Cheat's pastitsio (with a yoghurt topping)

Pastitsio is a delicious Greek every day meal staple, but it can sometimes be a bit heavy and too full of carbs - not to mention a bit of a pain to make. But this version is not only delicious, but sooo easy to make. Just whip up a simple and flavourful bolognese sauce, mix with penne pasta and top with a yoghurt, egg and parmesan topping. Yum!

Course Easy mid-week meal

Cuisine Greek

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings

Calories 439kcal

Author Helen

Ingredients

For the easy bolognese sauce

1 onion chopped
14 ounces minced beef or lamb
2 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
9 ounces mushrooms chopped
2 tablespoons tomato puree mixed with 150ml water and a beef stock cube
2/3 cup red wine
14 ounce can chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried herbs I used oregano & thyme, but mixed herbs are great, too
a handful of fresh chopped parsley
salt & pepper

the rest of the ingredients

9 ounces penne ziti or macaroni
1 tablespoon scant corn flour
1 1/3 cup Greek yoghurt
2 eggs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated

cups/ounces - grams/ml

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. Fry the onion in a large saucepan with a drizzle of oil until translucent. Add the mince and brown for a few minutes.
Add the garlic, cinnamon and allspice and stir and cook for a minute. Then add the mushrooms, tomato puree/water/stock, wine, chopped tomatoes and dried herbs.
Bring the mixture to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 30 to 35 minutes until you have a rich sauce.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet and drain. Also prepare the topping by whisking the eggs and about half the parmesan into the yoghurt and corn flour in a medium bowl.
When the sauce is done, tip the pasta into it and mix well. Stir through the parsley and season well. Tip the pasta and sauce into a medium baking dish.
Pour the yoghurt topping evenly over the top of the meat and pasta. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden on the top.

Notes

Substitutions

Feel free to miss the spices out of the Bolognese sauce if you prefer, although I think it would be a shame!

Try adding chopped eggplant/aubergine to your sauce instead of mushrooms. Add it with your onion at the beginning, though.

How to serve your pastitsio

This is great served with a simple green salad drizzled with a tiny bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Nutrition