Welcome and pasta bake.

I don't know if anyone will ever read this, maybe this is all just for me.This blog is to document recipes and ideas that I have come up with, to provide for my family, and even sometimes on a shoestring budget.

Here goes recipe number1.

Pasta bake

Serves 6

Ingredients:

500g beef mince

2 brown onions, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed (you can use precrushed garlic in a tube or jar - just a teaspoon)

small handful of fresh basil

small handful of fresh oregano

1 can crushed tomatoes (I used Ardmona, you should be able to get this from your local supermarket. It's an Australian manufactured product out of Victoria.)

1 tablespoon tomato paste (I think I used Ardmona as well, or it may have been Leggos.)

1 tablespoon cold pressed olive oil (this is what I used, but whatever olive oil you have on hand is fine.)

salt and pepper to taste

2 packs penne pasta (I used a gluten free corn and rice penne, but feel free to use whatever you want. I think the normal penne comes in a larger size pack, so you may only need one pack.)

1 pack Mozarella cheese (I used the home brand from Woolworths, but feel free to use what you want.)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 180°C and lightly grease your baking dish with a little bit of olive oil. In one large saucepan, you want to boil water and a teaspoon of salt for your pasta, then once it is brought to the boil, add your pasta. Make sure the saucepan is big enough to fit both packs of pasta. In another, get the pan hot then add your olive oil, followed by your onion.

You want to cook the onion until it is semi translucent, and starts to turn golden. Make sure you are stirring the onion, otherwise you might burn them or they might stick to the bottom of your pan.

Once the onion is cooked through, add the beef mince and garlic and cook until browned. Again, make sure you stir so that nothing gets burned or sticks.

Tear up the basil and oregano and stir into the beef, you want it to cook into the beef for about a minute or so.

Add your crushed tomatoes, stirring everything through, then add your tomato paste and again stir through for everything to be combined.

Hopefully by now your pasta is cooked. Drain and rinse through with cold water, then combine the pasta and the sauce, making sure all the pasta is coated and mixed through.

Pour your pasta and sauce mixture into your baking dish, and then smooth out the top so that it is all level.

Now it's time to add the cheese. I used Mozarella, but you can use Pizza Mix or tasty if you prefer. Spread the cheese over the pasta, created an even layer. You want the layer thick so that the cheese can melt down through the pasta. I didn't end up using a whole pack of cheese, so don't feel like you have to either.

Once you've got the cheese on, put the dish in the oven. You want to leave it there until the top of the cheese is golden brown and toasted. Depending on your oven, this can take between 10 and 20 minutes.

After it's done, feel free to serve it on its own or with a salad!