When I met my Greek American husband, he loved to eat meat, fish, and shellfish. He also loved the Greek food that he grew up with. I am a vegetarian and John showed me that since meat used to be an expensive commodity, many Greek recipes are meatless and rely on beans, grains, goat cheese and yogurt, fruits, vegetables and olive oil. We ate very well and John surprised us both by deciding to become a vegetarian. However, he wanted her to try his favorite food that his mom and Yia Yia prepared for him. It’s pastitsou, traditionally made with minced beef, onions, Greek pasta, Greek Parmesan cheese, bechamel sauce, and delicious herbs and spices. We experimented and finally came up with courgettes (zucchini) and broccoli as a meat replacement. We then added Quorn (a great vegetarian mycoprotein) that can easily be used in recipes to replace meat. Our resulting meatless pastitsou is so delicious that our carnivorous friends ask us to make it for them. Here is the prescription:

vegetarian pastitsou

Ingredients

1. Vegetables and Quorn

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions finely chopped

2 garlic cloves finely minced

250g courgettes (zucchini), diced

250 g of chopped broccoli

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

3 fresh bay leaves

3 cinnamon sticks

2 nails

700g Quorn minced meat (if you can’t find Quorn, use another meatless minced meat)

14 oz (400 g) can chopped canned tomatoes

two. Pasta

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) Greek pastries or pasta

1¾ oz (50 g) Greek Parmesan or Kefalotiri cheese, finely grated

1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil for basting

3. Bechamel sauce

1.2 liters (2 pints) whole milk

4 ¼ oz (115 g) butter or olive oil for spreading

4 ¼ ounces (115 g) flour

7 oz (200 g) grated Greek Parmesan or Kefalotiri

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Salt or little salt

black pepper

method

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees C (350 degrees F)

2. Heat olive oil in skillet until moderately hot.

3. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened.

4. Add the broccoli and cook for 5 minutes

5. Add the courgettes (zucchini) and cook for 2 more minutes

6. Add the Quorn, herbs and spices and cook while stirring until just beginning to brown slightly.

7. Add the can of chopped tomatoes and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes, leaving the mixture still moist.

8. Remove cinnamon sticks and bay leaves and set aside.

9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil – about 4.5 liters (8 pints)

10. Add pasta and boil until al dente, about 12 minutes.

11. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl

12. Mix with melted butter and grated cheese and set aside

13. For the bechamel sauce, melt the margarine over low heat

14. Add the flour and stir continuously until a roux forms

15. Add the milk little by little and stirring continuously

16. When the mixture is smooth and runny, add the remaining milk and nutmeg.

17. Gently bring to a boil

18. Simmer gently

19. Continue stirring until sauce thickens and tastes cooked.

20. Season to taste and reserve

21. Mix a quarter of the sauce with the beaten eggs

22. Mix gently with the pasta and half of the grated cheese

23. Mix the rest of the cheese with the bechamel sauce

24. Grease a large baking dish (approximately 9cm x 13cm) with butter or olive oil for spreading.

25. Cover the bottom of the plate with a thin layer of Quorn and vegetables

26. Use 1/3 of the pasta to make a layer on the plate.

27. Cover with 1/3 of the bechamel sauce

28. Add a layer of half of the remaining Quorn mixture

29. Continue layering with 1/3 pasta, 1/3 béchamel sauce, and remaining Quorn mixture.

30. Finish with the remaining pasta and the bechamel sauce.

31. Cook for 30 – 40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Enjoy with a salad of green leaves, sliced ​​yellow peppers and cherry tomatoes with a dressing of virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and French mustard.

If you want to make this dish low in calories: reduce the oil and margarine by half and use skimmed milk.