Sprinkle the mozzarella on top and smooth it evenly over the surface. Then sprinkle some parm.
Stick it in the oven for 20-40 minutes. It’s done when the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is just turning brown.
Let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes. Take some photos for social media.
TIME TO EAT.
Notes:
* I like to eat mine on top of a fat slice of buttery garlic toast. Carbs on carbs.* Don’t forget the red pepper flakes and grated parm.
* If you want the real Greek steakhouse experience you can bake it in individual oven-safe serving dishes or foil takeout containers. I’ve had good success freezing uncooked portions.
Acknowledgements:
This sauce recipe is a modified of this one: Erren’s Kitchen, Greek Style Meat Sauce {Makaronia Me Kima} It’s great, but not quite what I was looking for, so I made my own.