Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1/2 c chopped onion
- 1 t minced garlic
- 1 c chopped bell pepper
- chopped vegetables (to taste)
- 250 g ground beef
- 3/4 c beef broth
- 70 g tomato paste
- 400 g canned chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 t dried oregano
- 1/2 t dried basil
- seasoning (to taste: salt, pepper, and whatever else sounds good)
- 125 g pasta
- Topping:
- 1/2 c milk (or cream)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 t salt (to taste)
- 1/4 t freshly ground white pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
- 1 bacon (slice, chopped)
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the onion until golden and tender. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and vegetables; cook another 2 minutes or so.
2. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the lumps, until done. Add remaining sauce ingredients (down to but not including pasta) and stir well. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
3. Towards the end of the simmering time, cook the pasta only til about half-done; set aside.
4. Mix pasta into sauce; pour into a 1L/qt casserole dish.
5. For the topping: Whisk together the cream and the egg; season to taste. Pour gently over the meat/pasta mix. Sprinkle the cheese on top, and then scatter the bacon on top.
6. Bake until topping is set and golden, about 30 minutes.
Notes
SJ Note 6 Jan 2014: Pretty good! Used a carrot as the vegetable, and tomato soup (because that's what I needed to use up); will use chopped tomatoes in the future because we have those on hand. More bell pepper, I think, so I've upped it on this copy; if you like zucchini, that'd be good in this. It needs a bit more seasoning, so I've noted that. Be sure to use all the cheese it calls for. I didn't think through the pasta, so cooked it til done before putting it in the oven. It came out entirely too mushy. Be sure to only about half-cook it before putting it in the oven so it doesn't overcook!