Macaroni Schotel

I never really make this dish in purpose seeing the works I have to do to prepare all this at once. Usually when I make pasta with bolognese sauce I always have left over sauce. Or I just make the sauce a bit more. I use this bolognese sauce to make macaroni schotel. With new cooked macaroni and white sauce, I will have new dish for the whole family and afterall it's also less work in the kitchen.

The picture here was made before I put it in the oven. Once it was out of the oven, my children and hubby ate it straight away and nothing left to be photographed...!!!

Macaroni Schotel
225 gr macaroni

Bolognese sauce:
300 gr minced
1 onion, roughly chopped
400 gr (1 can) diced tomatoes
70 gr (1 can) tomato paste
1 cube broth
salt & pepper

Bechamel sauce:
50 gr butter
50 gr flour
1/2 ltr milk
50 gr grated cheese
salt, pepper, nutmeg

Directions:
1. Boil the macaroni with salt al dente and drain well, put aside.

2. Make the bolognese sauce:
- Bake the chopped onion until transparent, then add the meat in and occasional stirring. Cook until the meat brown and the liquid is gone.
- Add the diced tomatoes and broth in. Season with salt and pepper. Let it boiled until the tomatoes become soft.
- Add the tomato paste in the sauce, stir well. Lower the heat, cook until the sauce thickened.

3. To make the white sauce (bechamel sauce):
- Bake the butter to melt in a sauce pan.
- Add the flour in the melted butter, keep stiring until the flour absorbing all the butter.
- Pour milk gradually while you're whisking the roux. Keep whisking until the sauce is thick.
- Add the grated cheese in the sauce, season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to suit.

4. Pour the macaroni gently in the white sauce mixture.

5. Put all this into a large oven dish, pour the rest of the bolognese sauce on, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for about 20 minutes at 180°C.