The lovely France and Joshua of Beyond the Peel are hosting Wholesome Wholegrain Cooking. For this event the host chooses a whole grain and a meal they want to highlight. This month is Millet for Lunch. Mike and I both work from home, so lunch for us is generally whatever I happen to be cooking that day. (Mmm german chocolate cupcakes for lunch). But I have spent my fair share of time packing lunches, so I set out to make something easily packable. While everyone else seems to be in pumpkin mode, I can’t seem to get enough fresh sage. When I’m trying to figure out how to spice a dish, sage seems to be the first thing that always comes to mind. And sage always seems to pair with white beans in my head.
I figured mini-casseroles would be just the right size for packing. Grab and go, with no need to slice, like you would with full-sized casserole. I originally was trying to make more of a tart with millet as the crust, but it tended to be crumbly which is not easily packable. And honestly, mixing everything together is just easier anyway.
- 2 1/2 cups cooked white beans
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 5-6 fresh sage leaves, torn into pieces
- 1/3 cup stock, water, or cream
- sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 cups cooked millet
- Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are golden brown, 45-50 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Combine the white beans, caramelized onion, fresh sage, stock, and remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a food processor. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Process until smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the bean puree with the cooked millet. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
- Spoon mixture into greased muffin tin. Cover the tin with aluminum foil.
- Place in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil. Bake for another 5-6 minutes, until edges are just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool completely before removing from the tin.
(Makes 12 mini-casseroles)
You have lots of leeway in deciding how caramelized you’d like your onions. You can cook them much longer than 45 minutes. They’ll keep getting darker and sweeter. It just depends on how much time you have, and how patient you are. I wouldn’t go less that 30 minutes though.
This recipe is also being shared in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, These Chicks Cooked, and Wellness Weekends.
Hi Kalinda, Thanks for sharing this great recipe with us. I bet these would be great made ahead of time and packed up to go. We eat at home most days as well. Joshua works from home and I only work during the day once or twice a week. It sure makes lunch time more interesting when you’re in the comfort of your own home. I’ll be giving these a try. I love the combo of white beans and millet. What a nutrient dense lunch!
mmmmm, I love the look of these :)
Thanks France! I really liked how these turned out, so thanks for being the inspiration. Even though I am home and cooking a lot of the time, it’s still nice to have something to grab and eat.
And thanks Jacqueline. Hope you like the taste of them too. ;)
These look yummy! Are they flavorful, or more on the bland side? Thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul blog hop!
The sage is pretty prominent, and you can salt and pepper to your heart’s content.
Your mini casseroles look wonderful, and such healthy ingredients too! Thank you for sharing them with the Hearth and Soul hop.
Your mini-casseroles look wonderful! I love the combination of white beans and millet – 2 of my favorites! Thanks for sharing your recipe with the Hearth and Soul Hop.
Was just about to start this recipe… and noticed that step one says to saute the onions for 45-50 minutes- is that correct? Just checking! This looks awesome by the way : )
Thanks April and Alea!
@TheHealingKitchen: Yes, I wanted the recipe to include caramelized onions, and the only way to get them to caramelize is to let them cook. I’m sure the recipe would work with sauteed onions, I just wanted the extra flavor from letting them brown.
Thank you for your response. I know it was kindof a silly question, but I don’t have a lot of experience with cooked food :) I did make this recipe last night (with sauteed onions) and it turned out really yummy. Thank you!
Glad to hear it. :)
These look amazing – and also like something that is going into the oven tomorrow. I’m always looking for GF recipes that can be doled out in single portions easily, as well as healthy (and of course, tasty!). I’m considering making them even a bit smaller (mini muffin pan size) and make ‘bites’ and take a small jar of something yummy to dip them into for my husband’s lunch. And, well. I’ve gotten really bad about skipping meals (common, I’ve found amongst folks who work from home) and these sound just about right to work into my own Bento boxes as well!
I like where you’re headed. I unfortunately don’t have any mini-muffin pans. If you give it a shot, I’d love to hear what you come up with. My brain is not currently having any flashes of insight.
This is going on my meal plan for the week! Looks great and kid-friendly…and beautiful photography!