with a Cheesy Crumb Topping
'Al dente' is one of those phrases people throw around a lot when talking about pasta, but what does it actually mean? The Italian translates as 'to the tooth' and pasta cooked perfectly 'al dente' should retain a little bit of firmness. The way to tell is by biting through a piece. Have a nibble before you serve up and if you can see a tiny bit of white in the middle of the cooked pasta, then it's spot on and time to tuck in!
Allergens
Utensils
Tags
Onion
1
Green Pepper
1
Carrot
1
Garlic Clove
2
British Beef Mince
240
Mexican Spice
1
Mexican Style Spice Mix
Finely Chopped Tomatoes with Basil
1
Red Wine Stock Paste
28
Penne Pasta
200
Panko Breadcrumbs
25
Grated Hard Italian Style Cheese
40
Water for the Sauce
150
Heat your oven to 200°C. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with 0.5 tsp of salt for the pasta. Halve, peel and chop the onion into small pieces. Halve the pepper and discard the core and seeds. Chop into 3cm sized chunks. Coarsely grate the carrot (no need to peel). Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press).
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large deep frying pan on high heat. Once hot, add the mince and cook until browned, 4-5 mins. Break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the onion, carrot and pepper and continue to cook until the veggies are slightly softened, 5 mins.
Add the garlic and Mexican spice (add less if you don't like heat!) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes with basil, red wine stock pot and water (see ingredients for amount). Season with salt and pepper, stir well to dissolve the stock pot and simmer until thick and tomatoey, 10-12 mins. While the sauce simmers, add the penne to the pan of boiling water and cook for 12 mins.
Meanwhile, mix the panko breadcrumbs with the hard Italian style cheese and a drizzle of oil. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain well and mix with the Mexican beef. Transfer to a baking dish, sprinkle over the cheesy breadcrumbs and bake on the top shelf of your oven until golden brown on top, 8-10 mins.
Leave the pasta bake to stand for a couple of minutes then divide between plates and enjoy!
531
kcal
Energy (kcal)
2221
kJ
Energy (kJ)
27.1
g
Fat
12.7
g
of which saturates
34.5
g
Carbohydrate
25.1
g
of which sugars
39.1
g
Protein
4.44
g
Salt
with Spiced Veg and Cheesy Crumb Topping
with Spiced Veg and Cheesy Crumb Topping