RecipeTin Eats’ easy, cheesy bolognese pasta bake is your new favourite make-ahead meal

Name: RecipeTin Eats’ easy, cheesy bolognese pasta bake is your new favourite make-ahead meal
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 6-8
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 carrot, finely diced (optional); 1 celery stick, finely diced (optional); 750g beef mince; ¾ cup (185ml) dry red wine such as pinot noir (or use low-sodium beef stock); 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 3 beef stock cubes, crumbled; 3 x 400g cans crushed tomato; ¼ cup (55g) tomato paste; 1-3 tsp white sugar, if needed; 3 dried bay leaves; 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried thyme or oregano); 1½ tsp cooking salt; ¼ tsp black pepper

There’s only one thing better than a steaming bowl of spaghetti bolognese, and that’s a bubbling pasta bake you can make ahead and freeze.

RecipeTin Eats

September 3, 2024

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6-8

I doubted anything could beat a steaming bowl of spaghetti bolognese. But then I scaled it up, added cheese and converted it into a big bubbling pasta bake and realised – yes, it’s possible.

This is an excellent dish to assemble ahead and then bake on demand, perhaps to give to flu-ridden friends with a houseful of hungry teenagers or to take to a pot luck dinner. You can also assemble it in single-serve ceramic dishes and freeze them. Imagine how smug you will feel, knowing you have a stash of these in your freezer to heat anytime the mood strikes.

And because there’s nothing worse than a dry pasta bake, I’ve devised a specific method to maximise the dispersion of oozing cheese layers and ensure you get layers of meat sauce.

Ingredients

Bolognese sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, finely diced (optional)
1 celery stick, finely diced (optional)
750g beef mince
¾ cup (185ml) dry red wine such as pinot noir (or use low-sodium beef stock)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 beef stock cubes, crumbled
3 x 400g cans crushed tomato
¼ cup (55g) tomato paste
1-3 tsp white sugar, if needed
3 dried bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried thyme or oregano)
1½ tsp cooking salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Spaghetti bake

500g spaghetti
150g freshly grated parmesan
200g freshly grated mozzarella cheese
finely chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

Method

Bolognese sauce

Step 1
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot (if using). Cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened and sweet.
Step 2
Turn the heat up to high. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up as you go. Once the beef is cooked, add the wine and simmer rapidly for 2 minutes.
Step 3
Add the remaining bolognese sauce ingredients. Stir, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low then cover with a lid. Simmer for at least 45 minutes (minimum) or 1½ hours (best!), stirring every now and then to ensure the base doesn’t catch. If it looks dry, add water – it should be saucy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Spaghetti bake

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional).
Step 2
Toss the parmesan and mozzarella together. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet directions, minus 1 minute. Drain, then return to the pasta pot. Add just over half the sauce to the pot and toss to coat. Spread half the pasta in a 23x33cm casserole dish. Sprinkle with ⅓ of the cheese. Top with the remaining pasta, spread with remaining sauce, and cover the top with the remaining cheese.
Step 3
To bake, cover the dish loosely with foil (so cheese doesn’t stick), and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil (set aside for later) and bake for another 10 minutes then remove the dish from the oven. Cover loosely with foil, and stand 10-15 minutes. Then cut into squares and serve like lasagne.