A tasty vegetarian comfort spelt pasta bake with Belgian Buffalo Mozzarella!
Yesterday evening, I made this tasty vegetarian comforting pasta bake! This is a 2 time layer pasta-mixed veggie sauce & the BM is layered into 2 layers on the pasta. I used light spelt penne in here to make it more healthy & filling & I also used Belgian Buffalo mozzarella in here! This brand, Buffle Ardenne is an organic Belgian Buffalo Mozzarella & it is the only organic & only buffalo mozzarella one that I know off in Belgium, actually! What the heck is Buffalo Mozzarella, I hear you say?
Buffalo mozzarella is (Italian: mozzarella di bufala) is a mozzarella made from the milk of the domestic water buffalo.
The digestive system of water buffaloes permits them to turn low-grade vegetation into rich milk which, due to its higher percentage of solids, provides higher levels of protein, fat and minerals than cow milk
Contents for 100 g buffalo milk:
- proteins 3.72–4.2%
- fat 7.5%
- vitamin A : 0.15 mg
- vitamin B: 0.003 mg
- vitamin B1: 0.3 mg
- calcium: 169 mg
- phosphorus: 380 mg
- sodium: 0.4 mg
- iron: 0.7 mg
- energy content 270 Kcal/100 g
Buffl Ardenneis made from organic buffalo milk from the Ardenne Region here in Belgium. The company is located in Neufchâteau. This in the French-speaking part of Belgium. One mozzarella ball weighs 125 gr. I used 2 balls in here. I always eat Buffalo Mozzarella instead of the ordinary cow’s milk mozzarella. The buffalo one is more creamier, has a more salty flavor & is the only one that I eat!
I used Buffalo Mozzarella in this glorious recipe: Just click onto the title, it is a link & the picture is a link too! :) Sophie’s Divine Summer Colourful salad!
MMM!
Use it as you do normally with cow’s mozzarella! :) I love it!:)
Now, on with this winning tasty spelt pasta bake!
Recipe: For 6 normal portions
Ingredients:
* For the mixed vegetables-pasta sauce:
200 gr white larger mushrooms, cleaned, sliced & cut up
1 big yellow bell pepper ( paprika ), cleaned, deseeded & white bits removed, cut up into smaller strips
1 medium white onion, peeled & cut up
3 fat cloves of garlic, peeled & finely cut up
1 x 400 gr can of chopped tomatoes in their juice
700 br passata
Jamaican pepper, grinded in a pestle & mortar until fine
Maldon sea salt
dried Provençal herbs
dried spiced up sea salt
dried chili flakes: 1/4 teaspoon
125 ml red Ruby Cabernet wine
2 big carrots, peeled & cut up into finer rounds
a handful of fresh large basil leaves, cleaned & pad dry on kitchen paper, finely cut up
a fruity extra virgin olive oil
some coconut sugar to sweeten your sauce a bit!
* For the light spelt penne:
400 gr light spelt penne
some Maldon sea salt
a swirl of fruity evoo
* For the Belgian Buffalo Mozzarella cheese, in 2 layers:
2 balls of 125 gr = 250 gr fresh Buffalo Mozzarella
Method:
1. First, make your pasta-mixed vegetables sauce. In a larger cooking pot, pour 2 tablespoons of that fruity evoo in it. When hot, add garlic & onion & fry for about 3 minutes. Add some Maldon sea salt & dried Provençal herbs, 1/4 teaspoon in total. Stir often. Also, add some grins of ground Jamaican pepper. This is a special pepper that gives warmth flavor to your dishes & it is isn’t that sharp like black pepper!! Then, add yellow paprika strips, carrot rounds & fry for 5 minutes or until nearly tender. Pour extra evoo in it & add mushroom pieces . Fry for 5 minutes or so until browned on all sides & cooked through. Stir often. Preheat your oven for 10 minutes at 200°C ( 392 F ).
2. Add red wine & let it cook off a bit, for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add about 1/4 teaspoon of dried chili flakes, but not too much. Stir often. Add chopped fresh basil, passata & can of chopped tomatoes. Add some coconut sugar too, to take off the acidity off the tomatoes. Stir well & add some sea salt & Jamaican pepper. Reduce the sauce a bit for about 10 to 15 minutes, letting it simmer. Check the reducing. You want it to reduce a bit but not too much, hey, you need a lot of sauce! Afterwards, I added some Provençal herbs & Jamaican pepper. Taste check again! :) At the same time, the sauce is reducing, cook your pasta according to your packet instructions. I added some olive oil & sea salt to the cooking water. Drain well. When the sauce & pasta is ready, pour the warm sauce to your cooked pasta & mix well so that your sauce will cover & go into the tubes of the spelt penne. Take your fresh balls of buffalo mozzarella & take them out of the package, pouring all of the liquid out, dip them dry on double kitchen paper & slice them into thicker slices. Do the same with the other mozzarella ball. Take a larger oven dish & oil it. Place 1/2 of the veggie-sauce-pasta mix in it & place half of the mozzarella cheese over it. Cover with the other 1/2 of the veggie-sauce-pasta mix & top with the other half of the mozzarella. Place in a preheated oven of 200°C ( 392 F ) & bake for about 10 to 20 minutes until the cheese has been melted a bit & has been browned on top! The last 5 minutes, I put it under the gril! Serve instantly with a loved one & with the same red wine in your glass! ;) Enjoy!
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Filed under: Egg - Free, Pasta, Vegetarian
