Vegetarian pastitsio — baked pasta layered with a spinach and feta filling under bechamel
Dimitra's Dishes · ♥ 762 likes · 30.4K views · 6 min video
Read about feta in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 5–6 whole scallions
Thinly slice five or six scallions down to the white parts.
Cook them in a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat two to three minutes, until they begin to soften.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
Add three grated garlic cloves and warm through just until fragrant.
- 1½ lb baby spinach leaves
- salt
- pepper
Add the baby spinach a little at a time, seasoning each batch with salt and pepper, at medium high so the released liquid cooks off. It can stay juicy; the pasta will soak it up.
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 115 g cream cheese
Off the heat, add the cream cheese and break it up, mixing until it almost makes a sauce and the mixture is creamy.
- 300 g feta
Off the stove, crumble in about 300 g of feta. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
Cream cheese and feta
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 5–6 tbsp all-purpose flour
For the bechamel, cook about four tablespoons olive oil with five to six tablespoons all-purpose flour over medium heat until the flour is toasted.
- 5 cup whole milk
- salt
- black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Add about five cups of cold whole milk, whisking constantly until combined, and season with salt, black pepper and about a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg.
Bring to a boil and turn the heat off; it will be thick but thinner than a traditional bechamel.
- 2 whole eggs
Whisk two eggs, temper them with some of the hot milk mixture and stir them back into the pot off the heat.
- grated kefalotiri cheese
Stir in one to two handfuls of grated kefalotiri, or parmesan. It will look runny and thicken as it sits.
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 2–3 tsp salt
Boil a pound of penne in salted water about 10 minutes to al dente, then drain out most of the water.
- shredded mozzarella
Put half the penne in a nine by thirteen inch baking pan, add a ladle of bechamel, some shredded mozzarella and some crumbled feta, and mix so the pasta is coated.
Layering the pastitsio
Add the remaining noodles with the water still clinging to them, one or two more ladles of bechamel, more mozzarella and a little more feta.
Top with the remaining bechamel, spread evenly, and bake at 375F for about an hour, until golden spots appear.
Let it sit about two hours to set, or it will be a soupy mess when cut; reheat 15 minutes in the oven before serving.