Question 1

Is this pastitsio fully fasting?

Accepted Answer

Yes: no meat, no dairy and no eggs. The béchamel is soy milk, olive oil and flour, and nutritional yeast gives it the cheesy note. Check your pasta, though: some pastitsio pasta contains egg, so pick one made only from durum wheat.

Question 2

Where do 37 g of protein per slice come from?

Accepted Answer

The soy mince does most of the work. The soy milk béchamel, the pasta and the nutritional yeast add the rest.

Question 3

What is soy mince and where do I find it?

Accepted Answer

Dried, textured soy protein that looks like mince once soaked. Most supermarkets stock it in the health-food aisle as «κιμάς σόγιας». The 200 g in the recipe is the dry weight, so weigh it before soaking.

Question 4

Can I make it ahead?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Assemble it the day before, keep it covered in the fridge and add 10 minutes to the baking time. It also cuts more neatly the next day.