Vegetarian Pastitsio Recipes

PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the ground beef, and cook until crumbly and no longer pink. Pour in the water and tomato paste. Season with salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon; cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, adjust salt to taste, then refrigerate until cold. Once cold, remove any congealed fat, and thoroughly mix with 2 beaten eggs, and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, and rinse under cold water to cool. Mix the macaroni in 2 beaten eggs until well coated.
• Evenly spread half of the macaroni mixture into a 11x14x2 inch baking pan, sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the grated parmesan cheese, and drizzle with 1/2 cup of melted butter. Spread the meat mixture overtop, then finish with the remaining macaroni. Sprinkle the macaroni with another 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, and drizzle with 1/2 cup of melted butter.
• Whisk together 4 beaten eggs with the half-and-half, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, flour, and salt; whisk until well blended. Pour the cream mixture evenly over top of the pastitsio, and sprinkle with nutmeg.
• Cover the pan with foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake until the top has turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving.

VEGETARIAN PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large skillet.
• Add onions, eggplant, garlic and seasonings. Cover and let saute, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and lentils with a little liquid. Cook until very thick.
• Stir in tomato paste and heat through. Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Butter a large casserole of oblong baking dish and layer half of the noodles across the bottom. Sprinkle one third of the parmesan over the noodles. Layer half of the sauce over noodles and parmesan.
• Layer the remaining half of the noodles over the sauce, sprinkle with one third of the parmesan and cover with the remaining sauce. *You could refrigerate it at this point if you want to make it ahead of time.
• Custard Sauce:.
• Heat butter in a saucepan over low heat, stir in flour, and let roux cook a few minutes.
• Pour in heated milk, stirring with a whisk.
• Slowly whisk sauce into beaten eggs.
• Pour sauce over entire casserole. It should drain through to the bottom and bind the whole thing together. If it sits on top, slide a butter knife in and out of the layers in a few places.
• Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and cover.
• Bake for 1 hour.
• Serve very hot.

VEGETARIAN PASTITSIO

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the onions and oil in a large saucepan with the bouillon, bay leaves, the vinegar, garlic, oregano and cinnamon. Add a mug of water (about 250ml), then cover and simmer for 10 mins until soft. Uncover and cook for 10 mins more, stirring frequently. The water should evaporate after this time and the onions should be soft.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water following pack instructions, or for 10 mins until al dente. Drain and set aside.
• Stir the tomatoes, tomato purée and the lentils, along with their liquid, into the onions. Stir well, then cover and simmer for 5 mins. Remove the bay leaves.
• To make the white sauce, pour the milk and 200ml water into a pan with the flour, whisk well to stop lumps forming and keep stirring until thickened, for about 8-10 mins.
• Stir the egg white into the pasta and spoon over the base of a baking dish. Top with the lentil mixture. Stir the egg yolk into the white sauce, then spoon on top of the lentils, scatter over the feta and oregano, then bake in the oven for 40 mins until bubbling.
• Serve half with the tomato and onion salad, and chill the rest for another day. Will keep chilled for up to two days. Reheat in the microwave on plates until piping hot.

PERFECT PASTITSIO (VEGETARIAN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
• In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 7 minutes.
• Add beef substitute, chopping into small bits. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add tomato sauce, red wine and spice, stirring to mix.
• Simmer, uncovered, until the excess moisture has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
• In large saucepan, bring milk to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium.
• Dissolve the cornstarch in water, then add to milk in a thin stream, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
• Cook, whisking, until mixture has returned to a boil and is thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese.
• In separate bowl, beat eggs until light and very frothy. Add to cheese sauce in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste and combine with cooked pasta in a large bowl.
• Lightly oil an 11x15x2 inch casserole dish. Spoon in half the pasta/cheese mixture. Top with meat substitute mixture, then with remaining pasta/cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
• Bake until casserole is golden brown and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.