Kid-friendly Petite Greek "Pastitsio" Pasta Bites with Creamy Dreamy Béchamel Sauce Recipe - Sticky Fingers Cooking
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Family Meal Plan: Petite Greek "Pastitsio" Pasta Bites with Creamy Dreamy Béchamel Sauce + "Water You Cooking Up?" Flavored Water

Family Meal Plan: Petite Greek "Pastitsio" Pasta Bites with Creamy Dreamy Béchamel Sauce

Petite Greek "Pastitsio" Pasta Bites with Creamy Dreamy Béchamel Sauce + "Water You Cooking Up?" Flavored Water

by Dylan Sabuco
Photo by Dylan Sabuco
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
25 minutes
makes
4-6 servings

Fun Food Story

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Petite Greek "Pastitsio" Pasta Bites with Creamy Dreamy Béchamel Sauce

Greek food is incredibly delicious, and pastitsio (pah-STEET-see-yoh) is a prime example. Think of it like an Italian lasagna but with a Greek twist. Instead of flat pasta sheets, it uses tubular noodles to hold all that goodness together! Traditional pastitsio is made with ground beef or lamb, but we’ve swapped peas for the meat. Peas are naturally packed with protein, adding a lovely, mild sweetness to the dish. And, of course, we finish it off with a glorious layer of béchamel—the creamiest, dreamiest sauce you’ll ever meet! This dish is comfort food at its finest. Enjoy every bite!

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Chef Erin, Food-Geek-in-Chief
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Shopping List

  • FRESH OR FROZEN
  • 1 C frozen peas
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • DAIRY
  • 1 C heavy cream **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 1 T butter **(see allergy subs below)**
  • PANTRY
  • 2 C rigatoni pasta **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp all-purpose flour **(see allergy subs below)**
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • HAVE ON HAND
  • 2 C water
  • "WATER YOU COOKING UP?" FLAVORED WATER (OPTIONAL)
  • 4 C water
  • 2 C ice
  • Choose 1 or more of the following fresh ingredients to flavor your water:
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 lime
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 orange
  • 1 mint sprig

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

  • bake :

    to cook food with dry heat, as in an oven.

  • boil :

    to cook a food in liquid heated to the point of gas bubbles and steam forming (boiling point is 212 F at sea level).

  • measure :

    to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

  • simmer :

    to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.

  • slice :

    to cut into thin pieces using a sawing motion with your knife.

  • stir :

    to mix together two or more ingredients with a spoon or spatula, usually in a circle pattern, or figure eight, or in whatever direction you like!

Equipment Checklist

  • Oven
  • Muffin pan
  • Paper cupcake liners
  • Small saucepan
  • Measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Wooden spoon
  • Colander or strainer
  • Pitcher
  • Cutting board
  • Kid-safe knife
scale
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Ingredients

Petite Greek "Pastitsio" Pasta Bites with Creamy Dreamy Béchamel Sauce

  • 2 C rigatoni pasta **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY sub gluten-free/nut-free rigatoni or similar tube-style pasta)**
  • 2 C water
  • 1 big pinch salt
  • 1 C frozen peas
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Béchamel Sauce:
  • 1 C heavy cream **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub 1 C unsweetened coconut cream)**
  • 1 tsp all-purpose flour **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY sub 1 tsp cornstarch)**
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 T butter **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub dairy-free/nut-free butter, like Earth Balance)**

"Water You Cooking Up?" Flavored Water

  • 4 C water
  • 2 C ice
  • Choose 1 or more of the following fresh ingredients to flavor your water:
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 lime
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 orange
  • 1 mint sprig

Food Allergen Substitutions

Petite Greek "Pastitsio" Pasta Bites with Creamy Dreamy Béchamel Sauce

  • Gluten/Wheat: Substitute gluten-free/nut-free rigatoni or similar style pasta. For 1 tsp all-purpose flour in sauce, substitute 1 tsp cornstarch.
  • Dairy: For 1 C heavy cream, substitute 1 C unsweetened coconut cream. Substitute dairy-free/nut-free butter, like Earth Balance.

Instructions

Petite Greek "Pastitsio" Pasta Bites with Creamy Dreamy Béchamel Sauce

1.
intro

Pastitsio (pah-STEET-see-yoh) is a Greek dish with roots dating back to 330 ACE in the Roman Empire. It is a tasty pasta dish that reminds me of lasagna but with a slightly different personality. Pastitsio typically combines long tube noodles, creamy béchamel sauce, and ground beef or lamb. Our Sticky Fingers Cooking version will focus on making a bite-sized pastitsio with peas instead of meat that is extra creamy from classic béchamel sauce.

2.
measure + boil

Measure 2 cups of water and 1 big pinch of salt, pour them into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat off and carefully pour the hot water into a large bowl. Add 2 cups of dry rigatoni to the water and stir. Let the pasta sit for at least 5 minutes while you prepare the sauce.

3.
superstar food spotlight

Frozen peas have many great qualities that make them perfect for many dishes. To freeze peas, manufacturers steam freshly harvested peas and slide them into a huge flash freezer. Flash freezing is a quick freezing process used to preserve the texture, color, and flavor of foods. The best part about peas is that while they have a delicate, sweet flavor, they are also packed with nutrients. Peas contain carbohydrates, protein, fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin K, to name a few. They are also absorbent, so they become full of flavors and sauces when cooked properly.

4.
chop + fold

Roughly chop 2 garlic cloves and measure 1 cup of frozen peas. You will be gently folding them into the Creamy Dreamy Béchamel Sauce.

5.
intro

Béchamel sauce is one of the five mother sauces. That means béchamel sauce is the original creamy sauce from which all other cream-based sauces derive. If you have eaten Alfredo sauce, pasta carbonara, mornay sauce, or even a cheese sauce, you have had a derivative of béchamel sauce. Think of them as a family of sauces with one trait in common: cream!

6.
scrumptious science

Time to make a "roux" (pronounced "roo")! What is a roux? Roux, or chef's paste, is a cooked combination of butter and flour in equal parts. This mixture is then used to thicken stocks and cream into various sauces and soups. For this recipe, we will make a simple roux, which is made by combining your butter and flour over a low heat until all the flour and butter are fully combined into a blonde paste. From there, stock, cream, or water can be added to create soups and sauces with vegetables or meat incorporated into the mix.

7.
measure + simmer

In a small saucepan, measure 1 tablespoon butter, 1 pinch of salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon flour. Stir the ingredients over low heat until a paste forms. This is a simple roux. Slowly pour in 1 cup of heavy cream and continue to stir and simmer.

8.
stir + simmer

Stir and simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of your spoon. This consistency is a French term: "nappe" (nap-pay).

9.
drain + arrange

Drain the pasta. Place 12 cupcake liners in the wells of a muffin pan. Then, arrange the pasta so that each noodle is standing upright and tightly packed together. Each cupcake liner should be full with approximately 10 noodles each.

10.
scoop + bake

Scoop the sauce over the rigatoni and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the pastitsio is slightly browned on top. Remove from the muffin pan and cool for a few minutes before digging in. "Kalí órexi" (kah-LEE OAR-ex-ee) or "Enjoy your meal" in Greek! This sauce can be used for many different pasta dishes. Have fun mixing and matching new types of pasta with different variations of béchamel to explore as many mother sauce derivatives as you can.

"Water You Cooking Up?" Flavored Water

1.
chop + measure + stir

Choose the flavor of water you will be making. Simply slice whatever fresh ingredients you chose and place them into a pitcher. Measure and add 4 cups of water and 2 cups of ice. Stir a few times and then serve.

Surprise Ingredient: Heavy Cream!

back to recipe
Photo by Daniel Jedzura/Shutterstock.com

Hi! I'm Heavy Cream!

"I'm not a lightweight, like half and half. I'm full of fat and pour out much thicker. You can also call me 'heavy whipping cream.' The names refer to the same thing! Did you know that I can transform myself with your help? I turn into a fluffy topping to put on cakes and pies when you whisk me as fast as you can (or you can use a mixer). However, I go through an even bigger change when you shake me really hard in a covered container for a few minutes—I turn into butter!"

  • Heavy cream is the thick, high-fat liquid at the top of raw milk. It naturally separates from the milk, rising to the top. It is skimmed off and then pasteurized to kill bacteria, which makes it safer to drink and lasts longer. 
  • Heavy whipping cream is made up of about 36 percent fat. In comparison, regular whipping cream is 30 percent fat, and half-and-half averages to about 14 percent.
  • Heavy cream whips up better as a topping if the cream is cold, and pouring it into a cold mixing bowl before whipping also helps.
  • The Guinness World Record for the most people simultaneously whipping cream by hand is 1,434 and was set on August 22, 2015, by employees of the Swiss company Nordostmilch AG in Bürglen, Switzerland.
  • A dollop of whipped cream is great on fruit, cakes, and pies. The tallest recorded dollop so far was over 7 inches atop a mug of hot chocolate!
  • Some of the foods heavy cream is added to include cakes, frostings, ice cream, salad dressings, sauces, soups, sour cream, scrambled eggs, chocolate ganache, crème fraîche, panna cotta, and homemade cheeses.
  • One-half cup of heavy cream contains 43 grams of fat, 3 grams of protein, and the minerals calcium and phosphorus. It has more of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K than lower-fat dairy products. Fat-soluble vitamins are more easily absorbed by your body when eaten with fat.

What is "Pastitsio"?

Photo by john vlahidis/Shutterstock.com
  • "Pastitsio" (pah-STEET-see-yoh) is a Greek baked pasta dish with ground meat and béchamel sauce. It is sometimes referred to as Greek lasagna. Its name came from the Italian "pasticcio," a savory baked pie that included fish, meat, or pasta, sometimes with béchamel sauce, that was wrapped in pastry.
  • The popular, modern version of pastitsio was created by Greek chef and cookbook author Nikolaos Tselementes in the early 20th century. It has a layer of bucatini or another tube-shaped pasta with cheese or egg, a layer of ground beef or pork with a cinnamon-flavored tomato sauce, and a final layer of béchamel sauce.

Let's Learn About Greece!

Photo by NadyaEugene/Shutterstock.com

Ancient Greece

  • Ancient Greece was a civilization in the northeastern Mediterranean region that existed from about 1100 BCE to 600 CE. Democracy began there in Athens in the 5th century BCE.
  • The first Olympics were dedicated to the Olympian gods and were staged on the plains of Olympia. Ancient Olympic sports included running, chariot racing, mule-cart racing, boxing, discus throw, long jump, wrestling, and pankration, a wild cross between wrestling and boxing with no rules except biting and eye-gouging!
  • A few of the well-known figures from this period were: Alexander the Great, who ruled over the whole empire from 336 to 323 BCE; Hippocrates, a physician referred to as the Father of Medicine; Herodotus, called the Father of History, who wrote his "Histories" about the Greco-Persian wars; Socrates, considered the founder of Western Philosophy; Plato, an author and philosopher who founded the first academy of higher learning in the West; Aristotle, a student of Plato's who also founded a school of philosophy; and Thales, a mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece.  

Modern Greece

  • Greece, in Southeast Europe, is officially called the Hellenic Republic. Its government is a unitary parliamentary republic with a president, prime minister, and parliament. The capital and largest city is Athens, and the official language is Greek.
  • Greece declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821 and was recognized as an independent country in 1830. 
  • The size of Greece is about the same as the US state of Alabama but has twice as many people, over 10.5 million. 
  • The country of Greece consists of 6,000 islands, but only 227 are inhabited. Nearly 80 percent of the country is hills and mountains. 
  • About four-fifths of the people live in urban areas in Greece, and almost everyone is literate.
  • Greece has three times the number of annual tourists (about 31 million) as residents. It is one of the most-visited countries.
  • Greece is the third-largest producer of peaches and the fifth-largest producer of olives in the world. 
  • In the past, most Greeks were farmers, and they ate the food that they grew. Since Greece had a mild climate, they could grow many different fruits and vegetables as long as they got enough rain. Vegetables were a considerable part of the Greek diet and still are. Most Greeks eat a Mediterranean diet that includes plenty of olive oil, legumes, fruits, veggies, grains, and fish. They generally consume less dairy and meat.
  • Greek cuisine includes "fasolada" (soup of white beans, olive oil, and veggies), "moussaka" (eggplant or potato dish with ground or minced meat), "souvlaki" (grilled meat on a skewer), and "gyros" (pita bread filled with meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, veggies, and tzatziki sauce). 

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Greece?

  • Greek kids have three stages of education: primary school for six years, gymnasium (junior high) for three years, and lyceum (senior high) for three years (this stage is not mandatory).
  • Kids may participate in sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, swimming, and handball. 
  • There are many museums and ancient sites to explore in Greece. Families love being outdoors and enjoy hiking and going to the many beaches. 
  • There are several different sweets that Greek children enjoy. These include "pasteli" (sesame seed candy), "bougatsa" and "galaktoboureko" (phyllo pastries filled with semolina custard), and "baklava" (nut-filled phyllo pastry soaked in a honey syrup).

That's Berry Funny

What do you call a fake noodle? 

An impasta!

That's Berry Funny

Flight attendant: "What would you like to drink?" 

Passenger: "Water" 

Flight attendant: "Still?" 

Passenger: "Well, I haven’t changed my mind …"

THYME for a Laugh

What do polite vegetables always say? 

Peas to meet you!

The Yolk's On You

What did the bottled water tell the spy?

"The name's Bond, Hydrogen Bond."

Lettuce Joke Around

What do vegetables wish for, more than anything else in the whole world? 

World Peas.

The Yolk's On You

What do you call an angry pea? 

A Grump-pea!

The Yolk's On You

Drinking water is so popular, but I don’t really get the hype.

Maybe it’s just too mainstream!

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