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Pasticho (Venezuelan Lasagna)

24 March, 2014 by Tara 10 Comments

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Pasticho (Venezuelan Lasagna) in a red pan with a slice on a white plate

Pasticho (Pasticho Venezolano) is the Venezuelan version of lasagna or the Greek Pastitsio. This comforting dish layers pasta with a creamy bechamel sauce, and tomato meat sauce seasoned with soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. I used a ground beef filling, but ham is one of the most common additions.

Assembling of Pasticho (Venezuelan Lasagna) layer by layer

This is best made in a deep 9×13 inch baking dish. For the photos, I divided the ingredients between an 8×8 inch and a smaller baking dish. I cut the noodles to fit the pan. My first layers of pasta only included 3 noodles, but I would layer with 4-5 in the future. I had a few leftover and would have liked a bit more pasta in the dish.

Once out of the oven, let the Pasticho rest for a few minutes to settle before slicing and serving. This will keep you from completely burning the roof of your mouth from all of the bubbly cheese and will keep the lasagna from completely falling apart. I waited 10 minutes and the layers still slid a little.

A slice of Pasticho (Venezuelan Lasagna) on a white plate over a green napkin next to a fork

Pasticho (Venezuelan Lasagna) Recipe

Adapted from About.com

Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Pasticho (Venezuelan Lasagna)

A recipe for Pasticho (Venezuelan Lasagna)
Course Main
Cuisine Venezuelan
Keyword lasagna, meat, pasta, South America, Venezuela, Venezuelan
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 1 Casserole

Ingredients

Meat Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 can (28 ounce) whole, peeled tomatoes
  • 1 can (6 ounce) tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup red wine or beef stock

Bechamel Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 1/2 cups milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

For assembling:

  • 1 pound dried lasagna noodles
  • 10 ounces Mozzarella cheese divided
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan, drizzle olive oil over medium low heat. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften and become translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Crumble in the beef, breaking apart the pieces with a spoon. Mix in the soy sauce and worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Mix in the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, bay leaf, sugar, and red wine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, 30-45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Remove the bay leaf.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook until almost al dente, nearly tender. They will cook further in the oven. Drain.
  • In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat. Once melted, whisk in flour until golden and bubbling. Increase heat to medium. Slowly whisk in milk and continue to stir until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and parmesan. Remove from heat once smooth.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with a thin layer of the bechamel sauce. Top with a layer of the lasagna noodles. Spread with a layer of 1/3rd of the meat sauce. Cover with a second layer of pasta. Spread about 1 cup of the bechamel sauce over the pasta, top with 1/3rd of the Mozzarella cheese, and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Cover with another 1/3rd of the meat sauce, then 1 cup of the bechamel sauce, 1/3rd of the Mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons of parmesan. Add remaining meat sauce and final layer of pasta. Cover with remaining bechamel sauce, then remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan.
  • Cover baking dish with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until cheese is bubbly and beginning to turn golden, 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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Filed Under: Beef, Meat, Pasta and Rice, South American Tagged With: bechamel, beef, lasagna, meat, mozzarella, pasta, pasticho, south america, south american, venezuela, venezuelan

Previous Post: « Meyer Lemon Scones
Next Post: Hottokēki (Japanese Hot Cake) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Renata

    19 September, 2017 at 12:49 pm

    The most common pasticho made in Venezuela (available in restaurants, specially in the western side of the country) is a lasagna with ham in it. I’ve seen this made by my mother in law and she also does a weird “bolognese” with soy sauce and stuff like that.

    Those made with plantains or eggplants aren’t really called “pasticho” anymore, as originally it’s the beef (or chicken) preparation with ham.

    Reply
    • Tara

      19 September, 2017 at 1:08 pm

      Thanks so much for the info Renata! The addition of soy sauce definitely stood out to me. I can’t wait to make this again with ham.

      Reply
    • Shakira

      7 September, 2019 at 1:13 am

      Those with plantains are made with fish, and called “pastel de chucho”

      Reply
  2. Kata

    15 December, 2018 at 6:13 pm

    Gracias chica! Will make it tonight. Was my fav dish in Caracas (and the world) 🙂 abrazos

    Reply
  3. Jennifer

    1 September, 2019 at 8:41 pm

    I have been using this recipe to make pasticho for my Venezuelan husband for about three years but am just commenting! I always come back to this one. The meat sauce is the best! For some reason he insists on having peas and sliced ham in his pasticho though. Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Tara

      7 September, 2019 at 9:08 pm

      So glad to hear Jennifer! I will definitely have to remake it soon with ham.

      Reply
  4. Sabine

    17 May, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    Hey Tara,

    Your pasticho looks very good! However, this particular dish does not originate from Italy, Spain or Portugal the origin is Greece. I know this because it’s a staple in Greek households and I make it quite often :). We call it by basically the same name (pastitsio) and the components such as the béchamel sauce and meat are filling virtually the same.

    -Sabine

    Reply
    • Tara

      17 May, 2020 at 1:50 pm

      Hi Sabine! Thank you for letting me know! I definitely need to make this Pasticho soon and update the post/photos. For now, I have fixed the wording 🙂

      Reply
  5. Linda Myers de Romero

    22 October, 2021 at 6:01 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Tara and Jenifer! I lived 25 years in Mérida, Venezuela. The pasticho I learned to make was very similar to yours but used thyme instead of oregano, thinly sliced ham layered in along with meat sauce, and peas. This is the way all the restaurants in Mérida made it. This was about 25 years ago and I’m sure things have changed. Pasticho de Berenjena (Eggplant) was made exactly the same using sautéed eggplant slices which were not breaded instead of flat, not crimped, noodles. Crimped noodles were used for lasagna, which didn’t have peas or ham. I congratulate you for having the recipe closest to traditional Andean Venezuelan Pasticho that I’ve seen on line!!

    Reply
    • Tara

      25 October, 2021 at 11:04 am

      Thank you so much!

      Reply

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