Millet balls with vegetables and broad bean cream

Name: Millet balls with vegetables and broad bean cream
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: Millet hulled organic 1 cup; Water 2.3 cups; Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp; Breadcrumbs gluten-free 0.4 cup; Parsley (to chop) 1 tsp; Powdered turmeric 1 pinch; Fine salt 1 pinch; Garlic 1 clove; Zucchini 0.8 cup; Carrots ½ cup; Shallot 0.5 oz; Eggplant 3.5 oz; Breadcrumbs gluten-free &frac13; cup; Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp; Fava beans (shelled) ¾ cup; Mint 2 leaves; Extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp; Fine salt 1 pinch

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159

Calories per serving

Lactose Free
Vegetarian
Vegan

Energy Kcal 159
Carbohydrates g 21.8
of which sugars g 1.3
Protein g 4.2
Fats g 6.1
of which saturated fat g 0.92
Fiber g 3.3
Sodium mg 187

Difficulty: Very easy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Serving: 8
Cost: Very low

PRESENTATION

Millet balls with vegetables and broad bean cream bring something fresh and fun to the Italian table. Really fun, actually. You’re mixing old traditions with a new twist, which is great. In places like Southern Italy, you don’t see millet as much as rice or pasta, but folks are starting to appreciate it again for how light and nutritious it is.

These millet balls are packed with a bunch of colorful veggies, so you get bites that are both pretty and tender inside. Some people go for oven-baking, while others stick with frying. Either way, you get that mix of a crispy outside and a soft middle. I gotta say, what makes this really, really different from the usual polpette is that millet is gluten-free—awesome for anyone trying to keep things lighter or cut out gluten. Plus, it’s one of those healthy millet dishes where you don’t feel like you’re missing out on flavor.

For summertime parties or just casual get-togethers, these vegetable millet balls really shine. And look, they work great as finger food at a buffet or as a simple main course. The broad bean cream? It’s a nice, creamy dip with that real Mediterranean flavor. It’s like a veggie version of the classic meatball but with more moist texture and a rich taste from the broad beans.

The fava bean cream gives everything a lift—seriously good—since it’s got that tangy and earthy thing going on that matches so well with the veggies. People in Italy love serving this as an original appetizer, especially when they want something that looks cool but is still pretty easy to put together. For anyone into vegetarian millet recipes or just looking for something a bit different, this dish ticks all the boxes. Between the fresh flavors, fun texture, and the fact that it’s a true plant-based meal, these millet balls with broad bean cream are a smart way to keep things interesting—without getting too heavy or complicated. Really, you cannot go wrong with this.

INGREDIENTS

159

Calories per serving

for 32 balls: Millet 1 cup (200 g) - hulled organic; Water 2.3 cups (550 g); Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp (25 g); Breadcrumbs 0.4 cup (50 g) - gluten-free; Parsley 1 tsp (5 g) - (to chop); Powdered turmeric 1 pinch; Fine salt 1 pinch; Garlic 1 clove; Zucchini 0.8 cup (100 g); Carrots ½ cup (100 g); Shallot 0.5 oz (15 g); Eggplant 3.5 oz (100 g)

for breading and cooking: Breadcrumbs ⅓ cup (40 g) - gluten-free; Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp (20 g)

for the broad bean cream: Fava beans ¾ cup (150 g) - (shelled); Mint 2 leaves; Extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp (10 g); Fine salt 1 pinch

Preparation

How to prepare Millet balls with vegetables and broad bean cream

To prepare the millet balls with vegetables and broad bean cream, start by preparing the millet. Rinse the millet well under a stream of cold water and drain it 1, finely chop the shallot 2, and dice the carrot 3.

Dice the eggplant 4 and the zucchini 5 as well and set everything aside. Then heat the oil in a pan and add the millet 6,

let it toast for a few minutes, stirring occasionally 7, then slowly pour in the hot water 8, add salt 9, and let cook for 25 minutes.

Once cooked, transfer the millet to a bowl 10 and let it cool completely. In another pan, wilt the shallot in a little oil over low heat 11, then add the carrots 12,

then the eggplants 13 and finally the zucchinis 14. Salt everything 15,

and let it cook for 20 minutes, deglazing with a ladle of hot water or Vegetable broth 16 until they become soft 17. Now start preparing the broad bean cream: shell them one by one 18,

and once all are shelled 19, blanch them for about 10-15 minutes 20. Then pour the broad beans into a tall container, add oil, mint, and salt 21

and blend everything with an immersion blender 22 until you get a creamy mixture 23. Add to the cold millet: the vegetables 24,

the chopped parsley 25, a crushed garlic clove 26, and the turmeric 27.

Finally, add 1/2 cup of gluten-free breadcrumbs 28 to achieve a consistency suitable for shaping the balls. Then shape the small balls 29 by taking about 1 oz of mixture at a time and forming a round and slightly flattened shape, then roll each ball in breadcrumbs 30 and continue until the dough is finished.

Cook the balls in a non-stick pan with a little extra virgin olive oil 31, browning them well on both sides 32 to achieve a crispy and tasty surface. If you want, you can also bake them in a static oven at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or in a convection oven at 320°F for 10-15 minutes. Serve your millet balls with vegetables as an appetizer or as a second course along with the broad bean cream 33.

Storage

You can store the millet balls with vegetables in the refrigerator for one day if raw, or for two to three days at most if already cooked, always storing them in an airtight container. You can freeze the raw balls and then cook them as needed.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.