Honeycomb Rigatoni Pasta Pie

Ingredients:

• 500g beef mince
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 sticks of celery, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 200ml of vegetable stock
• 1 bottle of passata
• 1 Handful of Fresh Mixed Herbs (tarragon, parsley, oregano)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Pasta tubes (rigatoni)
• 300g Mozzarella Cheese (half cubed and half grated or just grated)
• 100g of Parmesan grated
• 100g of hard cheddar grated

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
• Cook the pasta tubes in boiling water for three minutes then drain.
• Meanwhile, to make the meat sauce, heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry the mince until it begins to brown. Add in the onions and fry until they turn golden then add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
• Add the stock and reduce the liquid for 3 minutes then add the chopped herbs and Passata and bring to a simmer. Season to taste. Remove from the heat.
• Lightly oil a spring form cake tin and fill with the cooled pasta tubes standing upright and sprinkle over your cubed cheese so it falls into the tubes.
• Pour over your sauce mixture and use a spoon to push the mixture into the tubes, cover with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden.
• Remove from the oven and garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve.

Other options to mix up your rigatoni pie:

• Vegetarian using mushrooms or plant-based mince instead of the beef and rocket and spinach
• Vegan mince and cheeses with gf pasta for dietary requirements
• Moussaka Flavours using lamb mince, nutmeg, cinnamon etc.
• Classic lasagne flavours using a white sauce
• Asian inspired flavours using sesame oil, soy sauce, Chinese vinegar.