Leftover Lamb Pastitsio
Layers of rich spiced lamb sauce, soft pasta and thick creamy béchamel are baked in the oven until golden in this leftover lamb pastitsio. This delicious Greek pasta bake makes an easy dinner from leftover lamb that the whole family will enjoy.
Equipment
- 26 x 20 cm (10 x 8 inch) deep ovenproof dish
Ingredients
- 200g (7 oz) penne pasta
Bechamel Sauce
- 50g (1¾ oz) butter
- 50g (⅓ c) plain flour
- 500ml (2 c) milk
- pinch ground nutmeg
- black pepper, to season
Leftover lamb sauce
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, brown or red, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree / tomato paste
- 400g (14 oz) tin/ can chopped tomatoes
- 250ml (1 c) leftover gravy. If using stock or water instead use ⅔ c / 150ml.
- 200-300g (7 - 10 oz) leftover cooked lamb, shredded or chopped into bitesize pieces.
- 1 egg, seperated
- 40g (1½ oz) cheddar cheese, grated, for top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 180˚C fan / 200˚C / 356˚F convection / 392˚F.
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the instructions on the packet say to cook it for.
Make the bechamel
- Gently melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat.
- As soon as the butter has melted, sprinkle in the flour. Stir well to combine.
- Add the milk a little at a time, stirring vigorously or whisking with a ballon whisk after each time.
- When you’ve added half the milk, use a balloon whisk to stir in the rest of the milk.
- Turn the heat down, add a pinch of nutmeg, season with black pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every so often.
- Once the sauce is thick and the flour has cooked, take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes whilst you make the lamb sauce.
To make the lamb sauce
- Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan and add the chopped onion. Cook over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes, until softened.
- Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute before adding the ground cinnamon, ground cloves, bay leaf and tomato puree.
- Cook for 1 minute then tip in the chopped tomatoes, shredded / cut lamb, and stock or gravy, bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain and then stir in the egg white.
- Tip the pasta in to a 26 x 20 cm (10 x 8 inch) deep ovenproof dish.
- Spoon the lamb sauce over the pasta and spread out in an even layer.
- Add the egg yolk to the cooled bechamel sauce and whisk in quickly to combine.
- Pour the bechamel over the lamb and spread out with a spoon, making sure the sauce is covering all the lamb.
- Sprinkle over the cheese and place in the preheated oven to bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown and bubbling.
- Leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Leftover cooked lamb. You can use leftover roast lamb or slow cooker lamb. Lamb leg, shoulder or even leftover lamb shank will work (as long as you haven't cooked the slow cooker lamb in an Asian or curry style sauce!)
Tinned Tomatoes - you can use fresh tomatoes if you prefer, I often use tinned / canned tomatoes to keep the cost down. Either use chopped tomatoes or plum tomatoes and break them down with the back of a spoon.
Onion - brown onion or red onion both work in this recipe.Garlic - fresh garlic or 1 teaspoon of jarred minced garlic or garlic paste.
Spices - ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg for the sauce.
Bay leaf - if you don't have bay leaves then leave out or see these substitutions for bay leaves.
Pasta - traditionally often made with Greek bucatani, you can make it with Italian bucatani, or I often use penne or ziti / rigatoni pasta. However if you prefer you can also use macaroni, bows, fusilli.
Egg - I use size large eggs which weigh approx 60g each. You use the yolk to thicken the sauce, and the egg whites to mix through the cooked pasta to help hold the pasta together.
Butter - I use unsalted butter as the stock / gravy can be salty. If you use salted butter then carefully check the lamb sauce for saltiness so as to not over season.
Plain flour - also called all-purpose flour
Milk - I use whole / full fat milk but you can use half fat milk if you prefer.
Gravy - if you don't have any leftover gravy you can use a chicken or beef stock. Add ⅔ c / 150ml of stock, as using stock rather than gravy will make the sauce thinner.
Cheese - I use cheddar cheese or tasty cheese to keep the costs down, but you can use parmesan, feta or goats cheese if you prefer, or Greek Kefalotyri.
Cook the pasta for a minute less than the instructions on the packet to avoid overcooked, mushy pasta.
To make a smooth sauce - whisk the milk in a little at a time, making sure all the milk is incorporated into the sauce before adding more.
Let the béchamel sauce cool for 5 minutes before adding the egg yolk. Whisk the yolk into the sauce quickly to prevent it from starting to cook and scrambling.
Add the egg white to the pasta just before assembling - otherwise they dry out slightly and don't hold their shape as well.
Letting the lamb pastitsio stand for 5-10 minutes before serving makes it easier to cut.
Nutrition
Calories: 589kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 25gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 139mgSodium: 631mgPotassium: 748mgFiber: 4gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 1051IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 298mgIron: 4mg
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