Baked Pasta With Tomato And Mozzarella - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 lb macaroni
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 lb bacon, diced
1 2/3 lbs ground beef
1 tbsp dried basil
1 None onion, peeled finely diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
1 tbsp tomato puree
3 tbsp butter or margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups milk
1/4 lb Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 1/3 lbs tomatoes, sliced
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
None None fresh basil to garnish

Preparation

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the package instructions.
Meanwhile, to make the meat sauce, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the bacon and beef and fry until the beef becomes crumbly. Season to taste and add the dried basil, onion and garlic and saute briefly. Add the tomato puree and 1/2 cup of water and simmer over high heat for 3-4 mins.
To make the Bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook, stirring. Gradually add the stock and the milk and simmer for 5 mins. Stir in 2/3 of the Monterey Jack cheese and season to taste.
Preheat the oven to 400\u00b0F. Put half of the pasta in a greased baking dish and add half the meat sauce and Bechamel, followed by half the tomatoes and mozzarella. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients and sprinkle with the remaining Monterey Jack. Bake for 30-35 mins and garnish with basil.