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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian Dinner Recipes

    Jul 4, 2016 · Modified: Mar 25, 2022 by Becca Heyes · This post may contain affiliate links · 55 Comments

    Mushroom and Kidney Bean Koftas with herby pesto

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    Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings: 2 people
    5 from 3 votes
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    Mushroom and kidney bean koftas with a pesto drizzle and couscous - these easy and super tasty vegetarian koftas are vegan and gluten-free!

    Kidney bean koftas in a bowl with couscous and sauteed greens, drizzled with pesto.

    After the success of my carrot and red lentil koftas a while back, I thought I'd give a bean version a try. Really, the only similarity between my previous lentil koftas and these mushroom and kidney bean koftas is the word 'kofta' (which, to be honest, probably isn't the right word anyway. I'm using a little artistic licence here).

    Oh, and the fact that they're delicious. So. Stinkin'. Delicious.

    ... and there ends the similarity.

    A portion of vegan koftas with couscous and greens in a bowl.

    Rather than serving these kidney bean koftas with a curry sauce like I did last time, we had them with couscous and sautéed veggies, and drizzled a herby pesto on top. The pesto is part of the recipe, so don't skip it - it adds loads of lovely fresh flavour (or if you absolutely must skip it, add some of the fresh herbs into the kofta mixture instead). The combination is really lovely - the rich and crispy bean koftas with the fresh, herby pesto. The fluffy couscous goes really nicely too, I'd recommend that!

    Vegetarian bean koftas in a bowl with couscous and greens.

    Now that it's officially the summer and it's fairly warm (not dry, mind! Just warm), I'm trying to cook a bit healthier, and these mushroom and bean koftas are ideal. They're really easy to make, they have a good amount of protein, and they're great served alongside lots of veggies.

    I really enjoyed serving my bean koftas in this way, but next time I might try serving them in flatbread with hummus, falafel-style! Yum yum.

    A fork cutting a vegetarian bean kofta in half.

    Mushroom and kidney bean koftas with herby pesto

    Mushroom and kidney bean koftas with a pesto drizzle and couscous - these easy and super tasty vegetarian koftas are vegan and gluten-free!

    If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!

    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Comment
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 336kcal
    Author: Becca Heyes
    (prevents your screen from going dark)

    Ingredients

    For the mushroom and bean koftas:

    • ½ tablespoon oil
    • ½ medium onion, finely diced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 160 g mushrooms, diced fairly small (~ 2 cups when diced)
    • 400 g tin kidney beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 ¼ cups, when drained)
    • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
    • Salt
    • Black pepper
    • Spray oil

    For the herb pesto:

    • 2 tablespoon nuts (I used pistachios)
    • 1 handful fresh herbs (I used basil and coriander / cilantro)
    • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • Salt
    • Black pepper

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4 / 350°F).
    • Heat a little oil in a frying pan, and add the finely diced onion. Cook over a medium heat for a couple of minutes, until slightly soft. Add the garlic and diced mushrooms, and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and any excess liquid has evaporated.
    • In a large bowl, combine the drained kidney beans, spices, and a very generous pinch of salt and pepper. Mash thoroughly with a potato masher or fork - it's okay to leave some texture, but you don't want any full beans remaining.
    • Add the mushrooms to the mashed beans, and mix well.
    • Lightly grease a baking tray. Use clean hands to form the bean mixture into balls - I made 8 in total. Place the koftas on the tray, and spray again with oil. Bake for around 45 mins - 1 hour, or until the koftas are firm and crispy.
    • Meanwhile, add the pesto ingredients to a mini food processor, and blitz until fairly smooth.
    • When the koftas are cooked, serve them with the pesto and your choice of sides.

    Notes

    These koftas can be served in all sorts of different ways - see the blog post for some ideas.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 portion - Calories: 336 kcal - Carbohydrates: 30.9 g - Protein: 12.4 g - Fat: 20.3 g - Saturated Fat: 2.8 g - Cholesterol: 0 mg - Sodium: 188 mg - Fiber: 7.9 g - Sugar: 3.7 g

    Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @EasyCheesyVeg or tag #EasyCheesyVegetarian!

    Got another tin of kidney beans handy? You must try my vegetarian chilli mac - made in one pan!

    One pot vegetarian chilli mac

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    Comments

    1. Heidi says

      January 13, 2023 at 5:43 pm

      OMG, I am thrilled with these little balls of yummy! Definitely making these again.5 stars

      Reply
      • Becca Heyes says

        January 16, 2023 at 9:00 am

        Thanks Heidi! :)

        Reply
    2. Stephanie says

      March 15, 2019 at 9:07 am

      Love your revision of the site, but did you know that the useful calculator for different numbers of servings needs a tweak so it picks up your bracketed notes, like (~ 2 cups when diced)
      or 240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)

      Reply
      • Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says

        March 18, 2019 at 1:39 pm

        Ah well spotted, thanks! I'm not sure how to fix that to be honest... might just need to accept that the calculator will only work on the initial figure, sorry!

        Reply
    3. Nicola says

      February 09, 2017 at 10:53 am

      Made these tonight....great recipe as usual. Quick, easy and soooooooooooooo delicious. Verstile too re what to have them with- I'm gonna try them as 'meat balls' with a tomato based spaghetti at some point. Thanks- love your stuff...you have made my recipe books redundant!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        February 20, 2017 at 11:46 am

        Thanks Nicola! :) I think they'd be great with spaghetti and tomato sauce. Thanks for the lovely comment!

        Reply
    4. Helen Costello says

      July 09, 2016 at 10:15 pm

      Mmm that herby pesto sounds an incredible accompaniment. I love mushrooms with pretty much anything so welcome the chance to try a new way of serving them.

      Reply
    5. Jacqueline Meldrum says

      July 08, 2016 at 10:24 pm

      These look amazing Becca. Stumbled, pinned and yummed :)

      Reply
    6. Helene @Croque-Maman says

      July 08, 2016 at 5:18 pm

      You keep reminding me to cook with beans! These look delicious. Thank you for sharing :-)

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        July 09, 2016 at 10:38 am

        I cook with beans alllll the time! Such a great vegetarian protein.

        Reply
    7. Cecilia Keinapel says

      July 07, 2016 at 11:37 pm

      I like the sound of this recipe. I am a sucker for couscous it is so healthy and nice and you can use it for anything. I will save this recipe for later x

      Reply
    8. Linda Hobbis says

      July 07, 2016 at 6:19 pm

      These look delicious although everytime I read one of your recipes I have just eaten something far less healthy. Sadly today's was a Pot Noodle. I think you are trying to tell me something!!!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        July 07, 2016 at 7:29 pm

        Hahaha! This made me laugh so much. No judgement here!! XD

        Reply
    9. Jagrui says

      July 07, 2016 at 3:10 pm

      My husband is a great fan of mushrooms ..and these kofta sounds lovely

      Reply
    10. Michele says

      July 07, 2016 at 2:29 pm

      This is a nice meatless monday idea for our house! Anything flavor boosted with Pesto is a win in my book! :)

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

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    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

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