Pulse Pasta Bake

A little while ago I shared a wonderful discovery that was pulse pasta! Since then I have been eating it a few different ways, but I found one way that I couldn't wait to share with you all. This bake has so much goodness including veggies, protein & fibre.

Unfortunately it's not a very photogenic meal, but I can assure you it tastes better than it looks. This bake is a mixture between a lasagne & pasta bake. It has not only a red bolognese sauce, but also béchamel. It's very filling and makes a large batch, hubby & I were eating this for 3 days. It's a super hearty meal and feels like a warm hug when you it eat :)

There are a few steps, so I don't suggest making this at the last minute when you've had a long busy day. However I do recommend making it for Sunday night dinner!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 box of San Remo Pulse Pasta

1/2 a small butternut pumpkin

2 large zucchini

Red Sauce:

• 500g pork mince

• 2 x 400g tinned organic diced tomatoes

• 2 x large flat mushrooms sliced thinly

• 1 carrot grated

• 2 cups of spinach

• 4 cloves of garlic diced

• 1 red onion diced

• 1/2 cup of red wine

• 1 tsp of sugar

• 2 tablespoons of Italian Herb mix

• Salt & pepper to taste

Béchamel Sauce:

• 50g butter

• 1/2 cup spelt flour

• 2 cups milk of choice (I used cows milk)

• 1/4 cup of grated cheese

• 1 tsp keens mustard powder

• Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius

2. Fill a medium sized pot with water and add the pasta (cook pasta according to instructions)

3. Start with the sauce by placing a medium sized pot on a medium heat

4. Sautee garlic & onion until onion is almost clear

5. Add in pork mince, tinned tomatoes, mushrooms, carrot, sugar, herb mix & red wine - stir and allow to simmer by turning down to a low heat

6. While sauce is simmering, get out a large lasagne dish (when I say large I mean huge)

7. Slice pumpkin into thin pieces and lay along the bottom of the dish, place in the oven for 5 minutes (stir sauce while pumpkin is cooking)

*Dont forget to check your pasta to see if it is cooked*

8. Next, slice zucchini into thin pieces (not as thin as pumpkin) and lay over the top of the pumpkin - place in the oven for 5 minutes

9. Turn the sauce off the heat & stir through the spinach

10. To make bechemal sauce, use a small pot and melt butter

11. Once butter is melted, add the milk then add the flour - be sure to WHISK while adding the flour or it will go lumpy straight away

12. Add cheese, mustard powder & pepper - continue to whisk until combined. If the sauce is too think - add more milk. If it is too runny - add more flour.

13. In your lasagne dish, place a layer of béchamel sauce, then your pasta layer, then your red sauce, then another layer of thinly sliced zucchini. You can also add a sprinkle of grated cheese on top. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.

Note: My lasagne dish was very large - if you don't have one that's larger than a regular lasagne dish you may find yourself with left over sauces which is totally fine. You can either freeze the sauce - or add extra layers to your bake.

Remember, every time you eat is an opportunity to nourish your body. So make good choices!