Stuffed Beets with Lentils and Quince

Ingredients

• 8 small beetroots
• 300 g quince (2 quines)
• 1 Orange (juice)
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 100 g yellow lentils
• 250 ml vegetable broth
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 60 g whole grain breadcrumbs (3–4 tbsp)
• 2 Eggs
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. 1.

   Clean and wash the beetroots, then boil them in water for 40–45 minutes over medium heat.

2. 2.

   While the beetroot cooks, wash, peel, halve, pit, and dice the quince. In a small pot, bring quince, orange juice, honey, and cinnamon stick to a boil, then simmer covered on low heat for 20 minutes.

3. 3.

   Simultaneously, cook lentils in boiling vegetable broth for 10–12 minutes over low heat. Drain and let them cool slightly.

4. 4.

   Combine quince with 1–2 tbsp of the cooking liquid and lentils in a bowl; allow to cool a bit. Wash thyme, pat dry, and remove leaves. Add breadcrumbs, thyme, and eggs to the lentil mixture and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

5. 5.

   Peel the beetroot, cut off the top, hollow out each beet leaving a thin rim, and place them on parchment‑lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, fill with the lentil–quince mixture, drizzle remaining oil, and bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C (180 °C fan) for 20 minutes.