Cypriot Pasta Bake – Makaronia Tou Fournou
Layers of goodness
Cypriot pasta bake – the Cypriot version of lasagna haha very different ingredients but the concept is the same… Layers of pasta, mince sauce and béchamel sauce! Deliciousness on a plate 🙂 Makaronia tou fournou is definitely a family favourite, my husband is always happy that I make a large quantity so he can take left overs to work.
Cypriot VS Greek pasta bake
A lot of you would know the Greek version – pastitsio. Very popular dish in the Greek cuisine and quite similar to the Cypriot pasta bake but there are some key differences.
- The cheese used is typically halloumi rather than kefalograviera or parmesan.
- The mince sauce does not have tomatoes in it.
- The mince used is pork not beef.
- The key seasoning used in the mince sauce is mint, very popular herb in the Cypriot kitchen.
Béchamel sauce
The béchamel sauce is a mixture of butter, flour and milk with cheese stirred through it. It took me a few attempts over the years to perfect it. More so because I never used to measure the ingredients. I would add “με το μάτι“ (by looking and estimating) and I then learnt to troubleshoot if I added too much or too little of an ingredient.
To be able to share the béchamel recipe I had to measure it all. The method works so well, you just need patience. To have a great result ensure you use warm milk (I typically put the measuring jug in the microwave) and add the milk slowly. Allow the sauce to thicken each time before adding more milk.
Since the mince sauce does not have any tomatoes, it does not hold together as much hence why I typically add some béchamel sauce and mix through it before I layer the pasta bake.
6 comments
I have always made the Greek version but since making the Cypriot recipe I prefer it. Made it for Christmas and everyone loved it! 😋 Will be making it this way now, love the mint and haloumi . Thank you for the easy to follow recipe 😊