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Pre heat oven to 200°C.
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Heat olive oil in large frying pan on medium to high heat, add onion, garlic, thyme and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
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Add mince, crushing any lumps with a spoon, cook until mince is browned. Next add eggplants and a further splash of oil and cook for a 3 minutes.
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Add bay leaves, red wine and reduce liquid by half and add tomatoes and stir through.
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Reduce heat to a simmer, season with salt and pepper and cook for 35 minutes.
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To make the Béchamel, combine combine milk, onion, cloves, bay leaves and peppercorns in a saucepan over medium to low heat, making sure milk slowly comes to the boil infusing all the flavours.
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In another saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Once melted, add flour and stir together with a wooden spoon continue to cook for 5 minutes stirring continuously to avoid browning.
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When milk has boiled, turn the off heat and strain into another pan. When straining into pan, make sure to continually stir to eliminate any lumps.
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Stir until the sauce thickens approximately 4 to 5 minutes and then stir the cheese through the sauce.
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Meanwhile, in a pot of boiling salted water, add pasta and cook as per packet instructions.
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Once pasta is cooked drain and return to pot and mix together with meat sauce.
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Pour pasta mixture into a large baking dish and ladle béchamel sauce over the top.
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Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
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Serve and enjoy with family and friends!
