I had some beef mince that needed using up and looking in my cupboard for some inspiration found a measily 1/3 of a cup of bulgur wheat, so decided to combine the two to make these bites. The only timely bit was the roasting of the tomatoes. But OMG were these a hit.

Beef and Bulgur Wheat Bites stuffed with Mozzarella and Roasted Tomatoes

Makes approx 10 bites
Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of bulgur wheat
• 200g of lean beef mince
• 1 egg
• fresh parsley chopped
• fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp of wholegrain mustard
• black pepper
• 10 grapes tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted passata
• 2 cloves of garlic
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• 45g of mozzarella, cut into 10 equal sized cubes

Directions

Soak the bulgur in a jug of water for approx 1 hour, drain completely and set aside

Preheat oven to 200c or 400f (gas mark 6)

Place the tomatoes in an oven proof dish with the garlic. Add  a splash of balsamic vinegar and drizzle with oil.

Place in the oven and roast for approx 20 mins until golden.

Then remove, place the tomatoes and garlic in a mini food processor with the passata and blitz a few times with the blade until you have a coarse sauce.

In a large bowl, add the beef mince, bulgur, egg, mustard, a little black pepper and some chopped basil and parsley and mix well to bind all the ingredients together.

Take approx 1 heaped tablespoon of the mixture and flatten it in the palm of your hand. Add  little bit of the sauce and 1 cube of the mozzarella and fold over the top of the cheese until you have a ball and then press it firmly all around to make sure the ball is well sealed.

Repeat with the remaining mixture. You should make about 10 bites, but if you end up with more mixture, then you will just need a little more cheese.

Place in an oven proof dish and bake in the oven until golden all over.

These are great served as they are or can be served topped with a homemade tomato sauce (see my recipe here)

Enjoy!!