Pasta Cake

Makes 1 Cake

Ingredients

• 400g minced beef
• 1 large onion, finely chopped 
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 1 tin of tomatoes, chopped
• fresh basil 
• 1 packet gluten free penne pasta (I used fresh - Dell’ Ugo from Waitrose)
• 1 tub ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, gently beaten
• 100g mozzarella, grated 

Method

• Gently fry chopped onions until soft and clear. Add garlic. 
• Add mince and fry until all brown. Stir in chopped tomatoes and basil and simmer for 25-30minutes, longer if possible. 
• Take a small cake tin (I used 7inch) with a loose bottom and set on a baking tray.
• Boil water in a large pan. Once boiling, add pasta and ‘blanch’ for 1 MINUTE only, drain in a colander under cold water, to ensure pasta stops cooking and cools quickly. (If you are using dry pasta, cook for just over half of the recommended cooking time and then cool as above).
• Line the cake tin fully with the penne - with each piece of pasta facing upwards - this is a little bit fiddly and took about 10 minutes. (If the penne does not flat ends you may need to trim flat with scissors). 
• Once entire base of cake tin is covered with upright pasta, cover with ricotta and egg. Smooth over. 
• Spoon the mince mixture onto ricotta mix and smooth again. 
• Sprinkle over grated mozzarella. 
• Bake until mozzarella colours. Remove from the oven. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes and then remove from the cake tin.