I’m just going to start this one out by saying that this recipe does take time. While it’s fairly easy to make, there are layering components that each take some time to put together. That being said, this dish is a great one. It tastes like all the time and effort that’s been put into it. So, what is Pastitsio anyway? It’s a Greek style of lasagna basically. The main difference between lasagna and Pastitsio is that Pastitsio is made with a different style of noodle and also with a béchamel sauce rather than ricotta. It’s layered a bit differently than lasagna too.

Now, I’ve never made a béchamel sauce, and even with this being my first time doing so I found it to be pretty easy to do and is very similar to any sort of roux based sauce. The béchamel gave this dish life. There’s so much flavor packed into the sauce that the béchamel is needed to sort of cut through that intense flavor.

To lighten this Pastitsio up, I started with the sauce, which is the first thing you make. I used an extra lean ground beef. Other than that, I also used an unsweetened almond milk for the sauce. But, you could get away with any lightened up milk that you enjoy. A fat free half and half or even a reduced fat milk in general would work here. Really, those are the only changes that I made.

A for the pasta, you can really use any sort of noodle. But if you really want to be authentic, you’ll want to get your hands on some bucatini noodles. They’re basically thicker spaghetti noodles that are hollow on the inside, which is great for soaking up sauces!

Pastitsio

Yield: 9

Author: The Skinny Fork (Amanda Plott)

Prep time: 3 H & 15 MCook time: 45 MinInactive time: 12 HourTotal time: 16 Hour

This dish does take some time to make, but I promise you that it's well worth the time and effort that's put into it.

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Medium White Onion, Chopped
1 1/2 Lb. Extra Lean Ground Beef
1 (15 Oz.) Can Tomato Sauce
2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Pastitsio

8 Oz. Dry Uncooked Pastitsio Pasta
1 Whole Large Egg + 1 Egg White
2 C. Grated Italian Cheese

Béchamel

1/2 Stick Butter
1/2 C. Flour
2 3/4 C. Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 Whole Large Egg + 1 Egg Yolk

Instructions

Meat Sauce

Heat 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large pot and add in the 1/2 Medium White Onion.
When the onion are turning translucent and tender, add in the 1 1/2 Lb. Extra Lean Ground Beef. Cook to brown.
Add in the 1 (15 Oz.) Can Tomato Sauce, 2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon, and season with salt to taste.
Bring it to a simmer, then set the lid askew on top and reduce the heat to a low simmer for 2-3 hours stirring occasionally.
Once the sauce is a thick meaty consistency, remove from heat to cool. Place it in the fridge to chill overnight.

Pastitsio

Bring the sauce to room temperature and cook the noodles accordingly to aldente in salted water.
Lightly coat the inside of a deep 8x8" or 9x9" baking dish with non-stick spray.
Drain the noodles and when cooled enough to handle, cut in half and toss with 1 egg white (reserving the yolk for later.)
Layer the noodles in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Top the noodles with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
Spoon the meat mixture over the cheese.
Layer another 1/3 of the cheese over the meat sauce.

Béchamel

Melt 1/2 Stick Butter in a large skillet.
Whisk in the 1/2 C. Flour and cook for a couple of minutes.
Slowly whisk in the 2 1/4 C. Unsweetened Almond Milk and bring it all to a boil; stirring the entire time.
Turn the heat off.
In a medium bowl, beat together the 1 Whole Egg and the Yolk reserved from the noodles earlier.
Whisk the egg mixture into the roux and put the skillet back over a medium-high heat.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and cook the sauce until thickened.
Pour the béchamel over the dish and spread evenly.
Top it all off with the remaining 1/3 of shredded cheese.
Place the dish into the oven to bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until browned on top.
Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting into 9 pieces to serve and enjoy right away!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

409.04

Fat (grams)

19.64

Sat. Fat (grams)

6.73

Carbs (grams)

29.02

Fiber (grams)

2.35

Net carbs

26.67

Sugar (grams)

2.79

Protein (grams)

29.43

Sodium (milligrams)

483.18

Cholesterol (grams)

123.33

Nutritional Claims: Sugar Conscious • Peanut Free • Soy Free • Fish Free • Shellfish Free • Pork Free • Crustacean Free • Celery Free • Mustard Free • Sesame Free • Lupine Free • Mollusk Free • Alcohol Free • No Sugar Added • Sulphite Free