Dinner recipe
A richer mince and tomato pasta bake with grated carrot, spinach, pesto, and cheddar.
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Ingredients
30cm 4l saute pan, 4l pasta saucepan and colander, 35 × 25cm 4l ovenproof dish, scales, measuring jug, knife, board, grater and clean probe thermometer
Method
For more than four servings, repeat batches of no more than four. Divide displayed ingredients and measured method quantities between batches; keep pan sizes, batch limits, dish depth and per-batch times fixed. Allow extra elapsed time for further batches. Heat the oven to 200°C conventional/180°C fan. Finely dice the onion, grate all carrot and crush the garlic. Chop spinach and grate cheddar. Keep raw mince chilled until cooking.
Measure 7.5ml oil for the two equal beef batches. Heat half in a 30cm 4l pan over medium-high heat, using the other half for the second batch. Fry the mince, no more than 200g at a time, for 6–8 minutes per batch, breaking it into small crumbs. Check the meat reaches 75°C for 30 seconds with a clean probe; continue and recheck if needed. Transfer cooked mince to a clean bowl. Add remaining 7.5ml oil and all onion and grated carrot; cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes until softened. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in all garlic and tomato puree for 1 minute. Return all cooked mince and its juices, then add all passata. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring, until the sauce coats a spoon. Start the pasta in the next step during the sauce simmer.
During the final 15 minutes of the sauce simmer in the previous step, bring 2000ml water to a boil in a 4l saucepan. Add all dry penne and cook 10–12 minutes or according to the packet until just tender. Drain well and discard the water, then combine promptly with the finished sauce.
Stir in all pesto. Add all spinach and heat for 3 minutes until wilted. Fold in all drained penne. Transfer the mixture to the 35 × 25cm 4l dish, spreading no deeper than 3cm; use a second dish if needed.
Scatter all cheddar evenly over the top. Bake for 15–20 minutes until golden, bubbling and steaming hot in the centre.
Rest for 3 minutes, then divide all the bake equally between the intended servings.
