*RECIPE* - Macaroni Beef

Hello again. I didn't get around to putting up the recipe for Macaroni Beef yesterday, things got a bit busy around the house and running children to appointments. So I'm trying again. 
This recipe is so, so easy. It has very few ingredients and you can cook the meat sauce in the slow cooker to save you even more time, but it works just as well on the stove top. This is a great meal to have prepared in advance, you can make up the bake the day before and just take it out of the fridge and put it in the oven when it's dinner time. My kids love this recipe, it's kind of like a mixed up lasagne, but easier to make! Plus you can grate as many 'hidden' vegies into it as you like.

INGREDIENTS

500g Minced Beef

1 zucchini, grated

2 carrots, grated

Cup of frozen peas

Tin of condensed tomato soup

Macaroni (or pasta of choice)

Cheese (for topping)

METHOD

Brown mince in pan, add zucchini, carrot and peas. Add tin of soup, cover and simmer until vegies are tender and meat is cooked (about 30 mins). Or if you're slow cooking, just throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker pot and cook on  low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. No need to brown the meat if you're slow cooking!

While meat is cooking, boil a pot of water and add macaroni to cook. I use about 250g (which is half a packet). But you can add as much or as little pasta as you like. Adding more is a good way to bulk it up and make the meal go a bit further.

When the meat and pasta are cooked, stir the macaroni into the meat mixture and put it in a baking dish. Top with grated cheese and bake until cheese is browned. 


That's it! Sometimes I make a white sauce and spread it onto the bake before I put the cheese on, but it's not necessary if you want to save time. I'll include my recipe for white sauce in case you decide to use it.

WHITE SAUCE

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons plain flour

500ml milk 

Melt butter in a saucepan and add flour to create a roux (which is just the butter and flour mixed together). Add milk and whisk until it comes to the boil and thickens up. Simmer for a couple of minutes, whisking often. Season to taste. 


I hope you enjoy the recipe, let me know if you try it and what you think. It's a favourite in our house and there's rarely any leftovers!
I just realised I don't have a photo of it, but I'll take one the next time I make it, and will update this post then. 


Happy Cooking!


Nadia
xxx