Creamy Mince Pasta Bake

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Melt the butter over a low heat in the pan. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon. The mix will be clumpy at this point. Slowly add the milk while whisking continuously with a rubber whisk so you don’t damage the pan.

Once you’ve added all of the milk, the mixture should be smooth. Add the cinnamon and then add 80g of vegan cheese and whisk on a medium heat until melted and combined. Allow the béchamel to thicken slightly and season well with plenty of salt and pepper. Remove from the pan into a bowl and set aside.

Wipe the pan clean. Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Drizzle a little olive oil in the pan and fry the onion for 4-5 mins on medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and fry for another minute before adding the tomato purée and the vegan mince. Add another drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Add the stock to the mince and add the mint and balsamic vinegar. Fry for 4-5 mins, adding more olive oil if needed, until the mince is browned and browned. Taste for seasonings.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions.

Add the pasta to the pan with the mince and pour a ladle of bechamel into the pan. Mix well to combine the pasta and the mince.

Pour the rest of the bechamel over the pasta and mince mix. Sprinkle the rest of the vegan cheese over the top and plenty of black pepper.

Cover the pasta and bake it for 10 mins until the cheese is melted (vegan cheese melts better when it steams for a little bit). Then remove the lid from the pan and grill for another 3-4 mins until the cheese starts to crisp up.