Chipotle Meatball Pasta Bake
This is a pretty serious meatball pasta bake. We’ve used our awesome spicy chipotle meatballs and thrown them in with a rich tomato and red pepper sauce marbled with a velvety mozzarella and parmesan white sauce to make something very special indeed. For another Mexican/Italian fusion idea check out our Mexican Lasagna recipe.
If meatballs are your thing, check out some other exciting meatball recipe ideas.
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Prep time
1 hour
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Cook time
1 hour 30 mins
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Total time
2 hours 30 mins
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Ideal for
Dinner -
Make it
Mexican -
Serves
6
Find us in the
Mexican Section
Ingredients
For The Roux
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 600ml (35fl oz) milk
- 250g (9oz) Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 450g (1lb) Mozzarella cheese
For The Tomato Sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 red pepper, roughly chopped
- 400g (14oz) can of chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp Chipotle Paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To Finish
- 500g (1lb 2oz) rigatoni
- 500g (1lb 2oz) Chipotle Meatballs
- a handful of basil leaves, roughly torn
How to make it
To Make The Cheese Sauce
- Once you have your meatballs ready, make a roux. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Stir until you have a paste and cook for about 10 minutes over a low heat (taking care not to burn it). The mix should get a bit darker.
- Gradually whisk in the milk, getting rid of any lumps. Continue cooking until it comes almost to the boil and thickens, stirring occasionally.
- Add the Parmesan and half the mozzarella and stir in. Once melted, set aside whilst you prepare the rest
To Make The Tomato Sauce
- Heat a little of the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, oregano and red pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes until the onion and pepper are soft.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, Chipotle Paste, sugar, salt and pepper and stir. Leave to cook for 20 minutes.
- Blitz in a food processor until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To Finish
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 5–6 minutes until al dente, stirring regularly. Drain.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas 4).
- Gently mix the pasta, meatballs, basil and tomato sauce in a large ovenproof dish. Use a spatula to partially fold in the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the top is golden and the edges are crusty.
Please Let Us Know What You Think Of This Recipe.