Beetroot Toastie

A toastie is more of a British origin term which has very specifically sliced bread, filled and then heated and sealed between two metal surfaces, to prevent leaks. Cheese is an important ingredient in toasties, but not vital, and fillings are classically based around this. A toastie lets you experiment with ingredients and combining flavours. I had earlier shared other versions of toasties: one with a classic combination of Spinach & Corn Toastie and another one with Spinach & Mushroom Toastie.

There are two key things that identify the toastie. First, it must be buttered on the outside, so it develops a crisp, golden exterior. Second, it must be compressed in some way, by hinged lid, cast-iron weight or a suitable kitchen utensil, so that bread and filling are welded together.

The toasties in frame have a flavourful filling made of a combination of beetroots and cottage cheese (paneer) seasoned with a blend of spices.

Beetroots are known to be good sources of vitamins and minerals, such as folate, manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. They are believed to aid heart health and improve exercising capacity.

While eating beetroots raw in salads would be the best option, they are often cooked into Beetroot Soup, Beetroot Buttermilk,  chutneys, halwas, curries, sambar, Beetroot Rasam, and many more. Have you checked my recipes for Beetroot Pulao, Beetroot Dosa and Beetroot Akki Rotti yet?

Cottage cheese is made with skim milk. It is high in protein with very low fat content. It has an excellent satiety value. Its high casein protein content helps muscle recovery post exercise. Indian paneer is a form of cottage cheese and considered amongst the healthiest cheese varieties in India.

A combination of these two healthy ingredients is bound to become a delicious and wholesome stuffing too! I have used ragi bread here for making these toasties, but you may choose any bread of your liking.

Beetroot Toastie Recipe

Makes 6 (12 triangles)

Ingredients:

  • Beetroot – 1, small, grated
  • Paneer/ cottage cheese – 200 gm, crumbled/grated
  • Onion – 1, large, finely chopped
  • Green chillies – 2, finely chopped
  • Garlic – 5 to 6 cloves, large, minced
  • Butter – 1 tbsp
  • Salt – 1/2 tsp
  • Italian seasoning mix – 1 tbsp
  • Bread – 12 slices

Instructions:

1) Rinse, peel & grate the beetroot. Squeeze and remove juice. (Alternatively you can choose to cook as is, it will take a little longer to reduce the liquid.) The squeezed out juice can be used to add to Beetroot Buttermilk, Beetroot rasam, rotis, pooris, or parathas, etc.

2) Finely chop onion, green chillies and garlic. Crumble/ grate the paneer.

3) Heat butter/ oil in a pan.

4) Add finely chopped garlic and green chillies.

5) Saute on low flame for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the raw smell of garlic is gone.

6) Add finely chopped onion.

7) Mix well.

8) Add salt.

9) Mix well and saute until onions turn translucent.

10) Add grated beetroot.

11) Mix well. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on low flame while stirring at intervals.

12) Add the remaining salt. Mix well. Turn off heat.

13) Add crumbled/grated paneer.

14) Add Italian seasoning mix.

15) Mix well. Stuffing is ready.

16) Divide the stuffing into 6 equal parts.

17) Take 4 slices of bread. Evenly spread 1 portion each of stuffing on 2 of the slices.

18) Cover the stuffing with the other slices of bread. Brush with butter on the outside for a crispy, golden brown finish. I tend to avoid using butter. This is totally optional based on your preference.

19) Follow the directions on your sandwich toaster and toast the sandwiches.

20) Cut them along the impression line and serve with tomato ketchup or your choice of dipping sauce.

Tips: If you want to give the filling an Indian flavour – season it with cumin powder, coriander powder, coriander leaves, garam masala, and chaat masala.

If you happen to try this Beetroot Sandwich Toast Recipe; leave a comment, let me know how it turned out. Use in your Instagram posts – #theredplatechroniclesbymeenadanti and tag @theredplatechronicles To see more of my work, follow me on

Have a great day!
Love
M❤️

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