I went to the markets the other day and found an amazing bunch of beetroot with the most spectacular leaves on top. I eagerly purchased the bunch as I love beetroot leaves and I was horrified when the stall holder offered to remove the leaves to help me fit the beetroot into my bag. I gave her a shocked look and loudly proclaimed, “they’re the best bit!”

I was planning on cooking them in my usual favourite way, fried in a bit of butter with onion and breadcrumbs, but while I was out on a run my brain started to combine some things in the fridge in my head which created this dish and I was stoked with how well it turned out.

This dish is high in protein, low in fat, full of vegies, low in carbs and best of all it was super tasty! I think that this is a great dinner for people watching what they eat, and also for families with kids. Wouldn’t the kids love a slice of pink polka-dotted baked cheese? Just don’t tell them how healthy it is, or your husband for that matter. K and I really enjoyed it over 4 days, it keeps well and it still tasted just as good on the last day.

Baked Savoury Beetroot Leaf and Ricotta Pie
serves 8, 10 minutes preparation and 1hour cooking

1 bunch of beetroot leaves (or silverbeet) washed well and chopped
1 red onion, finely diced
A few mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 small zucchini, finely diced (optional)
375g of low fat ricotta
6 eggs
½ tsp of ground nutmeg
Fresh thyme
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
½ cup of cheese, for example cheddar or feta
1tbs grated parmesan
Spray oil
2tbs of bran or oat meal

Wash the beet leaves well, they tend to hold onto grit which isn’t nice in a dish. Then slice and microwave for about 2 to 4 minutes (the time varies for many reasons) until the leaves are wilted. Then drain any excess liquid from the leaves or your dish will be soggy (I’ll admit, I skipped this and it was a little soggy).

Prepare all the rest of the ingredients. If you don’t want mushrooms or zucchini you can leave them out or change the vegetable but I wouldn’t recommend tomato as it has too much moisture.

Mix everything together except the parmesan, oil and bran/oat meal and season to taste.

To avoid needing pastry I used a non-stick spring form pan that I lightly sprayed and then got a light layer of bran to stick to the edges. This worked really, really well. You should absolutely give this a go instead of pastry.

Pour the ricotta and vegie mix into the pan and then sprinkle with the parmesan. This makes the top taste just that bit more delicious without adding heaps of calories.

Bake for around an hour at 200 degrees Celsius (about 400F) until it is set.