*Beef & Macaroni Casserole*
Serves 6 In this tasty casserole, macaroni is layered with a beef filling made with leftover roast and topped off with a cheesy white sauce prior to baking. Delicious! Leftovers never tasted so good! For the beef layer: 2 TBS olive oil 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced 3 cups of leftover roast beef, cut into cubes 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon salt and pepper to taste 390g of finely chopped tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cups) For the cheese sauce: 3 TBS butter 35g of flour (1/4 cup) 500ml of warm milk (2 cups) 1/2 tsp salt dash of white pepper pinch of nutmeg 90g of finely grated Parmesan Cheese (1/2 cup) For the macaroni: 1/2 pound of macaroni 2 large free range eggs, beaten you will also need: 240g of strong cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups) Preheat the oven to 190*C/ 375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a 9 inch square baking dish. Set aside. Make the beef layer by heating the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, over low heat, stirring occasionaly until the onions are softened. Stir in the beef, tomatoes, cinnamon, salt and pepper Set aside. Make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Cook for a minute, then slowly whisk in the warm milk. Season with the salt, white pepper and pinch of nutmeg. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Whisk in the cheese. Set aside. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain well, then return to the pot. Stir in the beaten eggs. Proceed as follows. Place half of the macaroni mixture in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with all of the meat mixture. Sprinkle with half of the cheddar cheese. Top with the remaining macaroni mixture. Spread the cheese sauce over top of all. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Top with a buttered piece of foil and then bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and then bake for an additional 30 minutes, until golden brown and set. Delicious! |
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