Greek Lasagna
12 standard portions
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Dietary & allergen details
Based on listed recipe ingredients. No certification is implied.
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- Crustaceans: not fully checked
- Eggs: not fully checked
- Fish: not fully checked
- Lupin: not fully checked
- Milk: not fully checked
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- Mustard: not fully checked
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Check the actual product labels and preparation. Substitutions can change this information.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pasta (Pastitsio No. 2 pasta preferred, but can also use bucatini, penne)
- 4 ounces feta cheese (crumbled)
- 2 egg whites (beaten)
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef (lean)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper ( to taste)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup Kefalotyri cheese (or parmesan, grated - divided)
- 2 egg yolks
Method
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and ground beef, breaking it apart, cook until browned (about 5 minutes). Add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the red wine and let it simmer for a few minutes until reduced by half.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and let cool slightly.
- Mix in the beaten egg whites and crumbled feta cheese. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C), or 160°C if using a fan oven. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch (approx 22x33 cm) baking dish and set it aside.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour to create a roux, cooking for 2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in milk, avoiding lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens (1-2 minutes).
- Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, salt, and ½ cup of the grated cheese until melted.
- Let the sauce cool slightly before whisking in the egg yolks. This prevents them from scrambling.
- Layer the pasta mixture in a baking dish and try to arrange the pasta in one direction (for the aesthetics, doesn’t have to be perfect), followed by the meat sauce.
- Pour the béchamel sauce over the top, smoothing it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden and set.
- Allow the dish to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. This helps the layers firm up for easier slicing.