Million Dollar Spaghetti
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Cream Sauce (bechamel)
- 50g/1.7ozs butter
- 50g/1.7ozs flour
- 2 cups/500ml/17.6flozs milk, hot
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Meat Sauce
- Oil for frying
- 1 large brown or white onion (around 200g/7ozs), peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
- 500g/1.1lb beef mince
- 500g/1.1lb Italian pork sausage
- 1600ml/56flozs marinara sauce
- 1 beef stock cube
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 500g/1.1lb spaghetti
To Layer
- 2 cups/300g/10.6ozs grated mozzarella
- 1 cup/100g/3.5ozs parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley to sprinkle on top
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 150C/320F fan forced. Make the cream sauce: Heat the butter in a small saucepan and melt and then add the flour, mix into the butter and cook for a minute. Then switch to a whisk and add the milk in gradually so that it combines in smoothly. Switch back to a spatula and stir. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. This will thicken upon cooling. Thermomix directions: Place all cream sauce ingredients in the TM bowl and set to 7 minutes, 90C, speed #4.
Step 2 -Then make the meat sauce. Heat oil in a large pot or skillet. Fry the onion on medium heat for 5 minutes or until softened but not browned or caramelised. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Then turn up the heat to medium high and add the beef mince and Italian sausage. Break it up with a wooden spoon and brown the meat. Add the marinara sauce, stock cube and salt and simmer for 10 minutes while you cook the pasta.
Step 3 - Place a large pot of salted water onto boil. When it is boiling add the spaghetti breaking it up into smaller sections (2 or 3 breaks in the spaghetti will do) and make sure to undercook the spaghetti (I stop it at 6-7 minutes). Drain in a colander.
Step 4 -Take your 35x22x5cm/13.8x8.7x2inch tray and then mix the spaghetti with the cream sauce and lay on the bottom. Then layer the meat sauce. Add mozzarella on top and then parmesan. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, turn the heat up to 180C/350F fan forced to brown the top. Add chopped parsley on top.