Cheesy Beef Pasta Bake

Ready in 40 minutes • Serves 4
This dish most recently appeared in Bargain Box (5 Nights For 4) on Sunday, April 17, 2022.

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Cheesy pasta bake is the ultimate family favourite. Tomato based sauce with hidden veggies, layered with a creamy white sauce and finished in the oven with a sprinkling of Parmesan for a golden cheesy crust.

Ingredients

Pasta

2/3 pack penne rigate
1 drizzle of olive oil

Beef

1 brown onion, finely diced
2 garlic clove, minced
1 carrot, grated
1 drizzle of oil
600g beef mince
1 pack veggie Italian herbs
1/2 tsp salt
60g tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup beef stock
100g baby spinach

Parmesan Top

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
50g grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cup milk

Steps

Preheat oven to high grill. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. If you do not have an oven-proof fry-pan, set aside a medium baking dish.
Cook pasta in pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes, until tender. Drain and return to pot with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Finely dice onion, mince garlic and grate carrot. Heat oil in a large, oven-proof fry-pan on medium-high heat (see tip). Cook onion, beef and carrot for about 7 minutes, until browned. Add garlic, Italian herbs and salt and cook for another 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add tomato paste, canned tomatoes and stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, until thickened and reduced. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir through pasta and spinach. Transfer beef pasta to baking dish, if using.
Heat butter in a medium pot on medium heat, until melted. Whisk in flour and salt and cook for 2 minutes, until sandy in texture. Whisk in milk, 1/2 cup at a time, until smooth and thickened.
Pour white sauce over pasta and beef and sprinkle with Parmesan. Grill for about 5 minutes, until golden.
Pasta bake.

Nutritional Information

Energy	3669 kj 877 kcal
Protein	50.8g
Carbohydrate	79.6g
Fat	38.0g