Courgette, ricotta & mint polpette
Although polpette means meatballs, these are veggie friendly: filled with veg, lentils, cheese and – crucially –flavour.
Serves 6
250g cooked puy lentils (we used Merchant Gourmet Ready To Eat Puy Lentils)
2 courgettes, coarsely grated
100g wholemeal breadcrumbs
125g ricotta cheese
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
40g parmesan cheese, finely grated 1 red chilli, chopped (or a pinch of dried chilli flakes)
A few sprigs of fresh parsley, leaves picked and chopped
A bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped, plus extra to garnish
1
Pulse the lentils in a food processor until you have a textured mush. Transfer this to a bowl and add the courgettes, then pile in all the other ingredients (keep a few mint leaves back to garnish the dish with). Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Leave to sit for about 20 mins or so.
Preheat the oven to 200C/
Fan 180C/gas 6. Divide the mixture into 4 portions, and then divide each portion again into 6, so that you end up with 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a couple of baking sheets lined with baking paper.
Drizzle with olive oil and gently roll each ball so that the surface is lightly coated all over. Bake for 20 mins, or until they have a golden crust. Serve with quinoa, topped with a generous spoonful of the green tahini sauce and few mint leaves to garnish.
Cook’s note: These freeze really well. To freeze, allow the polpette to cool completely before placing them on a baking tray and popping them into the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or box to keep stored in the freezer. To serve, defrost them on a baking sheet and then cover with foil and warm through in the oven.