Veggie Balls with ‘Courgetti’, Tomato and Basil Sauce

• 400g cherry tomatoes on the vine
• 3 garlic cloves (no need to peel)
• olive oil, for drizzling
• sea salt
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 large courgettes
• 1 x 28g pack basil, leaves only

For the veggie balls:

• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 x 400g tin butter beans, drained
• 300g sweet potatoes
• 300g carrots
• 300g parsnips
• 75g gram (chickpea) flour, sifted, plus extra for rolling
• 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika (we used La Chinata)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4.
• To make the sauce, put the tomatoes on a baking tray with the garlic cloves; drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and toss to mix. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
• For the veggie balls, dry-toast the fennel seeds in a frying pan for 1-2 minutes or until they smell fragrant, then grind them using a pestle and mortar or whiz to a powder in a spice grinder, then tip into a bowl. Add the butter beans and mash them with a fork. Peel and grate the sweet potato, carrot and parsnip and add those along with the flour, sweet paprika and some seasoning; mix thoroughly. Then, on a floured work surface, divide the mixture into 12 and make 12 equal-sized balls.
• Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan and brown the balls, transferring them to a baking tray as they are ready.
• Roast the veggie balls in the oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, use a spiralizer to turn the courgettes into noodles or a flat-bladed peeler to make ribbons; blanch in salted boiling water for 1 minute, then drain.
• When the tomatoes are ready, discard the vines and put the tomatoes in a liquidiser along with any caramelised bits from the baking tray. Squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins and add those along with half of the basil; blend to a sauce.
• To serve, divide the ‘courgetti’ between four shallow bowls, place 3 veggie balls on each and pour over some of the sauce. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and scatter with rest of the basil, shredded.

Recipe by Sainsbury’s Magazine