Veggie kofta pittas with pick & mix sides
Pack pitta breads with spiced chickpea patties and serve with a carrot and tomato salad for a low-fat, low-calorie vegetarian weeknight dinner
- Prep:20 mins
Cook:30 mins
- Serves 6
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
- kcal 421
- fat 5g
- saturates 1g
- carbs 70g
- sugars 10g
- fibre 10g
- protein 18g
- salt 1.7g
Ingredients
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 Cal cooking spray, for frying
- 2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained
- 100g fresh brown breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- zest 1 lemon, 1 tbsp juice, plus extra wedges to serve
- 85g baby spinach
- toasted pitta breads, to serve
- 175g fat-free natural or Greek yogurt, to serve
- pickled chillies or jalapeños (optional), to serve
- 200g carrots, coarsely grated
- 200g tomatoes, diced
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
Tip
Cut down on oilWe often use more oil than we need when cooking, and this can dramatically hike up the calories. For these recipes, we used a 1 Cal cooking spray - where oil is mixed with water - to achieve a 500 calorie limit. If you use regular oil instead, use it sparingly with a splash of water or it will affect the final calorie count.
Method
Soften the onions and garlic with a few sprays of 1 Cal cooking spray and a splash of water in a non-stick pan. Once really soft, tip into a food processor with the chickpeas, breadcrumbs, egg, spices, lemon zest and juice, and plenty of seasoning. Pulse until fairly smooth, then add 30g of the spinach and pulse until finely chopped. Shape the mixture into 12 sausage-shaped koftas and put on a baking-parchment-lined baking tray. Chill while you heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Spray the koftas a few times more with cooking spray, then bake for 20-25 mins until crisp and golden.
Meanwhile, mix together all the carrot salad ingredients with some seasoning. Put the remaining spinach in a bowl and warm the pittas following pack instructions.
Serve the koftas with warm pittas, extra spinach, carrot salad, fat-free yogurt and pickled chillies, if you like.