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 235 grams dry elbow 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 1 large onion, finely chopped, and chopped 2 garlic cloves in 2 tbsp olive oilfor 8-10 minutes, until softened. Add 500 grams lean lamb mince, season well with Shetland sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until browned all over.
Mix 1 lamb stock pot with the pasta water to make a lamb stock, and pour into the lamb mixture along with 1 tsp whole cumin seeds, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp tomato puree and 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped.
Simmer, gently, for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture is thick.
Heat 50 grams butter in a small saucepan until melted and beginning to bubble. Stir in 50 grams plain flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and whisk in 125 ml full fat milk and 135 grams plain natural yoghurt.
Return to the heat and cook gently for a further five minutes. Remove from the heat again and stir in half of the 80 grams Kefalotyri 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.