Ingredients
500g Minced beef
½ Glass white wine
100g Peas
1 Carrot
1 Celery stalk
1 Medium sized onion
1-2 garlic cloves garlic (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 handful basil leaves chopped or cut
2TBSP Tomato concentrate
500ml Tomato pulp or passata
Salt and pepper to taste
400g Tortiglioni or other pasta tubes (better ridged like rigatoni)
300g Mozzarella cut into pieces
50g Parmesan
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1 – meat ragu
Finely chop the carrot, onion, and celery. Fry the vegetables in olive oil until they are softening and sweating
Step 2
Add the minced meat and cook until browned. Add the tomato concentrate and stir well. Add the glass of wine and stir well
Step 3
Simmer until the wine has evaporated then pour in the tomato pulp and mix it in well with the meat
Step 4
Add the basil leaves, garlic and salt and pepper as required
Step 5
Cover the sauce and allow it to simmer for at least ½ hour, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick. 10-15 minutes before the sauce is ready add the peas
Step 6
Preheat the oven to 180-200°C
Step 7 -pasta
Put salted water on to boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes less than instructed on the packet.
Step 8
Strain and add the pasta to the meat sauce. Mix the pasta and sauce well and allow to cool slightly
Step 9 – build & bake
Put a layer of pasta mix on the bottom of an oven dish. Add a layer of thick mozzarella pieces
Step 10
Add another layer of pasta mix and another layer of mozzarella. Top off with a layer of pasta mix
Step 10
Sprinkle the top with parmesan. Bake in the oven until the top layer starts to crisp (30-40 mins)