Bagels with Roasted Beets & Parmesan Pea Spread

Bagel with beetroot and pea spread on a chopping board

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Bagels with Roasted Beets & Parmesan Pea Spread

Prep Time20

Cook Time5

Total Time25

Course: Picnic Food

Cuisine: Sandwich

Servings: bagels

Calories: 438kcal

Author: Kate O'Malley

Ingredients

4 bagels
2-3 roasted beets depending on size – sliced
A few handfuls of fresh arugula or other robust salad green.

Parmesan & Pea Spread Ingredients

1 cup fresh or frozen green peas see note
1 Tsp. lemon zest use an unwaxed lemon
2-3 Tbs. ricotta cheese vegan or normal
1 Tsp. Fresh dill leaves chopped You can use dried dill if you don't have fresh
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil plus some for drizzling
2 Tbsp. freshly grated parmesan such as a good Pecorino Romano more or less depending on taste
Coarse salt and pepper to taste.

Optional Ingredients

Slices of bacon vegan or normal

Instructions

This recipe is based on having roasted beets on hand - You can use store-bought, but we give you the complete roasted beet recipe and tips here using fresh beets. Add around 40 min cook time if you haven't already roasted your beets.
To make the pea and parmesan spread – If using frozen peas, defrost first. (see note). If using fresh peas, bring the peas to boil in a small pot of water and cook until tender. Don't cook for so long they lose their bright green colour. Strain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Reserve a cup of the cooking water.
Place the peas, lemon zest, olive oil, dill, ricotta and parmesan in a bowl and mash for a chunkier finish. You can also use a food processor or blender and quickly blitz. Fresh peas will take longer than frozen, so pulse frozen peas gradually, so you don't over-process. You don't want the mix too runny, chunky is better for this recipe.
If using fresh peas, you may require more liquid to achieve the desired consistency. You can add some additional olive oil or some of the cooking water slowly until you have the right consistency and smoothness of a chunky dip purée.
Adjust the parmesan, lemon zest, dill and salt and pepper to taste.
Slice the bagels and layer with salad greens and beetroot slices on the bottom and the parmesan pea spread on top.

Notes

Recipe Variations

Add Bacon
Beetroot and peas naturally lend themselves to bacon flavours so feel free to add a few slices of either normal or vegan bacon to the bagel.

Switch Herbs

Even though dill works great with beetroot, not everyone loves it. Switch out for thyme, another herb of your choice or nothing at all – there will be plenty of flavour with the beets and parmesan. Just make sure to use a quality freshly grated parmesan. It makes all the difference.

Peas

Fresh peas are meatier and drier than frozen peas, so they may require more liquid to achieve the required consistency and smoothness. Reserve some of the peas cooking water for this, and feel free to use a little additional olive oil. But remember, you don't want your pea puree to be too runny, chunky is better for this recipe.

Frozen peas may be smaller in size and will naturally have a higher water content than fresh peas, which means they will blend down quicker and require less liquid. Due to this, you may want to increase the amount of peas you use to achieve the required amount.

Nutrition