for 6 person

Minced meat sauce

	oil for frying
400 g	minced meat (beef)
400 g	carrots, cut into cubes
2	onions, finely chopped
2	garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp	tomato puree
1 litre	beef bouillon
150 g	red lentils
1 tsp	mild paprika
1 tsp	dried oregano
	salt and pepper to taste

Béchamel sauce

30 g	butter
4 tbsp	white flour
7 dl	milk
¼ tsp	nutmeg
¾ tsp	salt
a little	pepper

Gratin

250 g	Chinese noodles (e.g. Capelli d'Angelo Nidi)
150 g	mozzarella, coarsely grated

How it's done

Minced meat sauce

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Brown the meat in batches for approx. 3 mins. per batch, remove from the pan. Reduce the heat, wipe the cooking fat from the pan, add a dash more oil if necessary. Sauté the carrots, onions and garlic, mix in the tomato puree and cook for approx. 2 mins. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, return the meat to the pan, cover and simmer for approx. 5 mins., stirring occasionally. Add the lentils and continue to simmer for approx. 10 mins., season.

Béchamel sauce

Heat the butter in a pan. Add the flour, cook over a medium heat while stirring with a whisk; the flour must not take on any colour. Pour in all of the milk at once, bring to the boil while stirring, reduce the heat, season, simmer for approx. 10 mins., stirring occasionally until the sauce is thick and creamy. Transfer half of the sauce to the reserved dish, set aside the remainder. Spread the minced meat sauce on top.

Gratin

Place the noodle nests on top of the minced meat mixture, press down gently, spread the remainder of the béchamel sauce in the nests. Top with the mozzarella.

To bake

Approx. 35 mins. in the centre of an oven preheated to 200°C. Remove from the oven, leave the gratin to rest for approx. 5 mins., plate up.

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