Beef mince and pasta pie
This is a good dish for a family. You can assemble it ahead ready for final baking later.
Suitable from 12 months.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed or finely chopped
• 400 gram lean minced beef topside
• a little pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• ½ to ¾ cup finely chopped celery (use inner stalk)
• 400 gram can peeled tomatoes (or chopped tomatoes) in tomato juice
• 1 to 1 ½ cups water
• 1 cup (70 gram) dried pasta trivelli or small spirals (about 2 cups cooked)
Cheese Sauce Topping:
• 1 cup Basic white sauce [insert link to recipe in 7 months section]
• ¼ cup standard milk or prepared toddler milk*
• 1 egg
• A pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 cup grated colby or tasty cheddar cheese
Method:
Put oil chopped onion and garlic into a wide frying pan and cook gently, stirring until just beginning to colour. Do not brown.
Add mince, stirring to break it up. Add pepper, herbs, celery, canned tomatoes and juice.
Add 1 cup of water.
Bring to a gentle boil, stirring. Simmer, uncovered, for about 35 minutes. Stir often. Add extra water as it thickens. Remove bay leaf.
Meanwhile cook pasta in boiling water until tender. Drain - (this gives about 2 cups cooked pasta).
Cheese Sauce Topping:
Make Basic white sauce.
Beat ¼ cup milk with egg and stir this into sauce. Off the heat, add nutmeg and grated cheese.
Assemble pie:
Mix cooked pasta with mince and spread in a baking dish (about 17 by 22 cm).
Pour the topping over to evenly cover.
Bake at 190ºC for about 30 minutes.
Please note* This recipe has been tested using Toddler Milk