Baked Pasta in White Sauce with Meat Stuffing

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

Description

I first ate a slight variation of this recipe at an American Diner called Sparky's, in Chennai. I guessed the ingredients by their flavours and made it at home. The result was just as good if not better. At the restaurant they had used chicken steak instead of minced meat, but I prefer my pasta this way. The creamy testure of the sauce goes best with Penne Pasta or Macaroni, although you can try making this with fusilli or fettucini.

Ingredients

• 300 g penne pasta or macaroni
• 200 g minced chicken / mutton
• 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
• salt to taste

Meat marinade

• 1 green chili chopped
• 2 pods of garlic chopped
• 2 tbsp of red wine or grape juice

White sauce

• 1 tbsp of clarified butter
• 1 tbsp of cornflour
• 2 cups of full-cream milk
• 6 pods of garlic
• ½ tsp of oregano
• water
• salt to taste

Bourbon sauce

• 1 large onion sliced
• ½ tbsp sugar
• ½ tbsp clarified butter

Directions

Meat marinade

1. Add the wine, chopped garlic and chillies to the minced meat. Mix well and marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes
2. Cook the pasta/macaroni with 1 tbs oil and a pinch of salt till al dente. Strain, cover and keep aside.

White sauce

1. Melt the butter in a pan over low flame, add the chopped garlic and fry till they turn light brown. Reduce flame.
2. Mix the corn flour in the milk such that there are no lumps.
3. Slowly add this mixture to the butter in the pan, stirring continuously.
4. Add water slowly till the sauce reaches a thick smooth consistency.
5. Add oregano, salt and freshly ground pepper.
6. Remove ⅖ of the sauce from the pan and keep aside.
7. Add the pasta to the remaining sauce and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes over slow flame.

Bourbon sauce

1. Melt the butter in a pan and caramelise the sugar in it.
2. Add the onions to this and saute till it becomes brown.
3. Reduce flame and add the white sauce. Add salt and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the marinated meat to this and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes till the meat is cooked. Remove from flame.
5. In a baking dish arrange a layer of the pasta and spread half of the cheddar cheese.
6. Pour the meat and bourbon sauce over this. Finally top it up with the remaining pasta. Spread the remaining cheese.
7. Place in an oven preheated at 150 °C. for 5 minutes till the cheese turns brown. Alternately, you can microwave this at medium-high for 10 minutes.
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve with buttered, toasted baguettes.