Photo of Pastitsio by WW

Pastitsio

7
Points® value
Total Time
1 hr 50 min
Prep
30 min
Cook
1 hr 20 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Easy
A firm favourite from summer holidays, this classic Greek dish will be a hit with all the family. You can use any short pasta you have in the cupboard.

Ingredients

Calorie controlled cooking spray

4 spray(s)

Extra lean beef mince (5% fat), raw

450 g

Onion

1 large, chopped

Passata

220 g

Red Wine

60 ml

Ground Cinnamon

½ teaspoon(s), level

Wholewheat Pasta, dry

220 g, penne

Egg, whole, raw

2 large, raw

Egg white, raw

2 individual

Semi Skimmed Milk

560 ml

Low Fat Spread

30 g

Plain White Flour

30 g

Parmesan Cheese

40 g

Salad leaves

4 portion(s)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas mark 4. Mist a medium baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. To make the meat sauce, heat a large nonstick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the beef and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until the meat is browned and the onion is tender. Stir in the passata, wine and cinnamon. Season to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, until thickened.
  3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta to pack instructions, then drain and put in a large bowl. Beat 1 egg with 180ml of the milk, then add this mixture to the pasta and toss to combine. Set aside.
  4. To make the bechamel sauce, melt the spread in a small pan over a medium heat. Stir in the flour, season, then gradually whisk in the remaining milk. Cook, stirring, for 5-8 minutes until thickened. Whisk the egg whites and remaining egg in a heatproof bowl, then gradually whisk about 250ml of the hot milk mixture into the eggs. Whisk this mixture back into the remaining hot milk mixture in the pan, until the sauce is smooth and combined. Set aside.
  5. To assemble the pastitsio, put half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish, then top with the meat sauce and scatter over half the Parmesan. Top with the remaining pasta mixture, pour over the bechamel sauce and top with the remaining Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and to cook for another 15 minutes, until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Rest for 15 minutes before serving with a mixed salad.