Pastitsio

This is my healthy take on a Greek lasagna classic, Pastitsio. Instead of a cheesy béchamel sauce, it’s topped with a much lighter blend of yoghurt, tahini and parmesan cheese.  It can also be made with beef mince (ground beef) if you prefer, but personally prefer to use lamb mince. This dish is a Mediterranean-inspired comfort food, perfect for family meals or gatherings, combining warming spices and wholesome ingredients.

Health benefits

With protein-rich lamb, nutrient-dense veggies, and Greek yoghurt, Pastitsio provides iron, fibre, calcium and essential vitamins. The use of olive oil and spinach further enhances its healthy and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Ingredients

Traditional spices like cinnamon, oregano, and mixed spice flavour the lamb sauce, which is then layered with a creamy topping made from yoghurt, tahini, and Parmesan. Pasta binds the layers together, creating a savoury, filling meal.

How to make this healthy pastitsio recipe

To make this Greek pastitsion recipe, sauté onions and garlic cloves, then brown the ground lamb with spices. Add tomato passata, veggies, and broth, simmering to meld flavours. Cook the pasta, combine it with the meat sauce, and transfer to a baking dish. Blend the topping ingredients, pour over the pasta, and finish with Parmesan and pine nuts before baking.

Serving suggestions and how to store

Serve with fresh parsley and a leafy salad for balance. Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container, reheating in a low oven. This dish also works well for prep ahead meal prep.

Vary this healthy pastitsio to suit your dietary needs

This dish is already gluten-free if using the rice quinoa pasta. For dairy-free, swap the topping with a dairy-free bechamel and use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan. Go vegetarian by substituting lentils for lamb. Make it nut-free by omitting the pine nuts, and adjust the veggies based on what’s in your fridge!

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit any specific dietary requirements.

For more easy to make, delicious heathy meal recipes, click HERE.

Pastitsio

Prep 20 minutes minutes

Cook 40 minutes minutes

Total 1 hour hour

Serves: 6

A healthier and lighter take on a Greek classic Pastitsio. Instead of a rich cheesy sauce, it’s topped with a much lighter blend of yoghurt, tahini and parmesan cheese. 

MetricUS Customary

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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil - extra virgin
• 1 red onion/s - diced
• 4 clove/s garlic - diced
• 600 g lamb mince
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 bay leaf/s
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 60 ml red wine
• 1 zucchini/s - diced into 1 cm pieces
• 2 carrot/s - diced into 1 cm pieces
• 700 g tomato passata (puree)
• 125 ml chicken broth or stock
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - or to taste
• 30 g baby spinach - chopped (1 cup)
• 250 g rice quinoa penne pasta (or any pasta that suits)

Topping

• 1 clove/s garlic
• 500 g natural, Greek or coconut yoghurt - or greek yoghurt (2 cups)
• 2 tbsp hulled tahini 
• 1 egg/s
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ground black pepper
• 25 g parmesan cheese - grated (¼ cup)
• 2 tbsp pinenuts
• ¼ bunch/s fresh parsley leaves - approx. 1 handful, finely chopped

Method

• Heat the olive oil over a medium heat and add the onion. Sauté for a couple of minutes.
• Add the garlic and lamb mince, sauté to brown the mince.
• Add the cinnamon, mixed spice, bay leaf and oregano and cook for a minute until you smell their fragrance.
• Turn the heat up to high and add the red wine (it should sizzle and reduce quickly and remove the alcohol).
• Reduce the heat and add the tomato passata, broth, zucchini, carrots and seasoning.
• Cover and simmer with the lid ajar for 15-20 minutes.
• Pre-heat you oven to 180°C/ 350°F fan-forced.
• While the sauce is simmering, boil the penne.
• Once it is almost cooked, drain and rinse the pasta and mix in with the sauce and the baby spinach.
• Place into an oven proof serving dish.
• In a food processor or by hand, grate cheese and set aside.
• Then blend the garlic, yoghurt, tahini, sea salt, pepper and egg on a low speed to just combine.
• Pour this over the sauce/ pasta mix, top with the grated parmesan and pine nuts.
• Bake for 10-15 mins or until the cheese is melted and the top is browned.

Serve

• Sprinkle with the chopped parsley leaves and serve with a green, leafy salad.

Thermomix

• I chop the onion and garlic in the Thermomix but cook it all in a pan. I find it cooks better that way, not as sloppy as cooking in the Thermomix. I then use it to grate the cheese and make the topping sauce.

Store

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Make ahead

• Re-heat in a low oven until just hot.

Variations

Dairy Free

Make two cups of this Dairy-free Bechamel Sauce to replace the yoghurt. Replace the Parmesan cheese with a generous sprinkling of nutritional yeast flakes and a little bit of salt.

Onion and garlic-free

Replace the onion with a small fennel bulb and the garlic a pinch of chilli flakes.

Vegetarian

Replace the mince with 2 cans of brown lentils (drained and rinsed). Choose vegetable broth. 

Nut-free

Omit the pine nuts. 

Wine free

Replace the wine with broth or stock (and a tsp of vinegar).

Different vegetables

Feel free to switch up the veggies to suit your supplies and tastes.

 

 

I'd love to hear how you like this recipe. Post a comment below and rate this recipe, thanks so much. 

Course: Main Course

Author: Georgia Harding

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