Pasta and mince pie

Ingredients:

Cake

• 700 g of ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 0.5 cups Parmesan
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Filling

• 5 cups cooked pasta (small tube or shell pasta works best)
• 230 g of coarsely grated mozzarella cheese
• 230 g of coarsely grated Provolone cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
• 2 cups tomato-basil sauce, recipe included

Tomato-basil sauce

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 0.5 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1600 g canned tomatoes
• 650 g tomato paste
• 1600 g of water
• 1.5 tbsp. salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 60 gr. Romano cheese

Preparation:

1. Cake:

   
   Gently mix all ingredients. Be careful not to overmix. Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 25-cm (10-inch) baking pan. Form the meatloaf into a 2.5-cm (1-inch) thick crust.

2. Filling:

   
   Preheat oven to 175°C.
3. Mix the filling ingredients and place on the meat crust.
4. Bake for 1.5 hours. Let the pie cool for 15 minutes, then cut it into 8 pieces. Top each piece with the tomato-basil sauce and sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese.

5. Tomato-basil sauce:

   
   In a large saucepan, heat the oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes over low heat for 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, all the seasonings, and fresh basil. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Add a chunk of Romano cheese. Cook for 2.5-3 hours, stirring frequently.