Ok - so the premise here is an easy lasagne and that's achieved by getting rid of the lasagne sheets!

This bake has one layer of bolagnese sauce, topped with a layer of cooked fussili pasta mixed with homemade cheese sauce. The top is crusty and cheesy from a quick 20 minute blast in the oven and you're ready to feed an army.

Ingredients: At least 400gm good beef mince (I like lean steak mince)
1 bottle of tomato passata
1 fat clove of garlic, crushed
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tBsp sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 dried bay leaf or several fresh bay leaves
2 tBsp milk (add at the very end for richness)
chopped parsley or basil (optional)

Cheese sauce:
4 tBsp butter
4 tBsp plain flour
pinch dried mustard powder (optional)
2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheddar (use a tea cup if you don't have a cup measure (250ml))

For the bolagnese: Brown the mince, draining it in a colander to get rid of any excess fat. Sprinkle in the oregano and cook for a minute before adding the passata, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and some extra water to just cover the mince. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for at least 20 minutes, checking occasionally to see if more water is needed to stop it sticking.

In the meantime make your cheese sauce; melt the butter, stir in the flour and whilst stirring continuously, slowly add the milk in three parts. When you've added the last part you'll have a smooth sauce. Add the grated cheese and pepper and cook for a few minutes more to melt the cheese.

Cook your pasta of choice - I'd choose spirali, macaroni, fusili over penne but use your favourite, in salted boiling water. Drain and add the cheese sauce to the pasta, stir through completely.

Now assemble your Bonfire bake: Add the splash of milk and chopped herbs if you have them to the mince and remove the bay leaf. Into a stoneware dish (mine is roughly 30cm long, 20cm wide, 4 cm deeo), pour in all of the bolagnese.

Now top with the cheesy pasta. Sprinkle over parsley and the extra cheese, season with pepper then bake for 20 mins. Done!

This is what I'm making for dinner tonight - so pictures to follow shortly!