Vegan Greek Pastit*io Recipe (2024)

• 1 pound tube shaped pasta , gluten free if needed (see note)
• ½ cup reserved pasta water from pasta
• 1 tablespoon tapioca starch , sub with cornstarch if preferred
• ½ cup dairy free milk of choice , can sub ¼ vegan butter (see note)
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ½ cups vegan Parmesan Cheese , see note
• 3 cups vegan Bechamel , double my Bechamel recipe (you will have a little left over)

“Meat” sauce:

• 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas , drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 ½ cups chopped sweet or yellow onion
• drizzle of oil or veggie broth , to sauté
• ½ cup dry lentils , green or brown work best (see note)
• 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes , about 4 medium sized tomatoes
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 1 ½ cups veggie broth
• 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
• ½ cup white cooking wine , omit if preferred but flavor won't be as rich
• ½ - 1 teaspoon sea salt , start with ½ and taste before adding more
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• Preheat oven to 350 F/ 175 C.

• Cook pasta according to package directions, but cook 2-3 minutes less so that it doesn't get mushy when baked in the pan.

• Drain pasta reserving ½ cup pasta water.

• Make a slurry using 2 tablespoons of the warm pasta water and the 1 tablespoon of tapioca, set aside.

• Put the milk and rest of the pasta water into the pot where you cooked the pasta and heat it over low heat. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt. Slowly add in the starch mixture as you whisk it so it doesn’t clump. It should slowly thicken and get somewhat egg like. Turn off the heat.

• Add the pasta and ¼ cup of the Parmesan and mix around so the pasta is covered in the mixture. Taste and add more salt if needed, this will depend on the Parmesan you use. Set aside.

Make the “meat sauce:

• Chop the chickpeas and walnuts into smaller pieces using a food processor. Set aside.

• Sauté onion with oil, or broth if oil free, over medium heat until onion is soft. About 5 minutes.

• Add the chopped chickpeas and walnuts, lentils, chopped tomatoes and parsley and saute until the juice from the tomatoes is gone. About 5-7 minutes.

• Add 1 ½ cups of the broth, tomato sauce, wine, salt and pepper and cook covered for about 8-10 minutes. Don’t let it burn.

• Uncover, continue to stir and cook, checking the consistency and doneness of the lentils until the lentils are cooked and sauce is thickened but not dry. Add more broth into the pan as needed to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Build the Pastit*io in a square baking dish as follows:

• Add half the pasta to the bottom of the baking dish.

• Cover in the "meat sauce" and spread so it covers the top. Press it down so it’s nice and firm. This helps it mix into the pasta a little to secure the layers.

• Sprinkle with ½ cup of the Parmesan.

• Add the other half of the pasta on top. Press down so it blends into the “meat” portion and secures the layers.

• Cover with the Bechamel.

• Sprinkle with the last ½ cup of the Parmesan.

• Bake for 35-40 minutes, until browning on the edges and the center feels like it has firmed up.

• Let cool and set for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving for best results. Enjoy!

• Makes a square baking dish. I used a 9 inch dish, if you use an 8 inch it will give you a tall almost overfilled end product. If you use a 10 inch it will be shorter. All work but keep this in mind. It is a pretty filled dish as it is with a 9 inch.
• Any tube like pasta works, like rigatoni, ziti, penne or even macaroni. I tried this recipe with 12 ounces pasta and it worked well, 16 ounces (or 1 pound) will make it a little more filled).
• If you make one full recipe of my homemade vegan Parmesan, it will make about 1 ¼ cups. So you can double it to have some left over or stick with one recipe and simply reduce the amount used in each portion of this recipe.
• You can use butter in the pasta for a richer flavor. If using butter don't add the salt with the pasta.
• I used the green or brown lentils because they stay the most firm when cooked. Green is very firm. Brown has a slightly softer texture but work great. I don't recommend red because they get too soft.
• If you do not have fresh tomatoes, you can use canned or bottled crushed tomatoes but the flavor will be much tangier and not the same.
• I use a food processor to chop the tomatoes to make it faster, but you can use a knife.

Tips to prep ahead:

• Make or gather the bechamel and Parmesan, and make the "meat" portion beforehand. Then simply put together the pasta portion with the rest the day of. It's easier if you set the sauces out to get to room temperature before assembling.