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Vegan Pastitsio with Lentils (Greek Lasagna)

  • Prep-time: / Ready In:
  • Makes one 3-quart casserole
  • Serving size: 1/10 of recipe
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Pastitsio is the Greek answer to lasagna and typically features ground meat and a bechamel sauce. In this vegan pastitsio, whole grain penne is layered with cinnamon- and nutmeg-laced lentils and a creamy potato-based “cheese” sauce. You can make the sauce in advance and refrigerate it for up to a week or freeze it for up to a month. It will thicken as it cools, so you may need to thin it with more milk to get a thick yet pourable consistency. Serve this scrumptious casserole with a side salad for a hearty, family-friendly meal that’s perfect for when comfort food is the order of the day.

For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:

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Ingredients

  • 2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3¾ cups unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk
  • ¾ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups chopped yellow onion
  • 3 15-oz. cans lentils, rinsed and drained (4½ cups)
  • 1 28-oz. can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 lb. dry whole grain penne or rigatoni
  • ¼ cup brown rice flour
  • Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. For cheese sauce, place potato cubes in a steamer basket in a large saucepan. Add water to saucepan to just below basket. Bring to boiling. Steam, covered, 15 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Uncover and cool slightly. Transfer one-third of the potatoes to a bowl.
  • Place the remaining potatoes in a blender. Add 1¾ cups of the milk, ¼ cup of the nutritional yeast, the vinegar, and two of the minced garlic cloves. Cover and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining potatoes and pulse until slightly chunky.
  • In a large saucepan cook onion, the remaining garlic, and ¼ cup water over medium 10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently and adding water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to prevent sticking. Stir in the next five ingredients (through nutmeg) and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; cook 10 minutes or until liquid is cooked off. Season with salt.
  • Cook pasta according to package directions, undercooking it by 2 minutes. Transfer cooked pasta to a large bowl.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the remaining 2 cups milk, the remaining ½ cup nutritional yeast, and the rice flour until smooth; pour over pasta. Stir in cheese sauce until combined.
  • Spread half of the pasta mixture in a 3-quart baking dish. Spread lentil mixture over pasta, then top with the remaining pasta mixture. Bake 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving. Sprinkle with fresh parsley (if using).
Nutritional Information:

Per serving (1/10 of recipe): 472 calories, 93 g carbohydrates, 23 g protein, 2.6 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 36 mg sodium, 16 g fiber, 23 g sugar

Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.

Comments (19)

(4 from 2 votes)

Recipe Rating

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John Hoffman

Interesting dish. I didn’t have Yukons on hand so I used red. Dish turned out ok. Probably won’t make again. However it was better on day 2. Good with a salad. Flavors good overall but it has cinnamon in it and I knew I should have halved the amount but I followed the instructions. I’m just not a cinnamon in my dinner kinda guy- but I knew it was going to be a tough sell from the git go. But I tried!

G Cam

I quite liked this recipe, but there are a few tweaks I'd make next time: I think the lentil mixture could benefit from a little more cinnamon and nutmeg (I'm thinking to 1.5x it and go from there), some minced walnut, and just a tiny bit of sweetness - either a tiny splash of maple syrup, or a pitted date or two. Imo it'd complement the spices and contrast the sauce nicely. I also don't think the sauce needs the flour, the potatoes alone thicken it considerably!

Valerie

Made this today (my second time making the recipe), very time consuming, give yourself ample time to prepare. Pretty good, seasoning needed a bit of tweaking. I halved the nutmeg and added some dried oregano, nice.

Alessia

I read « SERVING SIZE: 1/10 OF RECIP » Do you mean that the recipe is for 10 adults ?

Lisa, Forks Over Knives Support

Yes, Alessia, exactly! This is a rough estimate, and will vary depending on appetite etc.

Max

I believe it reads “stir in the next five ingredients (through nutmeg)..” which would include the lentils? Hope you figured it out! Sounds delicious!

Judy

Can you use a different flour than rice flour? whole wheat flour?

Bobbi

Wow! This looks delicious! I made a copy of the recipe and plan to make it tomorrow night for dinner. I plan to use fusilli instead of the penne or rigatoni to please the whole family.

Kate McIntyre

I read through the recipe and there are no directions for the “lentil mixture”.

VeggieT8r

The directions for the lentils are in #6... "Spread half of the pasta mixture in a 3-quart baking dish. Spread lentil mixture over pasta, then top with the remaining pasta mixture". Since a particular variety isn't specified, regular supermarket whole (not split) brown or green lentils will work fine Dry lentils will more than double when cooked, so 2 cups of dry lentils should suffice as exact amounts don't seem to be critical here.

Gail

Kate in point 3 it says add the next 5 ingredients. I think that must be where it is.

Susan

The "lentil mixture" is step 3.

Christine

Kate, step 3 is lentil mixture directions. The lentils are part of "the nest 5 ingredients".

SMurphy

Step 3 is the lentil mixture. “Stir in the next five ingredients (through nutmeg) …” The lentils and tomatoes are in this next five ingredients section.

Liz

Recipe #3 instructions says… add the next five ingredients…the lentils are included there. Hope that helps.

Joanne Adair

How is the sugar in this at 23 g? From potatoes, or where would it derive from. I’m going vegan as much as possible but staying away from sugars. So I’m just curious about that in the nutritional information box.

WFPB-Kathy

Looks delicious! What kind of lentils? Red, green, etc? If using a bag of dried lentils instead of canned, what is the dry amount to prepare?

v

See my reply above.

SMurphy

2 cups dry should yield 4 cups cooked.

About the Author

Headshot of Darshana Thacker

About the Author

Darshana Thacker Wendel

Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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