Baked Stuffed Pasta with Bechamel Sauce

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A Pasta with Bechamel sauce that is then baked to perfection. A rich French/Italian favorite combining the cultures of Nice on the Riviera.
Ready in: 1 hour 30 mins

Ingredients

Serves: 6

• 1 (1 pound) box penne pasta
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can whole tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 10 mushrooms, sliced
• pinch dried basil
• 1/2 cup butter
• 5/8 cup flour
• 1 1/2 gallons milk
• 12 ounces Mozzarella and Colby cheese

Preparation method

Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 1 hour

1. Bring large pot of water to boil and cook the penne according to package directions, 8 to 10 minutes until al dente.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook ground beef with half of the onions over medium heat until beef is browned.
4. In a saucepan, bring to boil whole tomatoes, can of tomato paste, half the meat/onions mixture, half of the mushrooms, and the basil. Stir until it has become sauce and thickened (about 30 minutes); keep on low heat.
5. Meanwhile, cook the remaining onions and the other half of the the chopped mushrooms in a skillet over low heat until onions are translucent, about 12 minutes.
6. In a saucepan, heat butter. Add flour and mix together. In another small pot, boil the milk. Add the flour/butter to the milk and heat and stir until thickened.
7. Add all the tomato sauce/meat mixture you had set aside on low heat. Mix and heat this combined sauce, leave on very low heat.
8. Layer two layers of sauce and pasta in a lasagna pan. Layer the remaining meat also inside. Place Mozzarella and Colby cheese on the top with an onion mushroom mixture that you have sautéed. Bake for 20 minutes.