Pasta! Whether fussili, conchiglioni, penne, tagliatelle or spaghetti, I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t like it. I heard once an opinion that it’s an italian fast food, and true to that, it doesn’t take long to cook. It also comes in multiple variations- vegetables, chicken, minced meat or fish, tomato, cream sauce or something else. As something posh or when you don’t want to be bothered with cooking, the possibilities are endless. I think I could just go on and on. Intead I want to present you a little bit different way of how to serve a seemingly inconspicuous pasta dish in a way even Jamie Oliver would be proud of.It serves 2.

250g tagliatelle or spaghetti

300g minced meat

4-5 big champignions (optional)

400g passata

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

1tsp thyme

1tsp cayenne pepper

parmesan or mozzarella

salt

Cook the pasta according to directions on the packaging. In the meantime peel the onion and chop it, peel the mushrooms and cut in cubes. Heat a little bit of oil in a pan, add the onion and fry for a minute. Add the mushrooms, the minced meat and the spices and cook. When the meat is ready add the chopped garlic and let it cook on small heat for a minute. Mix well before pouring in the passata. Cook on small heat for few minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180º. When the pasta is ready, on a baking tray or a tart form, form 4- 6 pasta nests using fork. Make sure the middle is a little bit hollow. Divide the meat between the nests using a tablespoon, then pour the rest of the sauce over. Grate some parmesan and place the tray in the oven for 15min.

When ready, carefully place on a plate, garnish with more parmesan and basilikum and serve.