Baked Maccheroni Torte

If you are looking for a hearty pasta dish to warm you up this wintertime, then look no further!

Total
1 hr
Serves
6-8

This is a Pasta Bake or a Pasta al Forno and is made in many ways all-over Italy with different ingredients. This one has beef and bacon and Bechamel Sauce.

METHOD

  1. Boil the rigatoni in plenty of salted water for 3 minute less than the time prescribed on the package, drain the water, and spread on a baking sheet with a little oil, let the pasta cool completely.
  2. Line a 9” cake pan with butter and cover the bottom with the tortilla.
  3. Line the sides of the pan with Bacon rashers (refrigerate to easy the process) and start standing the pasta against it going around until you reach the middle, don’t overfill the pans. Preheat a skillet and in it add olive oil, garlic, and onions, cook until translucent then add the pancetta and sear for a few minutes. Add the beef and work it to crumble it up well, sprinkle the wine and season to taste, simmer until the beef starts to dry up, remove from the fire and set aside.
  4. Start filling the pasta tubes with a little bechamel sauce, and a little tomato sauce, add some beef sprinkling it around and making sure to hit every tube, sprinkle the peas and a little Padano. Add some mozzarella and repeat until the pasta is filled, tapping the pan gently will allow the ingredients to settle faster. Top with the remaining bechamel and tomato sauce enough to fill all the tubes, finish with a topping of tomato sauce and Padano.
  5. Cover loosely with tin foil and place in a preheated oven at 375f for 40minutes. Remove the tin foil, top with more mozzarella, and continue baking for a further 20minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and golden.
  6. Remove from the oven, cover with tin foil and rest for at least 15 minutes before unmolding.
  7. Serve on a bed of tomato sauce
  8. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook until golden, stir well constantly, turn the fire off. Preheat the milk and add to the flour mixing with a whisk fast, turn the fire on and gently bring the whole thing to boil, season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper and simmer for at least ten minutes. Set aside for use.

Bechamel Sauce:

  1. 500ml (2cups) Whole Milk
  2. 30gr (2tbsp) AP Flour
  3. 30gr (2tbsp) Butter
  4. Dash of Nutmeg
  5. Salt & Pepper to taste