Recipe: Courgetti and Beet Balls
The courgetti is a fantastic vehicle for the fragrant pesto, and the beet balls are not only luminously purple, but they are nicely dense and packed with flavour from the toasted walnuts and herbs, which pair beautifully with the earthy beetroot. Vegan.
Servings: 4
Calories: 301kcal
Ingredients
For the beet balls
- 2 raw beets washed (approx 300g)
- ½ cup (50g) walnuts
- 15 oz (400g) can red kidney beans (15oz can) drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup (30g) breadcrumbs
- ½ red onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and pepper
To serve:
- 3-4 courgettes (zucchini)
- 3-4 teaspoons green pesto look out for vegetarian or vegan if required
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200C/400F and grease a baking tray with oil.
- Peel the beetroots and slice into chunks. Whiz in a food processor or mini chopper until fine. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
- In a dry frying pan, toast the walnuts for a few minutes until lightly golden. Add the walnuts and kidney beans to the food processor (no need to clean after the beets) and pulse once or twice until crumbly.
- Add the walnut bean mixture, bread crumbs, chopped onion, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper to the bowl of beetroot and combine well, you’ll need to use your hands. Squish the mixture well so that it sticks together. Roll into balls and place onto the baking tray.
- Bake the beet balls for 25-30 minutes, turning halfway through.
For the courgetti (zoodles):
- Courgetti can be eaten raw or cooked. Spiralise the courgettes (zucchini) in a hand-held or freestanding spiraliser. If cooking, blanch the courgetti for a minute or so in a pan of boiling water until hot, then drain. Gently toss the courgetti in the pesto then divide onto plates and top with the beet balls. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 1009mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 385IU | Vitamin C: 30.5mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 4.8mg