(3oz) Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated
3Tbsp.
extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
to grease
1
garlic clove
zest and juice 1 lemon
75g
(3oz) blanched hazelnuts
100g
(3 ½oz) watercress
200g
(7oz) wholewheat spaghetti
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. In a large pan, gently cook the kale for 3min in 75ml (3fl oz) of water to wilt (stir often). Set aside to cool slightly.
Step 2
Put the lentils, egg, breadcrumbs and hard cheese into a food processor. Whiz to form a thick paste. Lift up handfuls of cooled kale (set aside empty pan) and squeeze out excess moisture. Add kale to food processor with some seasoning and whiz to combine.
Step 3
With lightly greased hands, roll kale mixture into 20 balls. Set on prepared baking tray and brush with 1tbsp of the oil. Cook in the oven for 20min until golden. Fill reserved pan with salted water and bring to the boil.
Step 4
Meanwhile, in the cleaned-out food processor, whiz the garlic, lemon zest and juice, remaining 2tbsp oil, the hazelnuts, 75g (3oz) of the watercress, 1/4tsp salt and 100ml (3½fl oz) water to make a chunky pesto. Set aside.
Step 5
In the large pan of salted boiling water, cook the pasta according to pack instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving 75ml (3fl oz) pasta water.
Step 6
Return pasta to the empty pan and toss through the pesto, polpette and reserved cooking water. Check the seasoning. Divide among four warm bowls and scatter with remaining watercress. Serve.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
