Ingredients:
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2/3 cup butter beans or cannellini beans
2/3 cup ricotta
3 eggs
1 cup grated cheese (e.g. cheddar, or pizza cheese blend)
2 cups cooked vegetables, e.g. 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup corn kernels (or any vegetables)
1 cup wholemeal plain flour
2 tablespoons chopped herbs, e.g. chives, parsley, coriander, basil (anything you like!)
1 cup breadcrumbs
Method:
– Fry onion and garlic until lightly brown, set aside.
– Steam or microwave vegetables and finely chop into small pieces, set aside to cool slightly.
– Blend together butter beans, ricotta and eggs until beans are in small pieces or smooth texture.
– In a large mixing bowl, mix together onion, garlic, vegetables, butter bean, ricotta and egg mixture, and herbs until well combined.
– Next add in cheese and mix through until cheese is evenly distributed.
– Add flour and mix with a spoon until all ingredients are well combined.
– The mixture will be like a thick cake batter texture.
– Pour the breadcrumbs onto a plate.
– Place a tablepsoon dollop of mixture into the breadcrumbs then form into a ball using your hands, and coat completely with breadcrumbs. Repeat until you have approximately 24 bites.
– Place the bites in the fridge for a minumum of 30 minutes for the mixture to firm.
– Lightly pan fry the bites in a little olive oil for 1-2 minutes on each side, then place onto a baking tray and bake in the oven (180oC) for around 10 minutes or until cooked through.
– Serve hot or cold.
TIPS:
– you can use any cooked vegetables for this recipe, e.g. zucchini, peas, pumpkin, sweet potato, peas, carrot, beetroot
– the mixture can also be placed into a mini muffin tin and baked at 180oC for 15 minutes if you don’t have time to roll them into balls.