Baked Macaroni with Bolognese Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese

A little mouthful, you think?
Literally it is and gastronomically, you'll have spoonfuls after spoonfuls for a mouthful of it all.

I had my first taste of a similar dish at Eighteen Chefs. I thought it tasted great, but the dish had a twist, it had bird's eye chilli (chilli padi). It was Spicy and Yummy! I thought I could try making it myself, so I had a go at it when a group of friends' came over place to our place many moons back, actually. It was a hit, especially since there's chilli padi in the sauce.

It was very easy to prepare too. For kids-friendly dish, just omit the chilli padi unless you have gregarious, adventurous 'chilli padis' yourselves! :)

Sautee garlic with diced red onions, some chopped coriander and dried oregano and when translucent, add the blended red onions.

Add in the minced meat and cooked till brown

Add in the bursts of colours! (diced tomato, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms an other greens) and cooked for a while

Add in the pasta sauce and cooked till sauce thickens

Grease casserole dish and pour in macaroni

Pour sauce over macaroni and top it with mozzarella cheese.
Bake in preheated oven at 180deg for 10-15mins

Yummy! and Easy! :)

These are the approximate measurements that I used since it was basically a throw-in everything kind of dish.

Ingredients:
2 garlic - to mince
1 big red onion - to dice
2 tbsp of blended red onion
5 to 6 bird's eye chilli - to cut into smaller pieces
8 cherry tomatoes - to dice
1 cup of minced beef
a few florets of broccoli
Chopped coriander
Dried oregano
1 large bottle of pasta sauce - i used Prego sauce all the time - 1/2 traditional and 1/2 fresh mushroom sauce.
Dash of black pepper
A pinch of salt and some sugar - to taste
Mozzarella cheese - to taste

1. Heat some oil in pan and sautee garlic, chilli padi (if you're using them), diced red onions, chopped coriander and dried oregano till onions become translucent. Then add blended red onions. Cooked till fragrant.
2. Add in the minced meat and cooked till brown. Add in diced tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms.
3. Add in the pasta sauce and cooked till sauce thickens.
4.Grease your casserole dish with butter and pour the macaroni and pasta sauce into the dish.
5. Top with mozzarella cheese and baked in preheated oven at 180deg C for 10 to 15minutes.


The good thing about this recipe is that I can hide broccoli, carrots, and other vegetables in the sauce, as the boy is especially skittish about his greens.

I know I have to work harder to make him take to the greens voluntarily, but while I am *still* trying, this is one other avenue I have to resort to, hide them. :P

And yes, the boy had 3 rounds of the macaroni. :)

Win-win for boy and for mummy.

:)