Pasta Bake with Ground Meat

Name: Pasta Bake with Ground Meat
Ingredients: 200 g pasta; 200 g tomatoes; 500 g ground meat; 100 g onion; 100 g cheese; salt; pepper; vegetable oil for frying; 500 ml milk; 30 g flour; 30 g butter; salt; pepper; nutmeg

You can substitute the tomatoes with a few tablespoons of tomato paste. Any ground meat will work — I used ground veal. Pasta shapes like rotini, shells, or penne tubes work great for this dish.

Ingredients:

200 g pasta
200 g tomatoes
500 g ground meat
100 g onion
100 g cheese
salt
pepper
vegetable oil for frying
Sauce:
500 ml milk
30 g flour
30 g butter
salt
pepper
nutmeg

How to cook pasta bake with ground meat

Peel the onion and chop it finely.

Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and let them sit for 1–2 minutes. Drain the water, score a cross into each tomato, and peel off the skin.

Dice the tomatoes into small cubes.

Sauté the onion in vegetable oil for 5 minutes, until translucent.

Add the ground meat and stir to combine. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Break up the meat with a spatula as it cooks to ensure it browns evenly.

Add the tomatoes to the ground meat. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and cook for another 5–10 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked through.

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.

Make the sauce. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the flour and a pinch of nutmeg. Pour in the cold milk, whisk thoroughly, and place over heat.

Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and let it bubble for about a minute. Add salt, pepper, and butter, and stir to combine. The sauce will be fairly thin.