Prep Time: 1+ hours Cook Time: 20-24 hours (including refrigerating time) Serves: 8
Ingredients
1kg penne
3 onions, finely chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1.5-2kg beef mince
400g tomato paste
3 cans crushed tomatoes
2 x 700mL bottles tomato pasta sauce
1 beef stock cubes
2 tablespoons oregano (we recommend using dried)
1 tsp sugar
Bechamel Sauce
500g butter
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups plain flour
4L milk
2 cups grated cheese
5 eggs, beaten
Method
Heat a large pan over medium-high. Cook onions and garlic until softened and slightly coloured. Transfer to a bowl.
Return pan to the heat and cook mince for around 10 mins, breaking up any lumps, until browned. Add onions back to the pan at some point while the mince is browning. When mince is browned, combine tomato paste and 2 tablespoons water and stir into the mince mixture.
Add crushed tomatoes, sugar and stock cubes, season and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring in herbs halfway through the cooking time.
To make béchamel sauce, place the butter into a heated saucepan and wait for it all to melt. Once all the butter has melted, add half the flour (maybe a bit less) and cook for one minute, stirring constantly, to get rid of the floury taste. After one minute, add milk and remaining flour, a little bit at a time, and keep stirring. Once the pot has been filled halfway, keep it on a low-medium heat, and stir sauce constantly, adding more flour and milk as you go, until it thickens; this may take around half an hour, depending on how many people you are serving. Once the sauce has thickened, add the cheese, a bit at a time, and keep stirring to successfully melt it. Once all the cheese has been added and melted, season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. Once the sauce is completely cold, stir in the eggs and set aside.
Cook penne according to packet directions.
Preheat oven to 180C. Combine meat sauce and drained cooked pasta in a large baking dish (see note). Pour béchamel sauce over the meat and pasta mixture. Cover with foil an bake in oven for 45-60 mins, or until the top has browned (remember, everything is cooked, so you just want to try and brown the top. If it burns slightly, that is fine). Remove from oven and leave to cool completely. When the dish is completely cold, transfer to fridge and refrigerate for 16-20 hours.
Before you are ready to serve, preheat oven to 190C. Remove dish from fridge, uncover and return to oven for 1 hour, or until the entire dish is heated thoroughly.
Notes
This is best made 1 day ahead.
This is best served with a simple salad on the side. Alternatively, you can serve it on its own.
When adding the eggs to the béchamel, it is recommended to wait until the sauce is cold before adding the eggs, to avoid them scrambling in the sauce. If you wish to add the eggs whilst the sauce is hot, do so quickly, or the eggs will scramble. The eggs make the sauce set.
When browning the mince, to avoid overcrowding the pan, fry it in batches. To make the meat sauce, you will need to use the biggest pan you have got.
Depending on how much meat and pasta you have prepared, you may need to combine the two together in the baking dish. You will also need the largest baking dish you have got.
When making the béchamel sauce, it is recommended to use a whisk. Doing so will reduce the risks of producing a lumpy sauce, so long as you stir it constantly.
For the meat sauce, you can also use mixed Italian herbs, but if you wish to keep it authentic and traditional, just use oregano.