Cheesy Sausage Pasta Bake

Serves 6-8

Time 2 hours

Ingredients

500g pasta curls
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 bunch basil
6 cloves garlic, minced
380g speck, diced
500g pork sausages, skins removed
2 x (400g) can crushed tomatoes
Sat & pepper
2 bay leaves
½ cup red wine
300g bocconcini

Béchamel Sauce
180g butter
180g plain flour
400-500ml milk
1 cup, parmesan
1 cup mozzarella, grated

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Add pasta to a pot of boiling, salted water and cook following packet instructions until half cooked.  

Add the rind from the speck into a pan over medium-high heat and allow the fat to render down. Add speck, extra virgin olive oil and sausage meat. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into chunks as they brown. Add a good twist of black pepper to the pan with a pinch of salt, sausages are generally well seasoned so only add a little, and check the seasoning as you go. Add bay leaves, basil, garlic and onion and stir through. 

As the onions sweat down prepare the béchamel sauce. Add butter to a saucepan and melt. Add flour and stir well, cooking the flour. Gradually add milk a little at a time, stirring continuously. Stir each addition of milk until a smooth sauce is formed. 

Add the red wine and crushed tomatoes to the meat mixture and stir through. Once the pasta is half cooked add it to the sauce with some of the starchy water. The pasta will continue to cook in the sauce. Stir the pasta through the sauce and add to the baking tray. Add the bocconcini into the pasta. Stir cheese though the béchamel sauce, pour over the pasta. Use the back of a spoon to ensure all the pasta is covered in the sauce. 

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until golden brown.