Vegetarian Pastitsio
Joe was wildly incompetent in the kitchen until his wife, Melanie, showed him the basics. Not wanting to be the stereotypical useless husband on a CBS sitcom, he became her sous chef when making their weeknight burritos and the occasional Greek dish.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cup brown or green lentils
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 cup homemade or store-bought vegetable stock
- 500 milliliter tomato sauce
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 large fresh basil sprig, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 300 gram bucatini
- 1 large egg white
- 1 teaspoon parmesan, grated
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup plant-based or regular milk
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 teaspoon parmesan, grated
- olive oil, for drizzling
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes more, until softened and warmed through. Stir in the lentils and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, until the lentils are softened; season with salt and pepper.
- Add the stock, tomato sauce, bay leaves, basil, oregano, and cinnamon. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pan. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until most of the liquid has been reduced. Optional: Add another 1½ teaspoons cinnamon at the end and mix. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of generously salted water, cook the bucatini according to the package directions. Drain and arrange in the bottom of a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Let cool.
- In a small bowl, mix the egg white and Parmesan. Coat the noodles with the egg mixture.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Slowly add the flour while whisking constantly to form a paste.
- Slowly pour in the milk while constantly whisking. Most recipes say to leave the béchamel sauce over low heat and to keep stirring until it boils. This takes forever and we've never had an issue with cooking over medium-high heat with nondairy milk to speed up the process. Just make sure you stir constantly, especially if you're working over higher heat, to avoid burning. This should take 10 to 15 minutes total. If you opt to use dairy milk, you’ll have to use a lower heat to avoid curdling.
- Once the béchamel sauce has a thicker consistency, remove from the heat. Add the egg yolk and Parmesan, stirring constantly; you don't want the heat from the sauce to cook the egg. You should have a creamy, thick sauce at the end.
- Drizzle some oil over the noodles. Top with the lentil mixture (you might have some leftovers, which you can snack on while the dish bakes), followed by the sauce, using a spatula to spread and keep the layers even. Sprinkle some cinnamon and nutmeg on top.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let cool for at least 10 minutes in order for the pastitsio to keep its shape after cutting.
