Ingredients:
1 pound medium ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Tomato sauce
Bechamel Sauce (recipe here)
1 pound penne pasta
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt
2 tablespoons Olive oil, divided
Directions:
In a deep sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the onions. Sauté the onions on medium heat for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the ground beef and brown. Add your favourite tomato sauce and turn the heat to low. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
In the meantime in a large stock pot bring 4 quarts of water to a boil, add a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Once the water comes to a rolling boil add the penne and cook until al dente (approximately 10 minutes).
Once the pasta is cooked drain and add to the tomato sauce immediately (no need to rinse). Here's a tip, when you rinse pasta after cooking it strips it of all its starches and the sauce does not adhere to the pasta properly, it's best to drain and add your sauce right away.
Heat the oven to 375 F.
Place your pasta in a deep oven safe dish, and sprinkle with half the parmesan cheese. Pour the béchamel sauce over the pasta mixture and top with the rest of the parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook for another 15 to 20 minutes or until a nice golden colour on top. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.