These simple 6-ingredient Beetroot Patties with Cheese and Polenta make a delicious and healthy snack, appetizer or side dish to enjoy alongside your vegetarian meal.
These healthy make ahead beetroot patties with polenta are extremely versatile. They can be eaten hot or cold, as an appetizer or snack when you feel a little peckish.
I don’t often use cornmeal in my recipes but recently I bought a good size bag of cornmeal determined to start incorporating this ingredient in my cooking. It’s a great thickener, it cooks very quickly and is gluten free!
Lots of good reasons to use it!
The first dish I made was polenta, a simple cornmeal porridge. Something I used to eat as a child but hadn’t had in a long time. I thought it tasted a little bland but I liked its thick texture. All it needed was a bit more flavour.
Beetroot has got plenty of it so it was the perfect ingredient to pair to my polenta.
Easy veggie patties with beetroot
It is a good idea to cook both the polenta and the beetroot ahead as they both need to cool down before you can use them. The polenta also thickens and solidifies as it cools, which is important in this recipe.
These cheesy veggie patties are very quick and easy to make, especially if you prepare the polenta and beetroot ahead. Peel and chop the beetroot roughly, then puree along with garlic. Then simply combine with the remaining ingredients, including the polenta, form little cakes and coat in breadcrumbs. All that’s left to do now is fry them briefly in a little oil to make them nice and crispy on both sides. It’s really that easy!
Also, these beetroot cakes need to be fried very briefly (to crisp up and warm through) as all the ingredients are ready to eat. 2 minutes on each side should be sufficient.
These beetroot patties are very nutritious and tasty and can be served hot or cold. Enjoy!
*NOTE: The beetroot will stain your hands as you form the patties, but rubbing them with some lemon will take care of that.
If you are a fan of beetroot you may also like these Quinoa Burgers with Beetroot.
Beetroot Patties with Cheese and Polenta
Ingredients
- 3 medium beets unpeeled
- 1/2 cup coarse cornmeal
- 2/3 cup cheddar cheese coarsely grated (approx. 70 g)
- 1 large garlic clove finely chopped
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs approx. 10 tablespoons, plus more for coating
- 1/2 teaspoon onion granules
- Salt and pepper to taste use generously
- Olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Cook the cornmeal with 1/2 cup of water stirring often, for a few minutes until it thickens (it should be quite thick). Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Cook the beetroot for 30 minutes, drain off the water and leave to cool. Peel the beetroot, chop roughly and puree along with the garlic in a food processor.
- Transfer to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients (including the cooked polenta), stirring well to combine. Form little cakes and coat them in breadcrumbs. Heat up a little olive oil and fry the cakes over a medium heat to crisp them up a bit (approx. 2 minutes on each side). Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
this sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party – hope your week is awesome!
Thank you Helen, likewise!
These look amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you!
I’m not a big fan of polenta either but this looks like a really tasty way to use it and so colourful!
Thanks again Corina! As with the aubergines, you can’t really taste the polenta in this recipe either, so it’s perfect for people who aren’t very keen on it:)
I’m intrigued by this recipe! I actually like polenta more than I used to, so with be interesting to try this with the beetroot! x
Thanks Jessica! I’d love to know how they turn out if you decide to make them:)
Mmmm these look and sounds delicious! We love beetroot and the colour goes down well with the kids, they would love these! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Thanks Kirsty:)
What a great idea for using polenta. I’m not too keen on plain polenta although I do use it a lot to make corn bread. I think I’ll have to give these a go! #CookBlogShare
Thanks Mandy, you can’t taste the polenta in this recipe so it’s perfect for people who aren’t keen on it:)