Bolognese Pasta Bake
This bolognese pasta bake is a perfect weeknight, family dinner that will please everybody. Total comfort food, what can be better than baked pasta coated with a creamy and hearty Italian meat sauce?
Prep Time45 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Course: Pasta and Rice
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6
Calories: 806kcal
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion
- 500 g/ 1.1 lbs ground meat See note 1
- 125 ml/ ½ cup milk
- 1 jar tomato puree pasatta 700-800 g/ 24 oz
- 4 whole basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 200 g/ 7 oz/ scant ¾ cup low-fat Greek yogurt
- 150 ml/ 5 fl.oz/ ⅔ cup hot stock See note 2
- 500 g/ 1.1 lb pasta of choice like penne, macaroni, farfalle, etc
- 170 g/ 6 oz/ 1 ¾ cups grated cheese divided (See note 3)
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Meat sauce:
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Fry the finely chopped onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the ground meat and break the lumps with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat high, add the milk and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add the tomato puree. Add about 125 ml/ ½ cup water to the jar of passata, shake to clean the passata from the walls of the jar, and pour the water into the pot.
Add the whole basil leaves, minced garlic, tomato paste, and some salt and pepper.
Bring the sauce to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover with a lid leaving a crack open and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the lid and continue simmering for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
Pasta bake:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook the pasta in salted water according to the packet's instructions. Drain. Place the pasta in a suitable baking dish.
Add the yogurt sauce to the meat sauce and stir well.
Pour the sauce over the pasta in the baking dish and stir well.
Top the bolognese bake with the remaining grated cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.
- I used half beef and half pork. You can only use beef or try a lighter version with ground turkey.
- Made from a ½ vegetable stock cube dissolved in 150 ml/ 5 fl. oz/ ⅔ cup hot water.
- I used Gouda, but Cheddar is just as fine. Or any other kind of cheese you usually take for pasta bakes.
Serving: 1/6 of the dish | Calories: 806kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 709mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g