Chilli Beef Baked Pasta

I always love my Pasta dishes to be a bit spicy and flavourful and this dish isjust that ,it has a light tomato sauce spiked with dried red chillies and it is topped with a nice creamy cheese sauce which balances the heat from the chillies . This one is a favourite among my family and I always get requests to make this one so here goes..................

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil
400 gm beef cut into small cubes
3 cloves galic chopped
5 small dried red chillies
1 bay leaf
1 can of tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
400 gm penne pasta

Cheese Topping

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups milk
100 gm mild cheddar cheese grated
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs

METHOD

Heat oil in a pan and add the beef and cook on high heat for about 5 min. or until well browned.
Add garlic , chillies, bay leaf, tomatoes, stock and soy sauce and bring to boil.
Add basil and simmer for about 15-20 min.
Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf.
Cook pasta ina large pan of boiling water till just tender and drain.
Combine the pasta with the chilli beef sauce and spoon into a deep baking dish .
Top with the cheese sauce , sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and bake in a 180-200 c oven for about 30 min or until golden .

For the cheese sauce .

Heat butter and add the flour and stir it for a min till the raw smell dissappears.
Gradually Blend in the milk , stir until the mixture is free of lumps and the sauce boils and thickens .
Turn off the heat and add the beaten eggs and cheese to it .

TIPS

For a variation You can make this with prawns instead of beef . If you cannot find fresh basil leaves you can use the dried one but be careful while using dried herbs because the flavour is strong in dried herbs so only use a little.