Pastitsio, also known as makaronia tou fournou, is a very well known and loved family meal made in both Greece and Cyprus. Almost every Greek grows up eating some version of this creamy layered bake. The recipe I’m sharing below is adapted from my family’s recipe, which I loved as a child too. This is homemade comfort food at it’s best, often enjoyed by children, and prepared either as a main dish or as part of a buffet-style meal.

The last few years I have been making this recipe dairy-free because my husband is both allergic and intolerant to dairy. If you haven’t made it because of the amount of dairy added to this dish (butter, cheese, milk!), try this lighter and simple step-by-step version. It’s worth the effort and it will satisfy your craving for a creamy pasta dish.

Pastichio is prepared in 3 stages - the pasta, the meat sauce and the béchamel sauce. It’s a little time consuming if you cook each stage separately, so I recommend you cook the pasta and meat sauce at the same time (in a pot and frying pan) and prep the bottom 3 layers of your dish. Leave the béchamel until last as it’s the trickiest, and only focus on that so you end up with a smooth and thick topping. If it’s too runny, or lumpy, your final layer will either run into the rest of the dish or you will be disappointed.

Recipe notes:

• Pastichio can also be made gluten-free, by replacing the flour with gluten-free all purpose flour and gluten-free penne of your choice.

• The recipe uses beef mince, however it also works well with pork which is more traditional, and for a lighter version, chicken or vegetables.

• This is an ideal recipe for batch cooking and freezing. Proceed up to step 5 in a freezer/oven safe dish with lid or foil tray. Allow to cool completely before sealing well and freezing. Remember to label and date the container. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake it, place it straight into a preheated oven in step 6, without defrosting.

• For the dairy version, replace the dairy-free spread with butter, coconut milk with full cream milk. If you like, you can add 1 cup of grated cheese, such as halloumi or any hard white cheese, scattered in between the layers and into the béchamel sauce.

• Pastitsio can also be eaten at room temperature the next day. Pack into kids lunch boxes for a healthy homemade lunch with sliced vegetables on the side.

PAstitsio (greek PASTA BAKE)

Serves 8

500g penne rigate

For the meat sauce:

1kg organic lean beef mince

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 large ripe tomato, grated

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Béchamel:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons light spelt flour or all purpose flour

1/2 cup dairy free spread (Nuttelex)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 cups / 1 litre coconut milk

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon sea salt

Extra ground cinnamon for topping

1. Grease a large deep ceramic or glass baking dish by rubbing a little dairy-free spread inside the dish.

2. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place half the pasta into the prepared baking dish and set aside the rest.

3. For the meat sauce: Heat the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the onion for about 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the mince and cook until browned, breaking up the mince as it cooks. Add tomato, tomato paste, salt, black pepper and cinnamon and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring lightly until most of the liquid has reduced. Remove from heat and add the parsley. Mix to combine then place the mince on top of the pasta layer. Arrange the remaining pasta on top of the mince mixture.

4. For the béchamel: Heat the coconut milk until warm but not very hot. Heat the oil and dairy-free spread in a medium sized pot until melted, add the flour and mix with a whisk until it thickens. Slowing pour in the warm milk, whisking all the time. Cook on medium heat while you whisk for about 5 minutes or until the cream thickens. Remove from heat. Beat the eggs very well with an hand blender or electric whisk. Add 3 heaped tablespoons of the hot béchamel into the eggs and beat until smooth. This will temper the eggs.

5. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the béchamel while mixing with a whisk. At this point the sauce should be thick and smooth. Carefully pour the béchamel over the pasta bake, smoothing the sauce into the corners and making sure all the pasta is covered. Sprinkle the top with a little ground cinnamon.

6. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees C for about 50-60 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let the pastichio cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting into squares.