Millet Burgers with Olives, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Pecorino

Savory vegetarian millet burgers packed with Mediterranean flavors including sun-dried tomatoes, green olives, pine nuts, and Pecorino cheese. These crispy patties are seasoned with fresh herbs and pan-fried until golden brown.

6 servings

1 hr 18 min

Published October 4, 2025

Ingredients

•3 cups water
•1 cup millet
•10 whole sun-dried tomatoes
•1 clove garlic
•¼ cup pine nuts
•⅓ cup pitted green olives
•¼ cup Pecorino-Romano
•4 whole caper berries
•2 teaspoons oregano
•2 teaspoons marjoram
•2 tablespoons unsalted butter
•2 tablespoons olive oil

Cooking Instructions

1.
1. Combine 3 cups water and millet in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until it's like a thick, coarse, hot breakfast cereal, about 30 minutes. Uncover and stir well to incorporate any last bits of water. Scrape the millet into a large bowl and cool for 10 minutes.
40 min
2.
2. Meanwhile, put the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic in a small heat-proof bowl. Cover with boiling water and steep for 10 minutes.
10 min
3.
3. Place the pine nuts in a dry medium skillet set over medium-low heat. Toast until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Pour them into the bowl with the millet.
5 min
4.
4. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic in a fine-mesh sieve and add them to the bowl with the millet. Add the olives, cheese, caper berries, oregano, and marjoram. Stir well, mashing the ingredients together. You want texture here, bits of this and that scattered throughout the burgers, not a baby-food puree. Use dampened hands to form the mixture into 6 round, even patties.
15 min
5.
5. Melt the butter in the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet, preferably nonstick. Slip the patties into the skillet and cook until mottled brown and somewhat crisp, about 4 minutes. Flip them and continue cooking until set throughout, mottled brown on the other side, and now nicely crisp, about 4 more minutes. If your skillet isn't large enough to hold all 6 patties at once, work in two batches, using 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for each batch.
8 min

Cooking Instructions

1. Combine 3 cups water and millet in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until it's like a thick, coarse, hot breakfast cereal, about 30 minutes. Uncover and stir well to incorporate any last bits of water. Scrape the millet into a large bowl and cool for 10 minutes.

40 min

2. Meanwhile, put the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic in a small heat-proof bowl. Cover with boiling water and steep for 10 minutes.

10 min

3. Place the pine nuts in a dry medium skillet set over medium-low heat. Toast until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Pour them into the bowl with the millet.

5 min

4. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic in a fine-mesh sieve and add them to the bowl with the millet. Add the olives, cheese, caper berries, oregano, and marjoram. Stir well, mashing the ingredients together. You want texture here, bits of this and that scattered throughout the burgers, not a baby-food puree. Use dampened hands to form the mixture into 6 round, even patties.

15 min

5. Melt the butter in the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet, preferably nonstick. Slip the patties into the skillet and cook until mottled brown and somewhat crisp, about 4 minutes. Flip them and continue cooking until set throughout, mottled brown on the other side, and now nicely crisp, about 4 more minutes. If your skillet isn't large enough to hold all 6 patties at once, work in two batches, using 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for each batch.

8 min