Greek comfort food meets plant-based in this vegan Greek pastitsio. All the flavor of the traditional version but with a healthy twist!
It’s finally here my friends, a vegan version of my favorite Greek dish growing up, Pastitsio! Go ahead and drool now, because this totally vegan version is Greek mom approved!
I made so many trials of this, I was determined to get it right. Not just “Yeah, it’s not bad,” but I needed my authentic Greek mom to like it and want seconds. And as soon as that happened, I was at peace and ready to share with all of you!
Traditionally this Greek Pastitsio is made of layers of ground meat sauce, noodles and béchamel. Not exactly what I’d call healthy, it actually borders on “heart attack on a plate” status if I’m being honest. But man I loved it so much and my mom’s was hands down the best stuff ever! If you order it out at a Greek restaurant, you often find spices like cinnamon and cloves in it.
I’m not going to lie, flavors like this kind of makes me gag in my savory food. I really don’t like them and neither does the rest of my family. So my mom’s Pastitsio is the only one I have ever truly loved since it was sans the gag factor. If you’ve had this dish before, feel free to add the additional spices, but it surely does not need it!
Vegan Greek Pastitsio In The Making
When I first started this big undertaking, I decided the best way to tackle it was layer by layer. The béchamel was the easiest, so I started with that. Cream sauces are somewhat of a specialty of mine, so I knew I could get spot on with it.
I used a combo of cauliflower and nuts to get that perfect creamy taste without it getting too heavy and overpowering. It turned out amazing! I literally had to stop myself from licking my Vitamix, blades and all. This creamy concoction will definitely be seen again on the blog!
Next came the “meat,” which needed to be hearty, flavorful and help keep the noodles somewhat together. I stuck with the lentil base that many vegan “meat” substitutions consist of, but then I added some brown rice. I felt the rice would give it a little more substance and a bit more of the texture I was looking for.
After playing around with cooking times, ways to cook each, and combination of ingredients, I finally got it. The key was to cook the rice separately but not completely, then finish off the cooking time in the pot with the rest of the sauce. On top of that, I used my immersion blender to chunk it up a bit so that you didn’t see all whole pieces of lentils and rice. This also helped get it to stick together with the noodles while baking.
And by the way, how cute is this new fork I got from the amazing Aly at For Such a Time Design?!
Comfort Food Made Healthy
I served this Greek Pastitsio as the main dish for the Christmas dinner I hosted and it was a hit! I wanted something hearty that could stand in as a main dish and I think I created our new tradition!
Making Greek Pastitsio is like putting together a lasagna, it isn’t your go to quick dish, but it’s worth every minute. You can speed it up by making the parts ahead of time and then putting it all together the day you want it. Plus, it freezes pretty well, so like a casserole, it’s a great weekend meal to create and have leftovers.
If you’re a Greek food fan then you need to try this pastitsio recipe! It’s so much healthier than the original, and it does not compromise on taste!
As always, I love comments on the blog if you make it, so make sure to let me know! You can also tag me on Instagram at veggiesdontbite #veggiesdontbite so I don’t miss it! Hope you enjoy!
Other Vegan Greek Recipes You Might Like;
- Authentic Greek Vegan Tzatziki
- Greek Vegan Moussaka
- Greek Lentil Soup
- Greek Farro Salad
- Greek Vegan Baklava
- 24 ounces penne pasta , gluten free if needed
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 cups veggie broth , to cook rice in (low sodium if needed)
- 1 sweet onion
- 1 cup French green lentils
- 8 fresh tomatoes , chooped
- ½ cup fresh parsley , chopped
- ½ cup white cooking wine (make sure it is vegan to make this dish fully vegan)
- extra 1 cup veggie broth or drizzle of oil , to sauté throughout
- sea salt , to taste
- ground black pepper , to taste
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 cup raw cashews (see note)
- 1 cup walnuts (see note)
- 1 cup veggie broth , low sodium if needed
- 2 cloves garlic
- sea salt , to taste
- ground black pepper , to taste
- Grateable Parmesan Cheese , to top
Preheat oven to 350 F/ 175 C.
Cook brown rice in 2 cups veggie broth in a pot over the stove, watching to make sure it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat once all the broth is absorbed. The rice will be very al dente when done but you don’t want it fully cooked so that it doesn’t get mushy when adding it to the final dish.
Boil cauliflower until very soft. Once soft, strain and add it along with all other cream sauce ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. You can use a regular blender, but may need to mix it a while to get a smooth consistency. Set sauce aside.
Chop onion and sauté in veggie broth or olive oil in a sauté pan until slightly cooked.
Add lentils and sauté until onions become soft. Add more veggie broth if it gets too dry.
Add tomatoes and parsley to the pan.
Sauté for a few minutes, then add wine, salt and pepper. Add rice and continue to cook until lentils begin to get soft and rice softens a little. You do not want it to get overly cooked.
Once done, pour into a bowl and use an immersion blender to pulse mixture until chunky but not mushy. You want pieces of rice and lentils and not a paste. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can pour the sauce into a food processor to chop, but be careful with the sauce being too hot.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, but less about a minute or so. You want the pasta slightly al dente since it will be baking again in the oven.
In a bowl, mix half of the pasta with 1 cup of the “meat” sauce and ½ cup of the cream sauce. Place on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.
Then spread remaining “meat” sauce evenly over the pasta. The sauce makes quite a bit so if it seems to be too much for you, you can leave some out and use it as a pasta sauce at a later time. It also freezes well.
Mix the other half of the pasta with 1 cup of the cream sauce and place over “meat” sauce layer.
Pour the remaining cream sauce over the top and spread evenly. Top with Parmesan if using.
Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let cool and set before cutting and serving for best results.
- Makes a 9 x 12 baking dish
- If you are not using a high speed blender, there are a couple of options for making your sauce smooth: You can use a coffee grinder to grind the nuts into a fine powder, or make sure to soak them overnight, or for at least 2 to 3 hours. If you forget, you can also boil them for 30 minutes.
- I used the green lentils here because they stay the most firm when cooked. You can use brown, but they will get a tad mushier. I wouldn’t recommend red as they get very soft.
- You can use water to cook the rice in but the broth gives it a little more flavor.
- If you do not have fresh tomatoes, you can use canned or bottled crushed tomatoes but I found they give a tangier flavor that I didn’t love.
- You can also use more broth instead of the white wine if preferred, but it gives a great flavor to the dish.
- If you want to make this nut free, you can sub with more cauliflower, white beans, sunflower seeds or a combo of any or all. The consistency and taste when baked may not be exactly the same but it will still work.
- I use veggie broth throughout this dish so take note when calculating how much you need.
- Nutrition info includes the cauliflower cream sauce version.
Tips to prep ahead:
- Make the cream and "meat" portion beforehand, then simply boil the pasta the day of and put the dish together. Make sure you set the sauces out to get to room temp before assembling.
Bonnie says
Has anyone tried making part of this into he instant pot?
veggiesdontbite says
I have not! Curious if anyone has!
Cheryl says
I’m making this Pastitsio to try for our Xmas Eve dinner. I traditionally make both moussaka and Pastitsio for dinner, but using meat and cream and eggs, all of which we are no longer consuming. I made the moussaka last night and it turned out so yummy!! I loved the béchamel sauce, it was freaking delicious. However, I’m not liking the taste of the cream sauce for the Pastitsio. Too much cauliflower taste. May I switch out the moussaka cream sauce for this when making the Pastitsio? Would there be any changes you would make with the switch?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Cheryl! YES!! I totally think you should switch it out. The pastitsio is really old and I have been meaning to add the option of using the moussaka cream. Thanks for reminding me! I just fixed it!
Emily Kemp says
This looks utterly delicious, I love how it’s so healthy but still comforting and packed with flavour!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Emily!!
Katherine says
OMGGG I just tried your recipie and it’s AMAZING!! I recently switched to vegan and have been craving pastitsio so badly! Thank you SOOO much! Truly delicious.
veggiesdontbite says
Oh yay!! I’m so happy to hear that you love it!! If you like Moussaka I highly suggest you try that one. The cream and “meat” parts are my favorite and I have used them in a pastitsio too! Thank you so much for the kind comment.
Kate says
Hi, thank you for the recipe, I am going to make it tonight or tomorrow. But I have one question, about the cooking of the lentils – is the only liquid that is used for this step the liquid that is from the tomatoes and wine? It looks to me like cook rice in one pot, then in separate pan saute the onion, add lentils, add tomatoes and parsley and wine, then add rice, is that correct? There is no additional broth or water to cook lentils in?
Thanks.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Kate! If you look below the tomatoes and wine I do list an extra 1 cup veggie broth to sauté with. You can use oil too but I suggest using some of that veggie broth as well. Another options for the “meat” and/or cream portion of this dish is to use the “meat” and/or cream part of this recipe instead: https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/greek-vegan-moussaka-gluten-free/
Kate says
Oh okay I gotcha, thank you so much for replying! I thought 1 cup broth sounded a little more than needed for just a typical “water saute” but didn’t realize that was also going towards the lentils. Makes much more sense now.
I had seen those sauces from the moussaka, had already considered swapping but couldn’t decide between them all so decided I would just make these pastitsio ones this week and maybe the moussaka ones next week. Then at some point I also need to remember to soak some chickpeas and try that cheesy ‘hamburger helper’ recipe… 🙂 I’m so glad I found that, because for some reason though I try and try I cannot cook dried chickpeas to my liking, even with infinite soaking and cook times, and peeling, and baking soda. Maybe it is hard water where I live or something but they always come out less than smooth and creamy (all other beans and peas turn out fine, but chickpeas no dice). But chopped up into a meat crumble I think they will be perfect. I just found your blog if you can’t tell already and have about doubled the contents of my “recipes to make” bookmarks folder, so thank you for all the recipes! Looking forward to trying them 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
You’ll have to let me know what you think of them! I really love the moussaka “meat” and béchamel, but they are both good. You’d love the hamburger helper! The dry chickpeas are definitely more for a meaty crumble and not to be blended smooth. This is why I use them dried for my crumbles and don’t use the canned ones. Much more of a chewy texture which is perfect for certain things. Thank you so much for being here!!
Penelope says
Hi Sofia! ok i find your pastitsio version i was looking! i do have some questions to make.
-Size of onion is medium?
-8 tomatos, can you approximately tell me the weight?
-cauliflower weight approximately?
-have you tried the meat-sauce or the bechamel of your mousaka recipe in pastitsio version?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi again! Glad you found it! Yes, the onion is medium, I’d say about 4 inches? For the tomatoes it’s about 2 pounds or about 910 grams, maybe a touch more. An average cauliflower is about 1 1/4 pounds or 575 grams. I have actually been meaning to add the links for the moussaka to this recipe. I developed this a while ago and love the way I did the moussaka better. So I need to add in some options. But the flavor is a bit different so I don’t want to do a direct sub but instead write it out. I have it on my to do list! But for now, try using the moussaka way but just the bean part. Then use the flavors in this recipe. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Penelope says
Thanks for your answer <3 ! ok i will try this recipe during the week ( i have to wait untill thusday for the bio laiki to buy tomatos and cauliflower) and i will let you know how it came out!
veggiesdontbite says
Sounds good! Thank you!
Danielle Kruszewski says
Made this last night, it was amazing! Thanks for another great recipe!
veggiesdontbite says
You did?! Awesome! So glad you liked it!
Concordia says
I had to write to tell you that I made this over the weekend, and it was so super yummy! It totally reminds me of the original (please thank your mom for that btw as my mom used her recipe a lot growing up). And honestly, my daughter didn’t even notice the lentils and the veggies, so yay!!!!!!
veggiesdontbite says
So awesome to hear!! Yes, my mom approved it so I knew it was pretty darn close, lol! I’m so happy that your daughter liked it too, always a win when the kids eat something! Hope you are doing well!
Skinny x Chef says
I actually had this the other night while filming a TV show I am on production for, and I agree with you on the cloves and spice element. I wasn’t really a fan, but this looks SO GREAT! you do such an amazing job from the food to the photography! I will have to make this since my guy is Greek! Thank you for this!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much!! Yes, it just doesnt taste right to me with those spices! This was is a lot better and I know you’ll like it. Thanks for your kind words and for following! Let me know if you give it a try!
Pat says
This looks amazing…can’t wait to try it! About how long did you cook the rice on the stove before adding it to the pan?
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much Pat! I cook it until the veggie broth is absorbed. If you try it and it still has a crunch, add a little more broth and cook a tad longer. You want the crunch to be gone but you still want it al dente. Let me know how it goes!
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes.com says
Wow this looks awesome! I’ve never tried hemp almond parmesan before I’ll definitely have to. It looks delicious 🙂 Pinning!
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks so much!! We love the hemp almond parmesan on the top to get a little crispness. I also have a pumpkin seed parmesan on my blog too!
Be Sol-Ful says
It looks like an epic lasagna and I LOVE lasagna!!!! Yum!!! I love hearing how people veganize their old family favorites. This sounds amazing!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much! You’ll love it. Its a great family recipe!
MJ and Tim (@mjandhungryman) says
I love how you walked us through the whole process of how this recipe came to be! And yes, you are def the queen of vegan cream sauce, and I’ll always remember you as the one who turned me into cauliflower + cashews combo! I didn’t know that brown lentils result in mushier texture. Great tip! Pinning!!
veggiesdontbite says
Awe! So sweet! Thank you so much. You’ll have to let me know if you give it a try. So glad to have you on here!!
alifemoment says
Delicious and beautiful recipe!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much!!
The Vegan 8 says
I have never heard of pastitsio before, but I of course recognize all these ingredients and love them all! This kind of reminds me of a lasagna, which I love. Looks so yummy!! I, of course, love lentils. I agree with you on the cinnamon and cloves being weird in savory…it just tastes ODD to me! I tried adding cinnamon before to savory and for me, it ruins the dish.
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks so much Brandi! You’re right in that Pastitsio is to Greek food what lasagna is to Italian. I loved this dish growing up. I’m so excited to be able to enjoy it again in a much healthier way! And still without the cinnamon. Lol.