Vegan Pastitsio

Source: Lazy Cat Kitchen

We take something new from every experience, be it a crush on a boy or late-night coffees with friends. This recipe came from a blissful combination of the two. This alternative take on a traditional Greek recipe is the perfect comfort food for colder winter nights to be shared with friends as you nurse an aching heart.

Vegan | Serves 4-6

Foody Things

Ragu

• 30 ml / 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 large onion, finely diced

• 5 garlic cloves, finely diced

• 250 g / 8¾ oz chestnut/cremini mushrooms, cleaned

• 125 g / 4½ oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, cleaned

• ¾-1 tsp cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground cloves

• ½ tsp salt, adjust to taste

• ¼ tsp ground black pepper, to taste

• 120 ml / ½ cup red wine

• 400 g tin plum tomatoes

• 1 tbsp tomato paste/concentrate

• 3 tsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp vegan Worcester sauce

• 2 fresh or dry bay leaves

• a few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked

• pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

• 150 g / 1 cup cooked Puy or other firm lentils

Pasta Layer

• 300 g / 10½ oz macaroni pasta* (GF if needed)

• 120 ml / ½ cup oat milk (or other plant milk)

• salt and pepper

Bechamel

• 2 tsp white miso paste

• 780 ml / 3¼ cups oat milk (I recommend Oatly original) or other plant milk

• 80 ml / 1/3 cup mild olive oil (or 100 g / 3½ oz vegan butter)

• 85 g / 2/3 cup flour

• freshly ground nutmeg (I used 1/3 whole nutmeg), to taste

The Do-ing

Ragu

1. Sauté the diced onion on low-medium heat until translucent and only just caramelised (about 15 minutes). Skip to step 3 while waiting.

2. Add in the garlic and fry for a few more minutes until fragrant.

3. While the onions are sautéing, dice your mushrooms quite finely.

4. Once the onion-garlic mixture is ready, add diced mushrooms in three batches, so you don’t overcrowd the pan. As soon as the first batch is cooked (turns dark brown), add the next.

5. Once all the mushrooms are cooked, season them with cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper. Allow all the water to cook out.

6. Add in the wine and allow the alcohol taste to cook out before adding in plum tomatoes, their juices, tomato paste, a cup of water (rinse your tin with it), soy sauce, Worcester sauce, bay and thyme leaves. Optional: add a pinch of chilli.

7. Break tomatoes up with a wooden spoon and stir the mixture well. Simmer for about 45 minutes until the tomatoes fully break down, and the sauce becomes homogenous. Give the sauce a good stir from time to time, and add a splash of water if the pan looks too dry.

8. Once the tomatoes break down fully, stir in cooked lentils. If the ragu is too dry, add a little water, as it will dry out more during baking.

9. Adjust the seasoning and add a touch of sweetness if desired. Set aside to cool.

Pasta

1. Cook pasta for half the amount of time stated on the packet. Drain, and refresh under cold water.

2. Return the pasta to the empty pot you cooked it in, stir in oat milk, salt and pepper to taste and a touch of flour.

Bechamel

1. Measure out the milk. Blend the miso paste with 120 ml / ½ cup of the oat milk allocated for the béchamel sauce.

2. Slowly heat up olive oil in a large saucepan. Once the oil starts to shimmer, gradually whisk in flour. Keep whisking until the mixture is super smooth. Allow the mixture to bubble gently, whisking the whole time for a whole minute so that there is no raw flour taste in your béchamel, but make sure it doesn’t colour.

3. Next, reduce the heat to low and start adding oat milk while whisking the whole time. Initially, the mixture may thicken really quickly and look a bit lumpy – don’t worry; it will recover once all the milk has been whisked in. Once the mixture looks stable, add the rest of your milk, including the batch you’ve whizzed up with miso. Simmer only enough for the sauce to thicken, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 180° C / 390° F (or 20° C / 70° F less with fan).

2. Arrange a layer of seasoned pasta at the bottom of the baking dish.

3. Spread ragu on top of the pasta, followed by the béchamel.

4. Bake for about 50 minutes, rotating the dish halfway through cooking to ensure it bakes evenly. Increase the oven temperature by 10° C / 35° F for the last 10 minutes of baking time to speed up browning.

5. Allow the dish to set for at least an hour, or the slices will come out messy, although I recommend waiting to consume until the following day – the flavours will mellow, and the dish will taste even better.

Refrigerate for up to 5 days | Freeze in air-tight containers