Spinach and lemon polpette

Name: Spinach and lemon polpette
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 9 ounces/250 g spinach; ½ cup/100 g cooked Puy lentils; 1 free-range or organic egg a good grating of nutmeg; 1¾ ounces/50 g whole wheat bread crumbs or oats; 1¾ ounces/50 g Parmesan cheese, (I use a vegetarian one) plus more; Zest of 1 lemon; zest of 1 unwaxed lemon sea salt and freshly ground pepper; Salt; 1 clove garlic; FOR THE SAUCE; a handful of almonds; 2 cloves garlic; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 lemon; leaves from a small bunch of basil; 350g cherry tomatoes; 12 ounces/350 g cherry tomatoes sea salt and freshly ground pepper; Salt; 10 ounces/300 g spaghetti of your choice (I use whole wheat)

10 steps

These are lovely, light spinach and nutmeg polpette (meatballs) to serve with spaghetti and a quick tomato sauce. But if you want a lighter meal, they are just as good with some quinoa and a shock of green salad. I use vegetarian-friendly Parmesan here, but if you can't get your hands on that, any vegetarian hard cheese will do the trick. For vegans, a spoonful of nutritional yeast will echo the flavor of the Parmesan, but you will need to add a few more bread crumbs or oats.

Updated at: Thu, 21 Sep 2023 00:18:10 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Uh-oh! We're unable to calculate nutrition for this recipe because some ingredients aren't recognized.

Ingredients

4 servings

FOR THE SPINACH POLPETTE

250gspinach

½ cupPuy lentils

cooked

1egg

free-range or organic

nutmeg

50gwhole wheat bread crumbs

or oats

50gParmesan cheese

I use a vegetarian one, plus more

3 tablespoonsolive oil

1lemon

basil

leaves from, small

350gcherry tomatoes

300gspaghetti

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C (convection 375°F/180°C). Fill and boil a kettle of water and get all your ingredients together.

Step 2

Wash the spinach and remove any tough stalks. Place a large frying pan over high heat and, when it's hot, add the spinach and dry fry until wilted and any water has evaporated.

Step 3

Drain the lentils well if you are using canned, then put them into a blender and blend until they are mushy. Add the egg, nutmeg, bread crumbs, Parmesan, lemon zest, and some salt and pepper. Chop the garlic and add this too. Blend until combined, then remove from the blender and fold in the spinach.

Step 4

Divide the mixture into four. From each quarter, make eight small balls.

Step 5

You should end up with 32 balls, each about 1 inch/ 2.5 cm. Place on a baking sheet and put into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Step 6

To make the sauce, put the almonds, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor.

Step 7

Pulse to a coarse texture then add the zest and juice of the lemon, the basil leaves, and the cherry tomatoes. Pulse again until you have a coarse pesto, then season well with salt and pepper.

Step 8

When the polpette have had 10 minutes, fill a large pan with boiling water, add salt, and once it's at a rolling boil add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions (usually about 8 minutes).

Step 9

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving some of the cooking liquid.

Step 10

Add the pesto and mix well, adding a little of the reserved pasta water to loosen if needed. Tangle the tomatoey pasta into bowls and top with the spinach polpette and a little more Parmesan, if you like.