Bolognese Pasta Bake
This bolognese pasta bake is a great alternative to lasagna and is always a hit with the kids.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time40 minutes mins
Additional Time10 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Family Dinners
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 811kcal
For the bolognese Sauce
- 500 g mince (1lb ground beef)
- 2 cloves garlic crushed or finely chopped
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 2 tbsps tomato paste
- 500 ml chicken stock (1 pint)
- Salt & Pepper
For the Cheese Sauce
- 20 g butter (1 tbsp)
- 20 g all purpose flour (1 tbsp)
- 200 ml milk (1 cup)
- 80 g grated cheese (⅔ cup)
- 500 g penne pasta (1 1lb)
- ½ cup grated cheese
For the bolognese sauce
Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and onions and cook until softened.
Add the mince and cook until lightly browned, breaking it up as you go so that you don’t have any big lumps of meat.
Add herbs and give a good stir.
Add the tomato paste and mix it all together.
Pour in the stock, season with salt & pepper and bring to the boil
Let it cook & bubble for a good 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to end up with a good thick sauce.
Meanwhile cook the cheese sauce and pasta.
For the Cheese Sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.
Stir in the flour.
Using a whisk or wooden spoon, gradually add in the milk, stirring all the time.
Continue stirring over a medium heat until the mixture has thickened to sauce consistency.
Stir in the grated cheese and continue stirring until the cheese has all been incorporated and you have a thick creamy sauce.
To assemble the Pasta Bake
Drain the cooked pasta and return to the saucepan.
Stir in the bolognese sauce and cheese sauce and mix well together.
Tip all the ingredients into an ovenproof dish, sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake in the oven at 200C / 400F until the cheese on top is bubbling and starting to brown.
This is perfect for using up leftover bolognese sauce.
If you have a Thermomix, you can make the cheese sauce in the Thermomix very easily. Follow the instructions in our Mac and Cheese recipe.
Serving: 4g | Calories: 811kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 54g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 779mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g