My Version of Pastitsio ♡
One of my most favorite dishes on the planet! It's hearty, healthy and oh so tasty. Many, many, years ago, in what seemed like another life, I used to live in Greece. A place where my feet touched the soil, and I felt like I was home. I must have been Greek in another life. I love the food, the people, their love of family and fresh, local and seasonal ingredients, and let's not forget their fiery passion.Pastitsio is one of those dishes that is regional and can use different meats and different flavors. But one thing is for sure, it's made with so, so, much love! So… my version seems to be very different from the others. But give it a try. Personally, I feel that bechamel is a wannabe cheese sauce. I make mine solely with Greek yogurt and it is simply delicious!This is a big family feed and can manage 8 when served with a salad or oven roasted veg.
Ingredients
- Meat Sauce
- ❀ 500 g macaroni precooked until al dente
- ❀ 1kg beef mince
- ❀ 2 tbsp olive oil
- ❀ 1 medium diced onion
- ❀ 3 cloves garlic crushed
- ❀ 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- ❀ 50g tomato paste
- ❀ 350mls oxtail stock or beef if you don't have oxtail
- ❀ Splash of Worcester sauce
- ❀ Fresh oregano
- ❀ Ground salt and pepper
- ❀ Extra Parmesan for sprinkling
- Custard
- ❀ 1 kg Greek yogurt
- ❀ 2 eggs
- ❀ 1tablsp corn flour
- ❀ 40g grated hard cheese like Parmesan
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over a high heat and brown the mince for approximately 6-8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the macaroni until al dente.
- After browning the mince, pour it into a sieve over a bowl, to drain all the liquids.
- On a low to medium heat, cook the diced onion until see through. Do not brown.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Return the mince to the pan and add the tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, Worcester sauce, oregano, stock and a few crunches of salt and black pepper.
- Allow to cook for half an hour and then season to taste.
- Take a 1 tablespoon of yoghurt and mix with the corn flour until it is a smooth paste. Gradually add two more tablespoons, one at a time. Then add that mix to the rest of the custard ingredients.
- Heat your oven to 180°.
- Mix a third of the custard to the macaroni. And place the macaroni at the bottom of a large lasagna dish.
- Pour the meat sauce over the pasta.
- Spread the remaining custard over the meat and sprinkle with Parmesan and ground salt and pepper.
- Pop the dish in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until bubbling and golden.
Notes
You Could Also Try:
• This recipe is also delicious with lamb instead of beef.