Turkey and Aubergine Pastitsio
This went down a treat with the whole family. A really nice, warming, comforting dinner with less meat than and more veg than the traditional version.
Equipment
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 medium onion
- 3 clove garlic
- 300 g minced turkey
- 1 aubergine (or courgette)
- 200 g mushrooms
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cumin
- 0.25 tsp chilli powder
- 0.25 tsp black pepper
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 0.25 tsp sugar
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 200 ml passata
- 220 g macaroni pasta
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp plain white flour
- 500 ml whole milk
- 75 g feta
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onion finely.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion for five minutes or until soft and translucent.
- Chop the aubergine into 0.5cm cubes whilst the onions cook.
- Add the garlic and turkey and fry for 5 minutes or until the turkey is browned.
- Chop the mushrooms finely.
- Add the mushrooms and aubergine to the turkey. Cook on a high heat for a further 5 minutes, before adding the organo, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, chilli powder, pepper, salt and sugar. Fry for 1 minute.
- Add the puree and chopped tomatoes, cover, and simmer on a medium heat for at least 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, boil the water and cook the pasta according to the instructions (approximately 10 minutes).
- With 5 minutes cooking time remaining on the pasta and sauce, melt the butter in a separate saucepan.
- Remove from the heat, add the plain flour and whisk in to form a thick paste.
- Whisk in a little of the milk to make a thinner liquid (whisking until it is smooth), and add the rest of the milk. Return to the heat and cook on a med-high heat until the milk boils. Whisk as it comes to a boil to prevent lumps.
- Once the milk has boiled and the sauce has thickened, stop whisking and turn down the heat. Add the feta and stir until it has melted in.
- Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and pour the white sauce into the egg mix slowly, mixing as you go.
- Drain the pasta and pour half into the tomato and turkey mix. Pour the cheese sauce over the remaining half of the pasta and mix.
- Either serve with the turkey layer on the bottom and cheese sauce pasta on top, or make in a large ovenproof dish and place under the grill for 5-10 minutes to make the cheese top golden and crispy.
Notes
Prep Tips:
You can simmer the sauce for longer to make everything softer and improve flavour.
Health Tips:
This recipe uses nutmeg, which is not a common herb in many dishes, great for increasing your food variety and is full of antioixidants, has antibacterial properties and may reduce inflammation, improve mood and help with blood sugar stabilisation.
Eco Tips:
Try to choose organic turkey which is not fed on soy as this will likely have been grown in Brazil and be contributing to deforestation.
This recipe uses mushrooms in place of some of the turkey to reduce the meat content.
NUTRITION: Amount and (% RDA)
Calories: 700kcal (35%)Carbohydrates: 76g (25%)Protein: 35g (70%)Fat: 30g (46%)Saturated Fat: 11g (69%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 144mg (48%)Sodium: 699mg (30%)Potassium: 1474mg (42%)Fiber: 10g (42%)Sugar: 21g (23%)Vitamin A: 1061IU (21%)Vitamin B1: 0.4mg (27%)Vitamin B2: 1mg (59%)Vitamin B3: 10mg (50%)Vitamin B5: 3mg (30%)Vitamin B6: 1mg (50%)Vitamin B12: 2µg (33%)Vitamin C: 24mg (29%)Vitamin D: 2µg (13%)Vitamin E: 4mg (27%)Vitamin K: 22µg (21%)Calcium: 385mg (39%)Copper: 1mg (50%)Folate: 95µg (24%)Iron: 5mg (28%)Manganese: 1mg (50%)Magnesium: 123mg (31%)Phosphorus: 606mg (61%)Selenium: 65µg (93%)Zinc: 5mg (33%)
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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