Pasta Casserole with Minced Meat, Pumpkin and Tomatoes

Recipe for pasta casserole with minced meat, pumpkin, and tomatoes. Sweet pumpkin and juicy tomatoes perfectly complement the perfect combination of pasta and minced meat. Milk-based sauce and cheese, which are sprinkled on the casserole, are responsible for the tenderness of the dish.

Cook: 50 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• Pasta – 400 g
• Minced meat (I have beef) – 400 g
• Pumpkin – 300 g
• Onions – 70 g (1 pcs.)
• Tomatoes (fresh or canned in their own juice) – 250 g
• Hard cheese – 70 g
• Butter – 2.5 teaspoon
• Salt – 2 teaspoon
• Ground black pepper – a pinch (to taste)

To fill:

• Milk – 200 ml
• Egg (yolk) – 1 pc.
• Flour – 1 tbsp

Directions

1. Cut the peeled pumpkin into medium-sized strips and fry over medium heat with 1 teaspoon of butter for 5-6 minutes. Transfer the pumpkin to a suitable bowl.
2. Cut the peeled onions into medium pieces and fry over medium heat with 1 teaspoon of butter for 5 minutes. Add minced meat to the onion.
3. Stir and fry, breaking the lumps with a spatula, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Salt (1 teaspoon).

   

4. Rinse the tomatoes and cut them into small cubes. Add the tomatoes to the skillet. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft. Transfer the sautéed minced meat to the pumpkin bowl.
5. Simultaneously with cooking vegetables and minced meat, cook pasta. In a saucepan, bring water to a boil and salt (1 teaspoon). Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Then place the pasta in a colander and drain. Pour 100 ml of pasta water into a separate container and set aside. Transfer the pasta to a bowl with the minced meat and vegetables. Stir the ingredients.

   

6. A baking dish (I have a ceramic dish with sides of 23×23 cm) grease with the remaining oil, put the prepared mass there, and smooth. Turn on the oven to heat up to 180 degrees.
7. Prepare the fill. To do this, add flour to a dry frying pan. Stirring constantly, fry the flour over medium heat until light nutty flavor and color change.

   

8. Remove the pan from the heat, cool the flour a little, and add the milk to it. Stir the flour and milk vigorously so that no lumps remain. Return the pan to the stove and cook the contents for 2-3 minutes. Then pour the leftover pasta water into the pan and stir.
9. Cool the sauce a little and add the yolk. Mix everything well. Pour the sauce over the contents of the mold.
10. Sprinkle with black pepper. Send to an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Bake the minced meat pasta, pumpkin, and tomato for 20 minutes.
11. Grate the cheese on a medium grater. When the casserole is browned, remove the baking dish from the oven and sprinkle the contents with grated cheese. Return the mold back to the oven for another 5-7 minutes.
12. When the cheese is well melted, remove the mold from the oven. Pasta casserole with minced meat, pumpkin, and tomatoes is ready.

    

Bon Appetit!