The Recipe

Baked Bean and Turkey Meatballs

Made with Branston Beans

For a tasty midweek dinner, swap spaghetti and meatballs for this recipe featuring turkey and beans – served with a smoky tomato sauce.

Serves 4
260g Branston Beans, sieved (save sauce for the rice mix)

500g turkey mince

10g garlic

1 medium white onion, finely diced

1 red pepper, finely diced

1 tsp salt

Pinch of cracked black pepper

1 medium egg

120g breadcrumbs

½ tsp ground cumin

10g cooking oil

For the rice:
250g long grain rice

50g tomato puree

10g garlic puree

1 chicken stock pot dissolved into 400ml of water

1 tsp tabasco

1 tsp smoked paprika

25g honey

450g Branston Beans, plus the left over juice from the meatballs

¾ tsp salt

Juice from ½ a lime

To serve:
500g crème fraiche

Juice from ½ a lime

Pinch of cracked black pepper

Sieve the Branston Beans and keep the sauce to one side for later.
In a food processor blend the turkey mince, garlic, salt, black pepper, egg, breadcrumbs & cumin.
In a frying pan over medium heat, fry the cooking oil, onions and peppers until soft. Leave to one side to cool.
Fold the onions, peppers and the sieved beans into the turkey mix.
Next, separate the turkey mix into 16 equal pieces and roll each one into a ball.
In a frying pan over medium heat, fry the meatballs in batches until each one is sealed and browned.
Finish cooking the meatballs in the oven at 180c (fan) for 25 minutes.
To make the rice, add the rice, tomato puree, garlic puree, chicken stock, tabasco, smoked paprika, honey, Branston Beans and leftover sauce from before, salt and the lime juice into a deep oven-proof roasting dish. Cover with foil and cook in the oven at 180c (fan) for 45 minutes or until all liquid has evaporated.
Mix the crème fraiche with lime juice and black pepper. Serve on top of the meatballs with the rice.