Greek Lamb & Yoghurt Pasta Bake

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 250 g rigatoni pasta or 250 g penne or 250 g ziti pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 -3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500 g ground lamb, minced lamb (for australians)
• 1 tablespoon herbs (oregano, sage, thyme, basil, mint, according to taste preferences)
• 1/2 cup kalamata olive, pitted
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 2 (410 g) cans tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine, such as merlot (optional)
• salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
• rocket or baby spinach leaves, to garnish
• 500 g greek yogurt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, see alternative in the notes (above)

Recipe

• 1 cook pasta in boiling salted water until just tender, and drain.
• 2 heat oil in pan, sauté onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until they have softened; remove from the onion and garlic mixture from the pan.
• 3 add the lamb to the same pan in batches until the lamb is browned; depending on the size of the pan, you may need to brown one batch of lamb at a time.
• 4 add herbs, olives, zucchini and tomatoes and bring to the boil; if adding wine, allow the liquid to reduce before adding the wine.
• 5 add the pasta to the pan and mix well.
• 6 add salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
• 7 spoon pasta mixture into a large ovenproof, freezer-proof (if you are planning to freeze this dish) 10 cup capacity dish, or into several smaller dishes.
• 8 pour the topping over the mixture and sprinkle with parmesan.
• 9 cook in a moderate oven (180°c) for about 45 minutes or for a shorter time if you have used several smaller dishes.
• 10 serve with rocket or baby spinach leaves.
• 11 to freeze: make the recipe to the end of step 8. cool for 15 minutes, cover with plastic wrap, label and freeze for up to 2 months.
• 12 to serve: thaw the pasta in its dish in the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, place the dish on an oven tray, cover it tightly with foil and bake in a moderate oven ((180°c) for about 30 minutes. remember, if you have used a smaller dish for a smaller quantity, it will not require as long for reheating. serve with rocket or baby spinach leaves.