Pastitsio Goes Light

By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

91 people added this to their Recipe Box

This recipe makes 8 servings

Nutritional Info
protein	0 each0each protein
19g fat	-
carbohydrate	52 g52g carbohydrate
high source fibre	-
calcium	0 source0source calcium
good source iron.	-

This is the Greek variation of lasagna, made with less fuss and less fat, too. It's great for company — make it the day before, then pop it in the oven. Serve with a light green salad tossed with a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette.

Ingredients

1 tsp vegetable oil 1 1tsp tspvegetable oil
2 cloves garlic , minced2 2cloves garlic, minced
1 onion , chopped1 1oniononions, chopped
2 carrots , finely diced2 2carrotcarrots, finely diced
1 zucchini , finely chopped1 1zucchinizucchinis, finely chopped
3/4 lb lean ground beef 3/4 3/4lb lblean ground beef
1-1/2 tsp dried basil 1-1/2 1-1/2tsp tspdried basil
1 tsp dried oregano 1 1tsp tspdried oregano
1 tsp cinnamon 1 1tsp tspcinnamon
1/2 tsp salt 1/2 1/2tsp tspsalt
1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 1/2tsp tsppepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 1/2tsp tspdried thyme
2 tbsp tomato paste 2 2tbsp tbsptomato paste
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) tomatoes 1 1can (19 oz/540 mL) can (19 oz/540 mL)tomatotomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/4 1/4cup cupchopped fresh parsley
Pasta Custard Layers:
3 tbsp butter 3 3tbsp tbspbutter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 1/4cup cupall-purpose flour
3 cups milk 3 3cups cupsmilk
1 egg 1 1eggeggs
1 cup 2% cottage cheese 1 1cup cup2% cottage cheese
1 1cup cupshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp salt 1/2 1/2tsp tspsalt
1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 1/2tsp tsppepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 1/4tsp tspnutmeg
3 cups pasta shells 3 3cups cupspasta shells
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 1/4cup cupfreshly grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

In large nonstick skillet beat oil over medium heat; cook garlic, onion, carrots and zucchini, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add beef, basil, oregano, cinnamon, salt, pepper and thyme; cook, stirring to break up beef, for about 3 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Pour in tomato paste and tomatoes, mashing tomatoes with fork; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer for about 20 minutes or until almost all liquid is evaporated and sauce is thickened. Stir in parsley; set aside.

Pasta Custard Layers: In heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium beat; stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes or until thickened. In large bowl, whisk egg; whisk in about 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the hot milk sauce. Return mixture to saucepan; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; blend in cottage cheese, mozzerella, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta for about 8 minutes or until almost tender. Drain; return to pot. Add cheese sauce; toss well. Spread half ofthe pasta mixture in greased 13- x 9-inch (3 L) baking dish; spread meat mixture over top. Spread remaining pasta mixture evenly over meat. Sprinkle with Parmesan. (Can be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.) Bake in 375°F (190°C) oven for 1 hour or until heated through and top is lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes.