Food Waste Action Week is a brilliant initiative that encourages us to reduce the amount of food we throw away, and it’s also the inspiration behind Sam Gates' recipe. Meat and vegetable balls are an excellent way of using up leftovers and work well at the time of year when we’re still craving comfort food, but with lighter flavours.
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Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
25g pack flat leaf parsley, stalk and leaves separated, both finely chopped
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 x 400g cans black beans, drained and rinsed
½ small carrot, finely grated
4 tbsp tomato purée
150g breadcrumbs, made from leftover bread
1 British Blacktail Free Range Medium Egg, beaten
50g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
Method
Line a large baking sheet with greaseproof
paper or a reusable liner. Warm 2 tbsp oil
in a frying pan over a medium heat, and add
the onion, parsley stalks, chillies, fennel seeds
and oregano. Cook for 6-8 minutes to soften
the onion, then add the paprika and cook for
another minute. Set aside.
Tip the beans into a mixing bowl and press
with a potato masher until slightly squashed.
Add the cooked onion mixture, carrot, tomato
purée, breadcrumbs, egg and ½ the cheese.
Season generously and mix together. Using
damp hands, gently roll the mixture into
24 walnut-sized balls and place on the lined
baking tray. Chill while you make the sauce.
Tip the tomatoes, oil and garlic into a
medium saucepan and season. Slowly bring
to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes,
until the sauce is thick and syrupy.
Remove the pan from the heat and use a
potato masher to break down the tomato pieces a little, so the sauce has a chunky rustic
texture. Stir in the honey, then taste and check
the seasoning. Keep warm.
Wipe out the frying pan, heat the remaining
2 tbsp olive oil and add 12 bean balls. Cook
for 6-8 minutes, until lightly golden and piping
hot throughout. Remove and keep warm while
you cook the rest. When all the bean balls are
ready, add them to the sauce and scatter over
the chopped parsley and parmesan.
Cook’s tip
To freeze the uncooked bean balls, place them on a lined baking tray in the freezer for 40 minutes until firm. Tip into containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen, as above for 12-14 minutes until piping hot in the middle.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe
Energy
2,839kJ/ 679kcals
Fat
31g
Saturated Fat
6.9g
Carbohydrates
70g
Sugars
17g
Fibre
12g
Protein
23g
Salt
0.9g
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