Greek Pasta Bake

This recipe is from the magazine Super Food Ideas. We found that it was a bit on the bland side, so I cut the amount of the cream mixture in half and doubled the tomato sauce mixture and found it tasted a lot better. I also found that I needed a much larger baking dish than what they suggested. I used a large rectangular baking dish.

1 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500g (1 lb) beef mince
2 x 400g (14oz) cans chopped tomatoes)
500g (1 lb) macaroni, cooked and drained
2 cups grated tasty cheese (mild cheddar)
125g (4oz) butter
3/4 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
4 eggs, slightly beaten
seasonings to taste

1) Heat oil in a large frying pan. Saute onion and garlic for 3 or 4 minutes or until tender. Add mince. Brown over high heat, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks.

2) Add tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3) Place half of the macaroni into a greased 24cm (10in) square baking tin. Sprinkle with a little cheese. Spoon mince over cheese. Top with remaining macaroni and a little more cheese.

4) Melt butter in a saucepan. Blend in flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Gradually blend in milk. Return to heat. Cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in eggs and seasonings.

5) Pour sauce over macaroni. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 180*C (355*F) for 40 to 45 minutes or until topping is set and golden.