Quick Pastitsio

So I found this recipe on FFG's website after she said she didn't care for it. I looked at the ingredients and decided that it was not Pastitsio but it sounded decent. FFG's reason for not liking it is she didn't like Pastitsio, which I like and that it was bland.

So it was on the bland side but had a rich taste; we liked the cream cheese addition (D used reduced-fat for all of it). So D and I thought with some tweaking we could make it good. The portion size was good, and D said it was beyond easy to make.

The sauce needs a dash of nutmeg. The meat needs 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. Lots of recipes call for some red wine (in the meat) as well.

Quick Pastitsio

Photo by ALB

Use any short pasta--ziti or rotini also work.

YIELD: Serves 6 (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)
HANDS-ON:17 Minutes
TOTAL:40 Minutes
COURSE: Casseroles, Main Dishes

Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked penne (tube-shaped pasta)
Cooking spray

1 pound ground sirloin
Added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and
Added 1/4 tsp and a dash of nutmeg, separately
Added  a splash of  red wine (in the meat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups fat-free milk
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 (3-ounce) package fat-free cream cheese (used 1/3-less-fat cream cheese)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef  (and nutmeg, cinnamon and wine) to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove beef from pan; drain. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add beef; sprinkle with salt. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in milk, tomatoes, and cream cheeses (and dash of nutmeg), stirring until smooth; bring to a simmer. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in pasta.

4. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch broiler-safe baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over top. Broil 4 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 431; Fat: 15.9g; Saturated fat: 6.9g; Monounsaturated fat: 6.1g; Polyunsaturated fat: 0.7g; Protein: 27.8g; Carbohydrate: 41.9g; Fiber: 1.9g; Cholesterol: 61mg; Iron: 2.4mg; Sodium: 679mg; Calcium: 289mg

Cooking Light OCTOBER 2011