Béchamel Pasta Bake

Name: Béchamel Pasta Bake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Ground lamb/beef/chicken: 1 kg; Olive Oil: 4 tablespoons; Onions: 2 Medium onions finely chopped; Garlic: 3 cloves finely chopped; Tomato paste: 2 tbsp; Beef/Chicken Stock: 120 ml or 3 cubes; Tomatoes: 500 g canned chopped; Sugar: 1 tsp; Bay leaves: 2; Cinnamon Stick: 1; Salt: 3/4 tsp (to taste); Black pepper: 1 tsp; Parsley: 1/3 cup; Thyme: few fresh sprigs; Butter : 100 g; Plain flour: 100 g; Milk: 1 litres; Salt: to taste; Black pepper: to taste; Nutmeg: 1/2 teaspoon; Cheddar Cheese: 100 g grated; Paccheri pasta: 500 g (any pasta you like); Mozzarella cheese: 100 g grated

17 steps

Prep:30minCook:1h 30min

Who’s ready for some Creamy dreamy Cheesy Pasta Bake? Here , I am making this comforting and my kids favourite lovely cheesy pasta bake with layers of pasta , a rich ground meat sauce topped with thick layer of cheese sauce.

Updated at: Wed, 06 Sep 2023 06:39:09 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories1295.3 kcal (65%)

Total Fat77.7 g (111%)

Carbs93.7 g (36%)

Sugars16.7 g (19%)

Protein54.4 g (109%)

Sodium1009.1 mg (50%)

Fiber6.7 g (24%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Instructions

For the Ground Meat Sauce

Step 1

First, add olive oil to a pan. To that, add the finely chopped onions .

Step 2

Let it cook for a few minutes until fragrant then add in the tomato paste and continue cooking until darker in colour.

Step 3

Add in minced garlic and cook for few seconds.

Step 4

Add in the ground beef and make sure to break it apart into smaller pieces

Step 5

Add bay leaves, cinnamon stick, season with salt, pepper, and sugar.

Step 6

Allow for all these flavors to cook with eachother until meat is cooked through.

Step 7

Add in the stock and mix everything together.

Step 8

Add the chopped tomatoes and mix.

Step 9

Let this come to a simmer until almost all water dries up and make a nice hearty sauce. Taste and see if it needs more seasoning. Add chopped parsley and thyme. Infuse the flavours for 2 minutes, remove from the heat and then, set aside.

For the pasta

Step 10

Boil the pasta in hot boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes.

For the Béchamel Sauce

Step 11

In a pot, add the butter and allow for it to melt. Then, add the flour to this and mix together. This will develop a roux. Allow the roux to get lightly caramelized but not too brown. Start adding in 1 cup of milk at a time to this while stirring consistently. You do not want to leave the bechamel; it can burn easily.

Step 12

Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and continue stirring on medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken. This will take a few minutes. At that point, add in cheese and mix together.

Step 13

Once you have a creamy and smooth sauce then the bechamel is ready to go and just set it aside covered.

For the Assemble;

Step 14

Lay the layer of pasta in spring form baking tin.

Step 15

Add, the meat sauce to the top of the pasta and spread that out evenly. Try to fill the pasta .

Step 16

add the bechamel sauce to the top of the meat sauce and spread that out evenly. If the bechamel got too thick while set aside, just warm it up on the stove top until it is looser in consistency then pour on top

Step 17

Add the layer of mozzarella cheese and bake at 180c for 30 minutes until top crust golden brown.