pasta bake

this was good, took little effort, and while looked complex wasn't actually difficult. 4 servings, 444 cals a serving

2 T evoo
1 small onion finely chopped
14 oz can chopped italian plum tomatoes
1 T sun-dried or regular tomato paste
1 t dried mixed herbs
1 t dried oregano or basil
1 t sugar
1 1/2 cups dried conchiglie or rigatoni
2 T fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 T dried breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

for the white sauce
2 T butter
1/4 cup plain flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 egg

heat evoo in a large frying pan and cook the onion gently for about 5 minutes, stirring until softened. stir in tomatoes. fill empty can with water and add to the pan with the tomato paste, herbs and sugar

add salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil, stirring. cover, lower heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.

preheat oven to 375. cook pasta until al dente and drain

make white sauce, melt butter in a pan add the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute (it turns into a ball of paste, so i didn't bother stirring). whisk in the mild gradually. bring to a boil (very important, i didn't until later and was wondering why this didn't thicken) and cook stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and thick. season with salt and pepper and remove pan from the heat.

place drained pasta in a baking dish, pour the tomato sauce on top and stir to mix well.

beat the egg into the white sauce, then pour the sauce over the paste mixture. with a fork, separate the pasta in several places so that the white sauce fills the gaps. sprinkle with the paremesan and breadcrumbs and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. stand for 10 minutes before serving. even after served, allow to stand 3 more minutes on plates, this thickens up the sauce.