Properly Cooking the Pasta
To create oven-baked pasta it is first important to set up the initial ingredients needed in order to start the initial mixture of the pasta. The first step in the process is to cook a 2-kilogram bag of Penne pasta by first boiling some water on your stove while adding half a cup of vegetable oil and two tablespoons of salt to the water. Once the water has come to a boil add in the two-kilogram bag of Penne pasta and wait 15 minutes for the pasta to cook.
After 15 minutes have elapsed take one cup and fill it with pasta water after which set it aside and immediately drain the contents of your pot onto a strainer. Cool the past down by running it through some cold water due to the fact that the residual heat accumulated by the pasta will continue to cook it despite not being boiled any more. Once the pasta is sufficiently cooled set it aside and start on the other ingredients.
Preparing the Ingredients
Take one head of garlic and thoroughly peel and mince it till no large pieces remain, do the same with the two red onions chosen for this dish. When it comes to the red and green peppers needed it is necessary to have slightly bigger pieces for this particular type of ingredient and as such its better to slice each pepper in a cross-sectional manner, namely, you cut each pepper in half then you slice each half into four even strips starting from the top then into four even strips again starting from the sides. The result should be slightly large square pieces of red and green bell peppers, set them aside for later use.
Cooking the Meat and Making the Sauce
Once the ingredients have been properly chopped it now becomes necessary to cook the meat. In a large pot add in 2/3’rds cup olive oil and wait for the oil to slightly smoke. Once the oil indicates that it is ready add in the garlic and cook it halfway then add in the chopped onions as well. Once both items seem cooked add in two pounds of freshly ground meat and mix it well with the onions and garlic. The meat must cook for at least 8 minutes or until the redness of the meat goes away.
From This (Start)
The Meat must look like this (Finish)
Once the meat looks cooked add in five tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of oregano and basil, 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper, and the pasta water from earlier. Mix them well with the meat and wait for at least another three to four minutes then add in the chopped bell peppers. Once enough time has elapsed add in one can of Del Monte Four Cheeses sauce to the meat as well as one packet of tomato paste as well. Mix until the sauce, meat, and tomato paste have been evenly distributed. Once the mixture has been sufficiently mixed add in half a teaspoon of sugar to add in a little sweetness. Once the entire mixture has been sufficiently cooked set it aside.
Making the White Sauce
In another large pan on low heat place one stick of butter and slowly stir till it has sufficiently melted. Once in liquid form add in half a cup of flour and mix it in with the butter till clumps start to form. Flatten the clumps and once both ingredients have been sufficiently mixed together add in one can of evaporated milk and half a cup of low-fat milk. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper as well as a few drops of Tabasco sauce to give it a certain heated flavor. Stir until the entire mixture becomes creamy. Once the mixture has attained a certain level of creaminess set it aside to slightly cool.
Proper Layering of Pasta and Sauces
Get a large six-inch deep rectangular pan and wash it sufficiently to ensure no cross-contamination of the mixture. At the bottom of the plan place, a light layer of Penne pasta then get the meat sauce and spread a small portion covering the pasta at the bottom. After that add another light layer of pasta on top of the meat sauce and then pour a light coating of the white sauce on top after which you repeat the process again by adding another pasta and meat sauce layer. Repeat the entire process until the top of the pan has been completely reached.
Topping for the Pasta
Once the layers have been sufficiently created it is now necessary to top off the pasta with a nice layer. Use cheddar, mozzarella, or any type of quick melting cheese and grate it on top of the pasta until the top is covered. After that in a small pan lightly brown some bread crumbs using a little bit of butter. Once the bread crumbs are sufficiently browned spread them lightly on top of the cheese in order to give the top layer a nice crunchy taste.
Cooking the Entire Mixture
Set an oven to 300 degrees Celsius and ensure that it has been heated up for at least five minutes. Once the oven is sufficiently heated place the pasta mixture inside. The length of time necessary to ensure that the cheese melts properly and the Penne pasta combines with the white and meat sauce is approximately 15 minutes. Once 15 minutes has elapsed take the pasta mixture off the oven and set it on a cool countertop.
