Pork

Pancetta and root veggie gratin

4
Print Recipe

Traybakes are perfect for chilly nights and this vegetable gratin recipe is the perfect candidate. Quick to prepare, super tasty and packed full of veggies, it’s a delicious way to support your wellbeing.

Root vegetables are rich in dietary fibre, helping to support our digestive system. This fibre also helps to feed the good bacteria in our gut with prebiotics. When we have a healthy microbiome, these good gut bugs can help our body to produce so-called ‘happy hormones’ like serotonin. In fact, researchers think that up to 90 per cent of our serotonin is produced in the gut. It shows how our microbiome plays a crucial role in how we’re feeling.

We particularly love pairing this delicious vegetable gratin recipe with a bitter salad of chicory or radicchio. Radicchio is a rich source of vitamin K and is also high in zinc and copper. We need vitamin K to help support our body with blood clotting and wound healing. It may also play a role in keeping our bones healthy too.

Discover more delicious recipes

Ingredients

  • 100g thin pancetta rashers, snipped into small pieces
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 200g peeled sweet potato, coarsely grated
  • 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
  • 200g peeled swede, coarsely grated
  • 1-2 tsp olive or rapeseed oil
  • 1 large leek, sliced into rounds
  • 150g courgette, coarsely grated
  • 170g soft cheese
  • 100g mature cheddar, grated
  • 2 tsp chopped parsley
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Fry the pancetta until crispy in a large frying pan, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and blot dry on kitchen paper.
  2. Add the onion and garlic to the pancetta fat and fry for 5 minutes until soft. Turn your grill on at this point if it takes a while to warm up.
  3. Tip the grated sweet potato, carrot and swede into the onion and garlic mixture, and fry on a high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. If it looks too dry, add 1-2 tsp of oil. Finally, add the sliced leek and grated courgette and fry on a medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes until cooked, stirring frequently.
  4. Pour the vegetables into a shallow ovenproof gratin dish and stir in the soft cheese before seasoning well with salt and black pepper. Gently fold in the pancetta.
  5. Smooth flat, sprinkle with grated cheddar and place under the hot grill for 5-10 minutes or until beautifully golden.
  6. Scatter with chopped parsley and serve immediately with a bitter salad of chicory or radicchio.

Save