VEGAN PASTITSIO RECIPE
Traditional pastitsio is from Greek cuisine and is also known as a Greek lasagna or casserole dish. This Greek food is made of a pasta mixture with tomato sauce and a creamy bechamel sauce on top. Furthermore, as a Greek classic comforting dish one of the main ingredients is the ground meat used in order to make the meat sauce; however, if you love Greek food here you will find a vegan recipe to make this absolutely delicious Greek lasagna vegan-friendly. But that’s not all, since it is also easy to adapt it to a gluten-free diet.
GLUTEN-FREE ALTERNATIVE
Even though the traditional recipe is made of wheat flour pasta and the bechamel sauce contains wheat flour, you can make this vegan pastitsio gluten-free. Nowadays, we can find more gluten-free pasta alternatives when we go shopping and those options can be used with this recipe.
In addition to this, when making the bechamel sauce you can replace the wheat flour with other easy-to-find options which are not limited to gluten-free flour. When I’m making a gluten-free bechamel sauce I normally use cornstarch and the final result is really good.
DAIRY-FREE AND OIL-FREE PASTITSIO
The classic casserole dish from Greek cuisine is made of many animal product ingredients; such as cow milk, ground meat, and cheese; however, making this lovely dish dairy-free is easy. In order to do that, you will need to replace the cow milk with a plant-based or vegan alternative milk.
Bear in mind, that depending on which vegan milk you choose for this casserole dish can change the flavor of the vegan bechamel sauce. For example, personally, I don’t recommend using almond or hazelnut as these can give a sweeter flavor. However, if these are the ones you have at home, you don’t have to go to the store and buy a different one, try to add more ground nutmeg and this should help.
PLANT-BASED MILK
- Soy milk.
- Oat milk.
- Rice milk.
- Almond milk.
- Cashew milk.
- Hazelnut milk.
Lastly, you can add cheese to this recipe on top of the bechamel sauce to gratin in the oven. Another option if you are looking for a cheese flavor is to add nutritional yeast to the sauce.
OIL-FREE ALTERNATIVE
Another option or alternative to make this delicious dish is by making it oil-free. For the tomato sauce when frying the garlic and onions use vegetable stock instead of oil. Likewise, when making the bechamel sauce the oil ingredient can be replaced by using vegetable stock. This is a great way to make this recipe if you are trying to reduce your fat intake.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
This Greek version of the Italian lasagna can be served on its own as a warm casserole dish. However, if you want to serve this vegan pastitsio with other side dishes here you can find a list of great recipes:
- Garlic bread.
- Green salad.
- Sauteed peppers and onions.
- Tomato bruschetta.
- Tomato, olive, and gherkins salad.
In addition to these delicious recipes, if you have any other serving suggestions or ideas that would go great with vegan dishes such as this one, tell us in the comment section and we will be more than happy to add them to the list.
THIS VEGAN PASTITSIO RECIPE GOES WELL WITH:
- Also, try this vegan Greek alternative recipe with vegan parmesan cheese.
VEGAN PASTITSIO RECIPE
This delicious, warm, and comforting vegan pastitsio is really easy to make. If you are vegan and miss great Greek food this recipe with simple ingredients is for you!
Ingredients
pasta
- 300 gr. of Dried pasta.
- 1 Litre of Water.
- A pinch of salt.
Tomato sauce
- 2 White onions.
- 2 Garlic cloves.
- 350 gr. of Mushrooms.
- 500 ml. of Tomato passata
- ½ Tsp. of Himalayan salt.
- A pinch of black pepper.
- 50 ml of Red wine.
- 3 Tbsp. of Olive oil.
Bechamel sauce.
- 4 Tbsp. of Olive oil.
- 2 Garlic cloves.
- 4 Tbsp. of Flour.
- 400 ml. of Plant-based milk.
- A pinch of salt.
- ½ Tsp. of Gound nutmeg.
Instructions
PASTA
- Pour 1 liter of water into a large pot with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil (in the meantime preheat the oven to 180 degrees or 400 F).
- Then, add the dried pasta* and stir occasionally.
- Cook the pasta al dente and follow the package directions.
- After you cook the pasta, drain and set aside for later.
TOMATO SAUCE
- Place a frying pan on the stove at medium heat.
- Pour the olive oil (or cooking oil of your choice) and add the peeled onions and garlic, cook until tender.
- Then, clean and cut the mushrooms into small pieces and add them to the pan. Stir well.
- Pour the tomato passata and stir well**, then add the red wine.
- Season with salt and pepper.
VEGAN BECHAMEL SAUCE
- Place a frying pan on the stove at medium heat.
- Pour the olive oil (you can replace the oil with vegan butter) add the peeled garlic cloves and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Then, add the flour and mix well.
- Pour the plant-based milk of your choice (I used oat milk) and stir constantly (by stirring constantly you will avoid lumps) until you get a creamy bechamel sauce.
- Once your creamy béchamel sauce is done you can season it with salt and ground nutmeg.
ASSEMBLE & BAKING
- Place the cooked pasta in a glass baking dish and spread well covering the entire dish (another option is to make more than one pasta layer, like an Italian lasagna).
- Pour the tomato sauce and spread evenly.
- Then, add your vegan bechamel sauce on top.
- Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for around 20 minutes.
Notes
*To make this delicious pastitsio dish you can use bucatini pasta or macarroni pasta.
** To reduce the acidity of the tomato you can add half teaspoon of Sodium bicarbonate.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 323Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 6mgSodium 219mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 4gSugar 8gProtein 8g
The Nutritional values presented on this table are only estimates. The values can also vary depending on the cooking method, ingredients, product brands etc. This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
MORE PASTA RECIPES
- SUNDRIED TOMATO AND PASTA.
- LENTIL BOLOGNESE.
- AVOCADO CREAMY PASTA.
- SMOKED MACARONI AND CHEESE.
- CREPES TAGLIATELLE.
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