Baked Elbows with Bechamel Sauce, Green Peas and Bolognese Ragu

25 minutes to prepare
2 hours to cook

4-6 servings

Ingredients
1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup carrots, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups water
1 can (3 tablespoons) tomato paste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 stick (4 ounces) butter
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
1 box (16 ounces) Elbows
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup Parmigiano cheese, grated

Bolognese Sauce:
PROCESS onions, celery and carrots in a food processor until finely minced.
HEAT oil in a large skillet. Add minced vegetables and saute over medium high heat for 2 minutes.
ADD ground meat; cook until meat sticks to bottom of pan. Add wine; scrape browned bits of meat on bottom of pan into wine and saute until wine is reduced.
COVER meat with water; stir in tomato paste; season with salt and pepper. Cook at least 1-2 hours or until meat is tender and sauce is thick.
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees.
BRING a large pot of water to a boil.

Bechamel Sauce:
MELT butter in a 4-quart pot. In a separate saucepan, heat milk.
ADD flour to melted butter. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring with a wire whisk. Add hot milk gradually, beating mixture with a whisk until thickened. Set aside.
COOK pasta 4 minutes. Drain well. Toss hot pasta with bechamel and meat sauce.
ADD green peas. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish. Top with cheese.
BAKE 20 minutes; let rest 5 minutes before serving.