Bolognese Pasta Bake



This bolognese pasta bake is perfect when the weather is a little glum (like nearly everyday in the UK at the minute) because it's so filling and hearty - and the garlic helps fight away colds!

My mom has perfected this dish and my whole family loves it. I much prefer it to spaghetti bolognese as I think the cheese sauce combines everything together in a perfect harmony of cheese, sauce and pasta. What's not to love?

It's quite simple to make but it's a little time consuming because of how long the cheese sauce and meat mixture takes to cook combined with the cooking time in the oven.

This recipe typically serves 6 people so you can downsize the amount of ingredients if you're feeding less people.

What you'll need:

  • 1000g mince beef 
  • 2 onions 
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 
  • 1 beef stock pot
  • 1 beef stock cube (in addition to/instead of the stock pot)
  • 1 tablespoon of ketchup 
  • 500g passata
  • 1 teaspoon of mixed italian herbs
  • 500g penne pasta 
  • 1 pint of milk
  • 250g cheese (or desired amount to taste)
  • 50g butter 
  • 50g plain flour 

What you need to do:

  1. Fry off the onion and garlic until the onion is soft, then add the mince and cook until there are no more pink bits of meat.
  2. Then add in the beef stock cube and/or stock pot and mix it all together. When that's mixed in, add in the ketchup stir that in too.
  3. Next, add the tin of chopped tomatoes and passata to the beef mixture and mix it all together.
  4. Then sprinkle in the herbs and let it simmer on a medium to low heat whilst you make your cheese sauce. 
  5. Whilst this is simmering and you're making the sauce, boil the pasta according to the cooking instructions on the packaging.
  6. For the sauce you're gonna need to start off by making a simple roux; melt the butter in the pan and then add the flour. Whisk them together being careful not to burn the butter.
  7. Next slowly add the milk, whisking constantly to avoid any lumps forming. Once all of the milk is in, allow the sauce to thicken slightly.
  8. Once thickened, add the cheese (with a some left over) bit by bit to ensure all of the cheese melts seamlessly without clogging together. Keep whisking until the sauce has thickened -  you don't want a runny sauce!
  9. When the pasta has boiled, combine it with the beef mixture. Once combined, transfer it over into an oven safe dish (such as a casserole dish). 
  10. Pour over the cheese sauce and then sprinkle the leftover cheese over the top.
  11. Pop it in the oven on 180 degree fan for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted on top and the pasta is bubbling away. 


I seriously love this meal and I really hope you do too!


Let me know if you enjoy this as much as my family does in the comments below! Or follow me on twitter @getitdownyaneck. I'd love to hear from you!


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