For the meat sauce

Place a pan over medium heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, onions, sugar and finely chopped thyme.

Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the onions caramelize nicely.

Add the garlic and continue to sauté.

Add the tomato paste and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Add minced meat.

Break it up with a wooden spoon and brown for 4-5 minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes, cinnamon, bouillon cubes and bay leaves.

Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until the sauce reduces and the minced meat is cooked.

When ready, remove from heat.

Remove the bay leaves.

Set aside until needed.

For the béchamel sauce

Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat.

As soon as it melts, add the flour.

Mix with a hand whisk and sauté the flour for a few minutes.

Add the milk, in small batches, whisking continuously.

When the sauce has cooked, remove from heat and add salt, pepper, nutmeg and all of the grated gruyere, apart from 1 tablespoon which will be added at the end of the recipe.

In a seperate bowl whisk the 2 eggs.

Then whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs.

Return egg mixture all to bechamel saucepan. Heat and whisking constantly for around 2 minutes.

Set aside until needed.

For the pasta

Add the pasta to a pot full of water.

Boil until al dente as they will cook further in the oven.

Brush a baking dish with olive oil.

When the pasta is ready, drain and spread in the baking dish.

Mix into the pasta a ladle full of bechamel sauce.

Preheat oven to 180 C

Spread the minced meat mixture over the pasta in the baking dish.

Pour the remaining béchamel sauce over the minced meat.

Sprinkle the leftover grated cheese over the top

Bake until the béchamel turns golden brown.