I'm so excited for Pasta Month!!! I found this recipie and I think it looks so yummy... Maybe a lot of effort for a simple casserole, but I'm curious to know if it is worth it! I think the prep should move pretty fast. And you can always use store bought sauce and just add in the meat, but I think the sauce sounds like the best part!! Here is the adapted recipe for "Divine Pasta Casserole" from Kayotic Kitchen. I hope you enjoy it!!
Ingredients:
Pasta:
1 pound ground beef
3 cups uncooked pasta
1 14oz can tomatoes
4 fresh plum tomatoes
2 red onions
2 or 3 garlic cloves, left in the skin.
1 bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
dried basil and fresh basil
1-2 Tbls olive oil
Mornay Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup milk
5 tbsp grated parmesan
nutmeg
pepper
salt
Directions:
Cut 4 ripe, plum tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds. Coarsly chop the onion and pepper (in large pieces).
Pour a 14 oz can whole or diced tomatoes into a baking tray. Sprinkle with sugar.
Add coarsley chopped onion, garlic, pepper, and tomatoe (placing the tomatoes and pepper skin side up).
Sprinkle a generous amount of salt, pepper and some dried basil all over the vegetables.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Roast the vegetables at 400F (200C) for 45 to 55 minutes. Until tender.
When the vegetables are done, give them some time to cool off. Peel the blackened skin off of the bell pepper and onions and squeeze out the garlic. Transfer the roasted veggies to a blender, food-processor or immersion blender bowl and blitz until smooth.
Boil your pasta of choice in salted water until desired "doneness."
Season and scramble a (small) pound ground beef using salt, pepper and nutmeg. drain and add the pasta sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes, check the seasoning and stir in finely minced fresh basil to taste. Don’t add the basil too soon or it might give off a bitter flavor.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. If the sauce is on the thick side, allow some of the cooking liquid from the pasta to be transferred as well. Put the combined pasta and sauce in a baking dish. Sprinkle with parmegan cheese.
Make a roux. Melt 2 tbsp butter, add the flour and cook for a minute. Don’t let the roux brown! Pour in one cup of milk and whisk vigorously. Slowly the sauce will thicken. Add more milk until you have a consistency you like, approxamately 1/2 a cup more. Season the sauce with 1/4 tsp salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste and add 5 or 6 tbsp grated parmesan. Simmer the sauce over really low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the Mornay sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle with more parmegan cheese.
Bake in a 350F (175C) oven for 30 minutes, until the pasta is bubbly hot and the sauce is golden brown.
