Pastitsio is a Greek-style macaroni cheese recipe. In this easy family favourite recipe layers of ooey gooey macaroni cheese sandwich a spiced lamb mince.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the macaroni according to the package instructions, until al dente. About 8 minutes. Reserve 300 ml of the pasta cooking water to make your stock with.
Drain the pasta in a colander and pour over plenty of cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
Gently saute the onion and garlic for 8-10 minutes, until softened. Add the lamb mince, season well with salt and pepper, and cook until browned all over.
Mix the lamb stock cube with the pasta water to make a lamb stock, and pour into the lamb mixture along with the ground spices, tomato puree and chopped mint.
Simmer, gently, for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture is thick.
Heat the butter in a small saucepan until melted and beginning to bubble. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk and yogurt.
Return to the heat and cook gently for a further five minutes. Remove from the heat again and stir in half of the grated cheese.
Mix the cooked macaroni with the cheese sauce and spoon half of the mixture into the bottom of a medium-sized pie dish.
Spoon over the spiced lamb mince and top with the remaining macaroni. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly.
Serve with a side salad!
Video
Notes
Beef & Cheddar Mac & Cheese Variation
Simply replace the lamb with ground beef and use beef stock instead of lamb stock. Replace the Kefalotyri (or Parmesan) with 135 grams/ 1.5 cups of grated mature cheddar.