Pasta Olé

I used to make this dish regularly, and rediscovered it recently! So much yum. It's a comfort dish through and through. I got the recipe from my other mother :D

You can use whatever pasta shapes you have in the cupboard for this recipe really, I use fusilli - but whatever you have is fine; I've used spaghetti for this before.

Pasta Olé
Ingredients
400 g dried pasta shapes
500 g minced beef
OR
3 - 4 chicken fillets, chopped into small chunks
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pepper, chopped (doesn't matter what colour, I use red or yellow)
1 tub of sour cream
2 tins of tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp chilli powder
200 g cheddar/mozzarella, grated

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease the bottom and sides of a 12x12 ovenproof dish. 
2. Boil pasta until it's al dente, drain, stire through some olive oil and set aside.
3. Heat some oil in a big saucepan or frying pan.
4. Fry onions, garlic and pepper over a medium heat. Add a splash of hot water to keep it from getting burned. Fry for a few minutes.
5. Add the mince or chicken and spices. If you want this dish spicier, add more chilli flakes. Season with pepper and a bit of salt. 
6. Fry until the meat is cooked through. If it seems to be getting a bit dry, add more hot water. Stir every so often so nothing sticks or gets burned. 
7. When the meat is done, add the tomato purée and stir well to coat everything. Add the tins of tomato and bring back to the boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes to reduce it down a bit.
8. Take off the heat and add the sour cream. Put back on the heat, stir to combine and bring back to the boil. Taste the mixture and see if it needs more salt, pepper or spices added.
9. Transfer the cooked pasta to the greased dish and spread over the bottom. Season. 
10. Carefully pour the meat mixture over the pasta somewhat evenly. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top.
11. Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
12. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad if you wish.