Steak Bolognese Pasta Bake
Rich and meaty, the slow cooked beef ragu in this pasta bake makes this a stunning warming autumnal dinner dish. As seen on John and Lisa's Weekend Kitchen on ITV.
Introduction
This is a real winner in our house and a nice change from your average mince spaghetti bolognese. The meat sauce can be made ahead of time, just make sure you cook the cooled sauce for about 20–30 minutes to thoroughly heat through. We usually make a double batch for the freezer.
Ingredients
| 3 tbsp | olive oil |
| 500g | chunks of stewing beef or braising steak |
| 1 | large onion, chopped |
| 2 | garlic cloves, grated |
| 1 tbsp | balsamic vinegar |
| 1 tsp | Italian dried herbs |
| 2 x 400g tins | chopped tomatoes |
| 400ml | beef/chicken stock or red wine |
| 1-2 tbsp | tomato purée |
| Squeeze of | tomato ketchup |
| 400g | rigatoni (or any pasta you have in the cupboard) |
| About 150g | mini mozzarella balls |
| 50g | Parmesan, grated |
| 50g | breadcrumbs |
| sea salt and freshly ground black pepper |
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°c (150°c fan).
Heat an ovenproof pan or dish over a medium heat, add the oil and brown the meat in batches, seasoning with salt and pepper. remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onion with a little more oil and a splash of water and cook until soft, then add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic, return the steak, then add the dried herbs, tomatoes, stock or wine, tomato purée and ketchup. Give it a good stir and bring to a simmer. cover with a lid, transfer to the oven and bake for 1½–2 hours.
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and drain, reserving a little of the pasta water to loosen the sauce.
Remove the ragu from the oven and stir in a little reserved pasta water. Add the hot drained pasta, giving it a good stir, and add a little extra pasta water to loosen. nestle the mini mozzarella balls in between the pasta and sauce.
Mix the Parmesan and breadcrumbs together and sprinkle over the top. increase the oven temperature to 200°c (180°c fan) and return the pan, uncovered, to the oven. cook for a further 10–15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the breadcrumbs are crispy. serve straight from the dish. Freeze any cooled leftovers.
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