This Greek lamb pasta bake is a delicious dish, pairing pasta with ground lamb, feta cheese and other Greek flavors. It is similar to pastitsio, Greece’s answer to lasagna, and you will find it really delicious and warming.
Serve this Greek lamb pasta bake with feta with a simple salad on the side and a balsamic and extra-virgin olive oil dressing, or else just enjoy it by itself. If you’re into carbs, a slice of lightly toasted baguette bread would go well with this Greek lamb pasta bake with feta too. There are so many pasta bake recipes to choose from, and the great thing about such a dish is you can use pretty much any kind of ground meat, any kind of cheese, and then choose your own herbs and spices to complement the flavors you have chosen to use.
Greek Lamb Pasta Bake: What Kind of Pasta?
You can use any kind of pasta for this Greek lamb pasta bake with feta. I often use penne pasta but recently discovered maccheroncelli which is a long, tubular pasta that is great with heavy sauces or in casseroles. Another similar type is perciatelle or you can use macaroni, penne, spaghetti… whatever you like really.
Cook the Greek lamb pasta bake with feta until the top is golden brown and crispy and the middle is piping hot. You won’t have any complaints at the dinner table when serving this yummy lamb pasta bake! Although the first time I made this I didn’t use the mozzarella, you can omit it if you don’t want so much cheese on top. Also, you can swap the sugar for sweetener if you prefer to use that.
There are numerous Greek dishes with pasta and this feta Greek bake is one of the tastiest. So if you want to combine the appeal of pasta with the rich cuisine of Greece, this is just the dish to make.
And you might also like to discover how to make a white wine pasta sauce that’s easily as good as any restaurant sauce. Here are even more tasty and easy lamb recipes to try!
Pesto Spaghetti with Easy Baked Meatballs
Ingredients
- 8 oz (230g) dried spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce
- 4 sprigs of fresh basil, for garnish (optional)
- 1 lb (450g) ground beef or pork
- 1 lightly beaten large egg
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- ½ minced small onion
- 2 tablespoons marinara or tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh rosemary, chopped fresh parsley and chopped fresh basil
- ½ cup (65g) regular or Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup (25g) shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix.
- Take care not to over-mix unless you like tough meatballs.
- Divide the mixture in half then repeat until you have 16 equal-sized meatballs.
- It is best to do this with wet hands so you can shape them better without having them cracking.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
- While they are baking, cook the spaghetti following the instructions on the package.
- Drain off the water then toss the hot cooked spaghetti with the pesto sauce.
- You might want to add a little more pesto sauce - just use your judgement.
- Divide the pesto spaghetti between 4 warmed serving plates.
- Add 4 meatballs to each one and garnish with fresh basil.
- Serve right away.
Notes
- Feel free to make any changes you like to the meatballs recipe, perhaps swapping the herbs for others or even adding some red pepper for spice.
- Some people like to toss the meatballs with the spaghetti while others serve the meatballs on top - this is up to you of course.
- Serve some shredded parmesan cheese on the side if you like - fresh parmesan of course, to keep it authentic and delicious!
Greek Lamb Pasta Bake with Feta
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) ground lamb
- 1 chopped yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 15 oz (420 ml) tomato sauce
- 14 oz (400g) canned diced tomatoes (not drained)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 2 cups (200g) uncooked pasta shapes
- 4 oz (115g) shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
- 4 oz (115g) crumbled feta cheese
Method
- Cook the ground lamb in a big skillet until browned all over, then drain and discard the fat.
- Stir in the onion, basil, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes and lemon juice, and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every so often.
- Stir in the cinnamon and sugar, and simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes.
- Cook the pasta following the instructions on the package.
- Drain the cooked pasta and stir it into the lamb mixture.
- Transfer everything into a greased 2-quart baking dish.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella (if using) and then feta.
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees F.
- Uncover and bake for a further 15 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
Notes
- The UNBAKED casserole freezes well if you want to make a second batch. So instead of baking it in the oven, let it cool then cover it. It can then be frozen for up to 3 months.
- When you're ready to cook it, thaw it partially overnight and then take it out of the refrigerator half an hour before baking. Bake it at 325 degrees F it's 165 degrees F (73 degrees C) in the center.
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