Pastitsio Greek Macaroni Pie
The Best
Pastitsio Greek Macaroni Pie! An authentic Greek lasagna recipe to recreate
this traditional delight as my grandmother did.
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 235 grams dry elbow macaroni reserve the pasta water
- 1 lamb stock pot
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 2 tsp tomato puree
- 50 grams plain flour
- 125 ml full fat milk
- 1 tsp cumin seeds toasted and ground
- 135 grams plain yogurt
- sea salt
- 500 grams lean lamb mince
- 80 grams Kefalotyri cheese or Parmesan
- 1 large onion diced
- 50 grams unsalted butter
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
First, preheat
the oven to 180 C / 375 F.
Then, bring
a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni according to the
directions on the package, until al dente. About 8 minutes. Reserve 300 ml of
pasta cooking water to make your broth.
Drain the
pasta in a colander and pour over a lot of cold water to stop the cooking
process. Put aside.
Meanwhile,
heat the oil in a sauté pan.
Gently brown
onion and garlic for 8-10 minutes, until softened. Add the ground lamb, season
well with salt and pepper and cook until golden.
Mix the lamb
broth cube with the pasta water to make a lamb broth and pour into the lamb
mixture with the ground spices, tomato puree and chopped mint.
Simmer gently
for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is thick.
Heat the
butter in a small saucepan until it is melted and begins to bubble.
Stir in the
flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from
heat and stir in milk and yogurt.
Return to
the heat and cook gently for another five minutes. Remove from heat and add
half of the grated cheddar again.
Mix the
cooked macaroni with the cheese sauce and place half of the mixture in the
bottom of a medium baking dish.
Pour over
the spicy lamb mince and garnish with the rest of the macaroni.
Sprinkle with
the remaining grated cheddar.
Bake in the
preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbling.
Serve with a
side salad! Happy Cooking Time.
