These spinach and quinoa patties are delicious, vegetarian and packed with protein and nutrients! They almost make me think I’m eating a chicken cutlet or meatball, without the meat.
Spinach and Quinoa Patties
These vegetarian patties make a delicious main, perfect with an egg on top or serve them along a salad. And because they make a lot, they are also great to make ahead for meal prep! If you love quinoa, you may also like Salmon Quinoa Burgers, Quinoa Huevos Rancheros Bowls and Southwestern Black Bean Quinoa Mango Salad.
These Spinach and Quinoa Patties make enough for several meals which makes them perfect for meal prep. I had one topped with a poached egg for breakfast which was super yummy. The rest I served as a main course for dinner with a big avocado salad and felt quite satisfied. I can’t help thinking how good this would be with melted cheese on top in place of a burger to make it more of a veggie-quinoa burger.
Another bonus, these quinoa patties are inexpensive to make, and can be adapted for gluten-free diets.
This recipe was adapted from Heidi Swanson’s cookbook Super Natural Every Day. Her original recipe calls for kale, but since I made them on a whim, all I had was spinach and that worked out just fine. My (meat-loving) husband even thought they were great.
Variations:
- Swap the spinach for kale
- Make them dairy free by swapping the Parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast.
- If you prefer to bake them, Bake in a preheated oven 375 for 8 to 10 minutes on each side.
- If you have an Instant Pot, you can use this foolproof Instant Pot Quinoa Recipe.
More Quinoa Recipes You Will Love
- Quinoa Huevos Rancheros Bowls
- Southwestern Black Bean Quinoa Mango Salad
- Salmon Quinoa Burgers
- Quinoa Fried Rice
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Quinoa and Spinach Patties
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 4 eggs, whisked
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese*
- 3 large scallions, sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup steamed spinach, chopped (frozen is fine)
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs, for GF, be sure to use GF breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa thoroughly and place the grains in a medium sauce pan with 2 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Cook until quinoa is tender and has absorbed the liquid, about 20 minutes. Let it cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, eggs, Parmesan, scallions, garlic, salt, steamed spinach, and breadcrumbs. Let everything sit for a few minutes to absorb the liquid. The batter should be moist, but not runny. Form patties 1/4 cup each.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. In 2 or 3 batches, cook the patties covered for 8-10 minutes on each side, or until browned and golden.
I made approximately half a batch today. It was delicious, but more than the two of us could eat in one sitting. I didn’t have any spinach on hand, so I sauteed briefly 1 cup of zucchini and green pepper. It turned out very good!
I have never tried quinoa before and this sounded good so I tried it. I followed the recipe exactly until the end when I decided that I didn’t want to fry these because it is hot out and I didn’t want to air fry because it would take so long so I decided to bake them in the oven. I baked them using convection at 400F for 10 minutes, turned them over and baked another 8 minutes until crispy and brown. I think they taste amazing!
I love these so much. Been making them for years! I bake them and add a bit of soy sauce. Love them with a runny egg for breakfast! My husband even loves them and I’m not sure he even understands what quinoa is! 🙂
I make these in the reg! They are quick and easy and so versatile. I actually throw it all in the blender (besides the cheese, I add it in after) to make a more consistent texture. I started doing that to get my one year old to eat them. I’m now calling them chicken nuggets!
Lol! Glad you all enjoy them!
This is in constant rotation in my home. We love it! I do use seasoned breadcrumbs because it’s usually what I have on hand. I like to make potatoes and hollandaise as a side/topping. Does it need it? No. But I love a poached egg with hollandaise and it’s a delicious add-on that’s just a little less skinny :).
Delicious. I make these all the time and freeze them too. Great for a quick vegetarian meal when you don’t have time to cook.
Can I cook these in my air fryer? Time and temp?
I just made them in the air fryer at 375 degrees 6 minutes flip over and another 6 minutes. Came out great
Love these! Make them all the time!
These have been a breakfast staple for me for several years. I add Italian seasoning, basil and oregano to the original recipe to give it a little more taste. Recently, I decided to make a Southwestern version adding red bell pepper (chopped), cilantro, substituted shredded cheddar for parmesan, added a 1/2 tsp of pepper, 1 Tbsp each of cumin, oregano and coriander. I loved the Southwestern version even more.
Also added 2 jalapeño peppers (chopped).
its terrible
I made these tonight. I was making a different quinoa recipe and found I had too many missing ingredients. I had already cooked red bell peppers and Onion so I added those to the written recipe mixture. Parmesan bread crumbs. I cooked the quinoa in vegetable broth. I did fry mine to golden brown and a bit crispy. I made a creamy lemony dip with sour cream, Mayo and fresh lemon and they were delicious. I’ll be trying leftovers in the morning with an egg. ’ll definitely make these again and use vegetable ingredients I have on hand.
So flavorful!
So confused can anyone explain what kcal is in actual calories???
Kcal is an abbreviation for calories. 🙂
LOVE these. I need to make them without the Parmesan cheese…so today I’m trying them with nutritional yeast. Such an awesome snack.
I have another batch of these freezing and just want to say I LOVE them have been making them for years.. I used light parmesan from the can cause that is all I usually have and can get the points down to 1 per patty on Purple.
The one thing I’ll say of you find the flavour bland is that make sure you cook them long enough for the patty to ‘set’ you want them to be firm and the heat to get through or else the onion/garlic flavour won’t come through as strong. I find if I undercook them (even if the sides are brown) they just don’t sing the same way.
This recipe was great! We are trying to cut down on meals with meat and my husband commented multiple times on how meaty the patties were. It was especially satisfying with the egg. I did use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs because it was all I had on hand, but no regrets because it was delicious. I also cut up and threw fresh spinach into my cooked quinoa to wilt a bit before I mixed everything together. We will definitely be making this again.
These were “OK” in my book. I baked them as suggested and found them very dry and bland even though I added Guajillo pepper to them. I made the whole big batch so today I’ll experiment with some additions to moisten them and spice them up – like chopped roasted poblanos! Good idea but not my favorite. Looks like a lot of people liked them and you can’t please everyone!
Loved this! Used kale instead of spinach and cooked in air fryer 400 degrees, lightly sprayed with oil, five minutes on each side. Served with a big salad and even my kids and husband thought they were delicious!
Hi! How did you prep the kale as a substitute? Did you steam it?
Healthy & Delicious!?! YES YES YES. This recipe is sooo delicious. I added onions instead of scallions. Added BBQ sauce drizzle to top & and a side salad! Will be making this recipe again. I love this recipe!!!!
Reviewed this, but don’t see my review here. I made these per the recipe and have made a number of quinoa patties before, but I found these bland. I’m not sure what would be a useful addition – perhaps some other kinds of spices or fresh herbs?
I love most skinnytaste recipes but not this one. It was horribly blah. Will not try again. Probably won’t try any quinoa cakes after this..sorry.
Perhaps quinoa is not your thing?
Delicious. My favorite quinoa dish that I’ve made.
Could you use almond flour instead of bread crumbs to make it more diabetic friendly?
These were so yummy. Several comments said they were “messy” to make but I found if I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup I could form the patty in the cup and pop them on an oiled sheet for baking.
I do see that they can be frozen before cooking but can they be frozen after cooking as well. How long can they be kept in the refrigerator after cooking?
What can I substitute bread crumbs with. I do not. Do bread
How long do these keep in the fridge and do you think they could be frozen individually for meal prep?
This recipe is amazing. I didn’t have any scallions, so I used chopped onions instead and boiled the quinoa with some stock powder.
My daughters are usually fussy eaters and they enjoyed these babies and even asked
me to pack some for school. I will definitely make these again.
Going to make these this weekend. Question – Did you wring out excess water in spinach or no?
I found that if you use fresh spinach and add it exactly when the quinoa is done, but still VERY hot, it will wilt and cook by using the heat of the quinoa.
So yummy! This is now in my regular rotation for breakfast, lunch or dinner! I’ve made several times already and I followed the recipe but used Italian flavored breadcrumbs instead of plain. It sure does taste like a meatball or chicken cutlet. I’ve even made this with gluten free breadcrumbs for my aunt who has celiac. She raves about them! Thank you 😊
Awesome!
Can you use fresh baby spinach instead and joe much should I use? Thanks
Can you cook in the air fryer? If so, what time and temp?
did they ever answer your question about the air fryer??
These were a big hit with all four family members! Served two patties with one poached egg. (We had green beans and a salad on the side). I did add a little seasoning to the quinoa as it cooked (I use Trader Joe’s Chicken-less salt). Very filling for a total of 8 WW Green Plan points when adding on the egg).
These were delicious with Gina’s recipe for the Tomato-Spinach Tortellini Soup from the “Skinnytaste One & Done” cookbook! My husband and son went back for seconds.
About how many patties does this make total? I ended up with a lot and want to make sure I didn’t mess up! So delicious!!
We ended up with 13 when measuring 1/4 for each before forming the patty. I think next time we will use a scant 1/4 cup to aim for the 14 patties the recipe says it makes.
I used a 1/4 cup measure to make the patties and ended up with about 18! Not sure why…
Wow. This was a surprise hit with the whole family! Thought it would be met with skepticism, but instead was gobbled up!
Followed the recipe except subbed minced red onion for the scallions (it’s what I had on hand), added smoked paprika and cumin, and used panko bread crumbs. In the future, I will add more salt, or perhaps cook the quinoa in salted water to help. The pan frying worked well, but suggest that you gently press them down after flipping to get a more even surface for browning (otherwise ends up a bit dome shaped). I fried eggs as toppers and served with air fryer French fries and fresh watermelon. Delish!
Thanks for another great recipe!
Any tips on converting the patty cooking portion to an air fryer? We recently purchased a ninja foodie, and I’m trying to make as much with it as possible
I made these over the weekend and I thought they came out fantastic!!! I had them on top of a mixed greens salad with balsamic, but they’d be great with an egg on top too.
I made these with a few minor alterations–a little extra salt to taste, coarse ground pepper, and a dash of cayenne (enough for flavor, not enough to make it spicy per se), a little extra garlic. I used dried minced onion since I made this on a whim and didn’t have any scallions in the house. I also added a little extra spinach. I didn’t even notice that I was supposed to let the quinoa cool before mixing, so I didn’t (haha whoops) and they turned out just fine. Messy to make but held together well when baking.
Baked at 375 for 10 minutes on each side (sprayed both sides of the patties with cooking spray so that they would brown a bit). Ate with a bit of Terrapin Farms Everything Aioli. For others doing Noom, I found that “baked spinach quinoa cake” is a fairly close equivalent in terms of nutrition breakdown for meal logging. 🙂 I liked these quite a bit–they might be a little lacking in spices as written, but they are easily customizable and a good base for a healthy lunch.
Although a little messy to make, these are delicious! Made a whole batch in the oven, and enjoyed with a fried egg or side salad!
These were great, a little messy to make and I made them in the oven. I hope they freeze well as being a single person, I freezed half for another week.
Hi Jamie, just curious how they worked out after freezing? Did you freeze after cooking or raw?
Thank you!
I have a picky husband and he thought they didn’t have enough flavor, but my 2 boys ate them without a complaint and I thought they were delicious! The crispy parts were especially good. I’m looking forward to eating one in the morning with an egg!
Love these! Saw these on the weekly menu a couple weeks ago and have been wanting to try them. My gluten free breadcrumbs were seasoned so I skipped the salt, and I used frozen spinach. they are delish. Even DH loved them. Great for Meatless Mondays. Next time will try them in air fryer.
I just got an air fryer and am a total rookie, but would like to try it. How would you adjust the directions to make these in an air fryer?
These are so delicious and easy to make! The perfect crunch and right amount of points.
Wow these were delicious. I made a few adjustments – lol I usually hate when people do that. I didn’t have spinach on hand but had some broccoli rabe, no scallions either but
I sautéed some onions. Also added a little bit of vegan cheddar cheese for a little more salt. Honestly couldn’t wait to eat these for dinner and had 3 of them right out of the pan – they were that good. Thank you!
These were super tasty!! I swapped the breadcrumbs out for oats and they still worked out really well. Definitely a keeper. 🙂
Made these this morning. I really like them. The taste is great, they hold together well.
When I read comments people want to know what they can substitute for ingredients.. Didn’t have green onions, used dehydrated ones, jarred creamed garlic, and Panko breadcrumbs. Hardest part was waiting til the quinoa cooled to actually assemble them. If you don’t have greens to put in them, use parsley or
Cilantro, which I hate, but I hear many love it. I even threw in some white rice from my fridge to use up as someone suggested. I was thinking that creamy white sauce vegans eat and make with cashews would top
This well. By the way, I cooked one to try in my airfryer at 350 for 10 minutes. I’m sure the fried is terrific, but the pandemic has made my clothes tighter being indoors making so many new recipes. Big thumbs up for a very tasty burger. 🇨🇦
Quick meal, not icky..lol
We love quinoa so I tried these and we really liked them. Hubby gives a most a definite thumbs up! I baked them in the oven with a little olive oil. Perfect! They seem to keep well and freeze well and are an easy grab and go food. A few seconds in the microwave and perfect finger food, icky meal.. If I eat a couple at breakfast or lunch I’m satisfied for several hours. Thanks so much for sharing, this is a keeper!
They are delicious but a little messy to make. It said to cook them in the pan of oil 8-10 minutes each side which was way too long. 8-10 minutes total was perfect.
I just made these and I LOVE them. I gave them a quick spray of Pam and cooked them in the air fryer at 360 degrees for 10 minutes. They browned nicely and were wonderful for lunch. I’m going to freeze the rest for easy meals. I’m following someone else’s suggestion to place on a cookie tray, freeze for a few hours, then remove and put them all in one freezer bag (so they won’t stick together).
I made these and they didn’t look the same and took longer to cook. I don’t know what I did wrong.
I used my air fryer and it turned out perfectly! These are very good. This is not a recipe I would have typically picked out, but because it was on the weekly menu, I decided to try it out. I will probably make this again in the future. It pairs wonderfully with the citrus avocado salad.
Great!
Can we freeze these?
Yes.
I think this recipe may have made me a quinoa convert. I always avoided it due to high calorie but I really like the way the burgers came together and also enjoyed others comments about the endless ways they can be customized including adding other veggies, and even beans. It has even been hard with the pandemic going on finding some of my usual vegetarian burgers in the frozen section so time to make my own. I used egg whites and skimped a bit on cheese and used 1/2 cup seasoned panko. So was able to cut back some more calories that way but I think I needed more herbs or something to compensate, but good for first try. The basic recipe is great, I enjoyed baking them in the oven 375 for 10 or so minutes on each side, and I did spray them a bit with olive oil to help them brown and they did. Will have this one be one I make often with all sorts of variations. So a long time coming making this one but saw it on the weekly menu and decided to dive in and am glad I did. Thank you
Hi what can I sub the eggs for. We have an egg allergy in my house.
Flax seed egg substitute: The basic ratio is one tablespoon of flax seeds and three tablespoons of water to replace one egg. You’ll need to grind the flax seeds into a fine powder using a coffee or spice grinder (or use 2 1/2 teaspoons pre-ground), and then you simply whisk in the water until it becomes gelatinous.
Added some old bay seasoning and cooked these in the air fryer- they were amazing!
Thank you!
Heather,
How long did you cook them and at what temp?
These were out of this world FABULOUS!!!! I put them in the air fryer and then turned them over half way through. I am not sure how long cuz I looked at time and temp I use for my falafel. Thank you so much for creative ideas on how to get more healthy things in my day!!!!!
Can you freeze these?
can you freeze these
Yes.
I followed the recipe exactly — minus the cheese — and divvied them up into 8 even patties. The portion size is generous and the patties are very flavorful. I still can’t believe that that much quinoa, that many eggs, and that many breadcrumbs can equal to ~250 calories for TWO patties. You knocked it out of the park, Gina!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I made a little substitution – I had a huge bowl of cooked rice in the fridge – so even though the nutritional profile wasn’t the same – the taste, texture etc – YUMMY!
Served on a bed of arugula, with some nice veggies – topped with salsa and red onion & a bit of a lemon dressing.
PERFECT lunch or dinner – LOVED IT!
Has anyone tried to grill these in a grill basket? Thank you!
I prepare my Quinoa using the Rice Cooker setting on my Fagor pressure cooker and it comes out perfectly in six minutes, fluffy and never crushed or mashed like it can be when cooked and stirred on stovetop. I liked this recipe so much that I posted the link to my Facebook page.
These are delicious! I substituted grated almond cheese for the Parmesan and baked them! Big hit! Will make this recipe again!
I’ve made this recipe of yours on and off for years, and I always forget how many patties this makes! They’re still delicious. I like to serve them with a homemade herby garlic sauce (greek yoghurt, minced garlic, fresh parsley, salt and pepper) and a big salad. Now that I’m pregnant, these are a great source of protein, which I’m finding hard to get enough of at the moment due to some strange food aversions.
For people asking, I’ve made the following swaps according to what I had on hand and it was all delicious: feta instead of parmesan, onion instead of green onion, any type of steamed leafy green instead of spinach, grated courgette instead of spinach (make sure to push out all the moisture after grating). I also really recommend adding a bunch of fresh, finely chopped dill! Very tasty combo with the spinach and cheese.
Love these! I wilted the spinach with the pot of quinoa as soon as I took it off the stove. And used red onions since that’s what I had. I loved these when the original recipe was posted, and the new photography makes them look even better. Thank you!
Instead of patties, could I put this in a square 8×8 pan and bake at ??
Has anyone tried to air fry these?
How do you think these will freeze?
I think they will freeze well. Freeze before cooking.
Are there any spices/flavors I could use instead of garlic and scallions? I’m pregnant and can’t handle garlic or scallions right now. Thanks!
Could I replace the quinoa with barley?
Made this Sat – my husband loves to get in the kitchen and help anytime I’m trying something new (he doesn’t eat the way I do LOL). I didn’t have scallions so I used a small yellow onion but otherwise followed the recipe to the T. These are FANTASTIC!! Reading the comments below, I”m excited to try nutritional yeast instead of the parm next time. (I’m using NOOM to track my foods and the cheese goes right into the red . . . so yeah). I love meal prepping and this one is great!! Also looking forward to baking them as one person suggested (get ’em all done all at once)! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Tried these 6 years ago, and forgot how delicious they are! When my grandson was 2, he LOVED them. He’s now 5 and my daughter made them last weekend, and he insisted he never liked them. When he saw her eating one, he asked if he could try one bite. A minute after that, ” Mama, could I have one of my own?” Filling, satisfying, yummy. We’ve baked them in the oven too with nonstick spray on a cookie sheet at 350 for 10 mins, then flip and bake for another 7-9 mins. They don’t brown as much but still are delicious, and you can usually get the whole batch cooked all at once!
I made these yesterday and they’re great! When I put them in the WW calculator they come out to be 7…any ideas why? Thanks!
You have to use recipe builder to get accurate points.
These taste amazing in a burger to replace the meat!!
Love this recipe. I did not have plain quinoa so I substituted it with tri-color quinoa
Do you think these would cook well in an air fryer? They look delicious!
Love this recipe. I did not have plain quinoa so I substituted with tri-color quinoa. Keep these great recipes coming????
Trying to avoid dairy. Can you sub nutritional yeast for Parm without sacrificing the taste?
OH that’s a great idea!!! I wish I would have thought of that when my husband and I made our first batch this past weekend! I’ll be trying that next time! I would think you would still get fantastic flavor . . .ya?
Do you use the same amount of nutritional yeast? My son is allergic to dairy so I would need to sub it as well.
Is there any way to make these vegan? The recipe sounds really tasty.
yes, I would be curious about what would be a good replacement to bind instead of eggs!
Can you sub Ground Golden Flax seed & water for the egg? 2.5 tsp of ground flax seed to 3T of water is the egg replacement ratio.
I’ve made this recipe several times and love it more each time. I have added black beans to my recipe. I agree that these freeze well and baked after thawing. A family favorite for sure!
I also use health nut bread crumbs, red quinoa, and grated Romano cheese instead for more flavor!
These freeze really well!I pack 2 in a freezer bag and nuke it with it slightly opened for one minute!Perfect quick meal on the run!
Followed recipe exactly but I divided mine into 12 muffin tins and baked for 20 min at 350 degrees. Excellent results! Topped with a poached egg like in the picture. Yums.
What an awesome idea!!!
Great idea!!
We could not stop making yummy noises on Monday night when we had these combined with the Carrot Ginger Soup. The flavor is so full and the texture so fun. I had leftover ones packed into my lunch and they were so good I did not even wait to heat them up. Thanks for a winner that we will revisit. We kind of wondered if shredded zucchini that has been rung out thoroughly (to get rid of moisture) might also work as the veggie in this recipe?
Gracias por sus fabulosa sugerencias e ideas,la probaré pronto
Very good! Crispy and flavorful.
Can you suggest what to dip this in? Thanks!
I have made these before & my husband raves about them. However, I’m in need of a few suggestions. I had the hardest time forming the patties because they kept sticking to my hands. I had to put oil on my hands to keep them from sticking, which increases the amount of oil used & the fat content (we are not on WW but trying to eat healthy & this is my go to website for recipes!) Any tips on how to prevent that? Did I stir the mixture too much & therefore it got too mushy? Also, I ended up using more than 1 tsp of oil to cook all the patties-took me 3 batches to cook them all. What can I do to reduce the amount of oil used? Non stick spray? Are those things healthy?
To keep from sticking I just dipped my hands in water.
What can I use as a binder instead of eggs? Can I just substitute egg whites?
So good! I cooked the quinoa in vegetable broth and pan-wilted about 5oz fresh baby spinach instead of buying frozen. I made half as directed here and made half buffalo adding a pinch of cayenne, 1 diced jalapeno, and 2 teaspoons of Frank’s. I cooked in the oven for 25 minutes at 350, turning halfway through. My batch made 18 so each patty came out to 2pp or 2 for 3pp! SO GOOD. I will be making these over and over. 🙂
Great!
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Just made these with gluten free seasoned breadcrumbs, grilled them on an olive-oil misted grill pan and topped with a little cheddar cheese. Scrumptious over salad greens for a quick protein powered lunch. Freezing the rest for the week. Thanks, Gina!
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Gotta say these are really good.
I’ve made these several times. Made into balls for a party. Main issue is adding some flavor. I cook the quinoa in broth and add bullion for some flavor. Also add in fresh diced mushrooms, brown gravy mix and Sriracha sauce to spice things up. Also, forming into patties is kinda messy so I form the ball and press onto parchment paper. Gently lift the paper and turn the pattie into my hand and place in the skillet. I make a double batch every time and freeze them for quick meals.
Yum! These are delicious! Topping mine tonight with sour cream. Fried egg in the morning. Would like to see how they’d do as mini ” meatballs”……
I just made these on the weekend. They ended up being a bit smaller so 2 worked out to 4 points. I just reheated them for lunch topped with goat cheese and a little sweet chili sauce. OMG! Soooo good.
This has become a staple in my house, I just love them. i wanted to share how well they freeze if you form the patties and lay them on a parchment lined baking sheet. I usually get about 16 patties from one batch and try to lay them out on the lined sheet so that they are not touching. I put the baking sheet in the freezer and a few hours later I remove it, lift off the frozen patties and store them in a large Ziploc bag in a safe place in the freezer where they won’t get knocked around. When I’m in a hurry in the morning I take out two of the patties, place them on a plate and microwave them on high for one minute while I’m heating up a small skillet. I then fry them in the olive oil misted pan for 3 minutes on each side over a medium high heat. When they are done, I lay them bake on the plate, fry an egg in the same pan and I have a wonderful, protein laden healthy breakfast in no time. Wonderful!
Thanks for sharing!
I thoroughly enjoyed the patties! I baked instead of fried. Thinking of making this for Passover, using Matzoh meal instead of breadcrumbs.
Has anyone tried making this in a pan instead of patties?
If so, how did it turn out? Thanks!
Great idea!
These are excellent. No onions on hand, used some onion powder and it was fine. Very good with a little jalapeño ranch on top too.
Will try these soon with greens from my CSA box!
Thought I had a box of spinach in the freezer, but it was broccoli. The broccoli worked great!
I made these today and used the Patty in Eggs Benedict instead of an english muffin. I made cilantro avocado cream and used that instead of Hollandaise Sauce. Took a slice of tomato, stack it with a slice of avocado, then the patty and then a poached egg and put the avocado cream on top. Family was licking the plates clean. I froze the remaining patties for another meal.
These came out great for me! I used a bit less breadcrumbs and a bit more oil.
I have made these several times and they are awesome. I didn't have any spinach or green onions the other night so I chopped up a few mini yellow and orange bell peppers. Then I put a medium sweet potato im a vegetti to make thin strips and chopped them into bite sized pieces. I sauteed the peppers and potatoes in a bit of olive oil until soft and added that to the rest of the ingredients. Not sure of the points value but it was so yummy!
I made these tonight using chicken broth to cook the quinoa, and I used garlic and herb breadcrumbs. They came out amazing. They almost taste like quiche.
Sounds delicious, has anyone tried the air fryer for these?
I did, last night! I prefer it to the ones I tried fried. I did it for 10 minutes at 360°.
These were great! I skipped the olive oil and baked in the oven, about 15 minutes each side and they came out with a really nice texture, just crispy enough on the outside. I also used shredded monterey jack cheese instead of parmesan.
Just made this and everyone including my 6 year old loved it! Thanks for the recipe.
Has anyone used Panko instead of bread crumbs? Just curious how it turned out.
Can you make these as muffins in a muffin tin and bake?
These look amazing! Can't wait to try!
These are great! The first time I made them I did as the recipe says. But yesterday I was trying to get rid of some fresh mozzerella cheese and some baby greens so I steamed the greens, swapped out the parmesan for mozz, didn't have scallions but everything else the same and they came out even better! I think this can be fun to play with. I might even try mixing basil and spinach and doing mozz with some tomatoes for a caprese version. I love them!
These are FANTASTIC!!!!! They remind me a little bit of latkes! Thank you 🙂
I didn't go through all the comments but I want to try substituting apples and other fruit for the spinach. Any one do this?
I'm not supposed to eat spinach because of the Warfarin I take; any suggestions on what to substitute that wouldn't interact with the meds?
you can use any veggies….chopped broccoli, finely chopped zucchini, mushrooms, swiss chard…I use whatever veggies I have leftover in the fridge!
I made these today. They were delicious! I used kale and put it in with the quinoa as it cooked with chicken broth. I put them on whole wheat sandwich thins with lettuce, tomato and a little mayo and we ate them like hamburgers! Hit the spot!
They look delicious. I have egg allergy and just wonder with what i could substite it. ..
Looks great…this is What's for Dinner!!! Thanks for all you do!
Gina, can I just say I made these again for the 20th time and they are delicious. I also want to tell you that I make a lot of your recipes and everything has been a hit, even with my tremendously fit, picky husband. Love the fact that you include the WW pts. Thank you from bottomless pit! 🙂 Karen
I like to use baby kale for these too if I don't have fresh spinach. Also, I tried using the kale or spinach raw, and they come out just as good! And it saves a step! Thanks for the great recipe! My kids love them and they are now a staple in my house! I serve them with roasted red pepper hummus for dipping. YUMMM!
These are so so so good….and took me so so so long to make! From start to finish of cooking quinoa and spinach, letting them cool, prepping and cooking the patties took almost 3 hours. Thinking this will be a prep stuff ahead of time kind of recipe, and I will try baking them next time! Great vegetarian/clean recipe.. not gonna lie, I put sour cream and siracha on these…way too good.
Thank you for this recipe. I made them on Ash Wednesday. I've tried other quinoa burger recipes in the past but this is the best one yet! My 10 month old had half of a patty and seemed to really like it too!
I baked them. Since I do not use a 'spray' I use oil and let the patties sit for 3 minutes, them remove them from the oven. Easy as pie!
I have made the patties 3 times for my grandchilden – who think they have some kind of meat in them. They love them.
Thank you!
glassy~
Thanks for that comment as I wanted to know if they could be baked instead of fried. They only needed to be baked in the oven for three minutes on each side?
These are great but I had a problem with them staying together. Any suggestions?
Do you think I can use ground Oats for the flour?
My family and I LOVED this recipe…we devoured it 🙂 My son, who is somewhat picky, at his as a hamburger. The husband dipped his in ketchup and I ate mine as is. These were such a filling and delicious recipe. I love all of your recipes, and am so thankful for you posting such yummy and family-friendly recipes, with the WW points. You rock!!! 🙂
Top with a little Feta.
These are amazing! I substituted Freekeh for the quinoa (Gina, if you haven't tried Freekeh, you definitely should!) and with the leftovers cut them like buns and made egg & cheese sandwiches! AMAZING! Thanks for another great recipe. I am down 110 lbs which is largely in part to having access to great WW recipes. Can't thank you enough!
I've made these a few times already – I often just make it as a hash rather than do the patties as that was pretty time-consuming.
I love this! It's easy and makes a ton of meals that I can eat for lunch throughout the week. It's rare that I find a tasty, healthy dish to make that I find almost comfort food-y, and for me, THAT'S the key! My fiance hasn't tried them (not his style), but I bet even he'd enjoy them if he got over being weirded out by green things and quinoa.
I made the patties yesterday and we had some left over for tonight. I was truly impressed with them the first time around, but I liked them even better after they sat in the fridge for a day. I have added these to my cycle of healthy, quick meals. They are delicious! Thank you for posting!
We made these for dinner tonight. The result was the best veggie patties we've made. We used herbed stuffing for the bread crumbs.
Just wanted to say that these were excellent! Even my incredibly picky step son wolfed them down. Thank you Gina!
These turned out great! Even my extremely picky husband who hates anything having to do with spinach has one on an English muffin for breakfast now!
My husband and 2 teens just devoured these-loved them. I made the spicy mayo for a topping as I was worried they would be too dry by themselves. I ike another reviewers idea about pesto–they would be fabo with a pesto drizzle over them. Looking forward to the leftovers for breakfast with an egg on top!
This is a great recipe. I used red quinoa and substituted the parm for nutritional yeast 1:1 and it turned out fantastic.
I love these. I have made them vegan, with egg replacer and fresh kale , chopped and boiled with the quinoa. yum yum!
oh, I forgot . I also used vegan parm cheese .
These were EXCELLENT! Since I had them, I used beet greens..Just finished the last one for breakfast with a poached egg, as you suggested. Your recipes inspire me — just crossed the point of losing 90 pounds with your help!
Made these today & absolutely LOVE them. The 1st batch I cooked them with Olive Oil…the 2nd batch with Coconut Oil…I prefer the Coconut Oil, it added just a bit more flavor. I think next time I will cook the Guinoa in vegetable broth or chicken broth.
Love your recipes. Looking forward to making this one but have a few question for you or anyone who has made these:
1) is a 10 oz pckg of frozen spinach one cup?
2) how can 1 tsp oil be used to pan fry 14 patties
3) can these be baked instead of fried – wondering if I could get them to brown if I sprayed with oil oil spray and baked on a stone at 425 for about 20 minutes.
Don't want to mess with the points if I need extra oil?
I baked mine in muffin tins at 350+ for 20 mins. They held together very well and taste fantastic. I added carrots chopped up and used oatmeal rather than bread crumbs. Very good.
I have made something like this and you are right they are SOOOO good. My family loves them. I have used grated zucchinis, and carrots as well in the mixture which is really good too.!! Now I know what i am going to make for dinner..thanks for the idea!!
Dinner tomorrow! Thanks!
I'm making these right now, I love your recipes! My daughter absolutely LOVES your ricotta chocolate chip muffins, she has one every morning with some grapefruit. I make those with greek yogurt, because I always have that on hand not so much the fat free ricotta! Thank you for so many incredible healthier options to cooking, you are an inspiration 🙂
What is quinoa
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=What+is+quinoa%3F
I'm officially on the quinoa band wagon! Made these last week with spinach and kale (didn't have quite enough spinach, but happened to have some kale, which was perfect because I needed to use it up). They're so good, my finace even went back for seconds! I had mine with a slice of tomato and a dollop of NF Greek yogurt on top. Going to make them again tomorrow and pop some into the freezer
These were really good, great texture. I made them a little bigger and put them on a sandwich with some fresh chilis and quacamole – delish! – Sara
may i use egg whites instead of the whole egg?
I am completely obsessed with these! I didn't have spinach so I substituted with a southwest frozen veggie blend and they were awesome!!! Thanks for such tasty recipes you make following WW a breeze!!
Love this recipe – thank you! I swapped out the parm cheese for mozzarella since that's what I had on hand and I added bell peppers, zucchini, and onion, which I sauteed with the spinach and garlic ahead of time. My boyfriend hates anything quinoa-related and he absolutely loved these!!
I made these in June and loved them!! I wonder how they'd do with broccoli?
Thanks for this great recipe! I just made them and added zucchini. Came out great! My version is up on my blog here: eathardworkhard.blogspot.com
Thanks for this great recipe! I just made them and added zucchini. Came out great! My version is up on my blog here: eathardworkhard.blogspot.com
Did you include the extra egg on top when calculating the cals?
These are delicious! Instead of plain breadcrumbs, I used panko bread crumbs that were seasoned as "Asian sesame." SO GOOD. I highly recommend trying that out. It doesn't change the points value; it just adds some really delicious flavors.
Made these tonight and they came out great! I used 3 eggs and it worked fine. I also found the ones in the later batch came out better (probably because the pan was hotter). Next time I think I'll add some garlic powder too. Thanks!
Do you think this will work using egg whites and not whole eggs? I need to watch my cholesterol so am trying to find healthy but good tasting recipes. This sounds delicious.
Made these tonight and they taste great. A tasty alternative to a meat patty. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Finally made these. YUMMY!! Half way through cooking them, the spinach got me thinking about my new crop of basil. So for the 2nd half, I added a bunch of chopped basil. It adds another flavor level. Next time I'll do half a batch with a bit more garlic and more fresh basil and have some Pesto Quinoa and Spinach Patties. Happy Summer!!
How much is cooked quinoa is 1 cup uncooked?
I made these amazing patties yesterday, I used your recipe exactly and the only thing I added was some wholegrain mustard.
They are absolutely delicious, so easy to make and healthy too!!
i can't wait to have one with a poached egg, I just had one for lunch with salad, avocado and some pineapple cottage cheese! yum!
Thank you so much for all your hard work, I have made so many of your recipes and have loved them all, being from the UK I do have to look up some of the ingredients as we call then different things!
Thank you again and please keep up the great work!
Made these for dinner tonight and everyone loved it! Even my son who looks cross eyed at anything that looks weird or green ate it all up! Amazing flavor!
Could you make these into balls (like meatballs)?
this sounds great!! btw-I have never heard of pre-rinsing quinoa before cooking it… I'll try that next time. I do have one question-my daughter enjoys quinoa and I think she would like this, but she is allergic to eggs… does anyone have ideas for a good binder to use here in place of the eggs?
this sounds great!! btw-I have never heard of pre-rinsing quinoa before cooking it… I'll try that next time. I do have one question-my daughter enjoys quinoa and I think she would like this, but she is allergic to eggs… does anyone have ideas for a good binder to use here in place of the eggs?
Making these for the second time! Instead of buying expensive gluten free breadcrumbs (which I read ingredients to be corn meal!) I just used corn meal and added a little water or broth to soften it up a bit first. Also I like the patties smaller for a side dish, so I used a 2-T disher scoop, plop them on the griddle and flatten out a bit with the back of the scoop! So easy & delicious!
mmm these were sooo good!
I thought that they were ok. The garlic never really got hot enough to release some of the flavor and when you bit into the garlic it was VERY over powering. If I make them again I will use prepared garlic instead. Also, I will make them bigger, I had like 20 patties and I used 1/4 cup per patty like it said.
Just made these and they turned out wonderful! I never made anything like them before, but I cooked them up, then made an over easy egg to top one off to try. Delish! Haven't given them to the husband yet, but even if he doesn't like them, I don't mind keeping them for myself!
I was skeptical about this recipe but happened to have the ingredients on hand so thought I would give it a shot. This was absolutely fantastic. I cooked the quinoa in chicken stock and substituted kale for the spinach since I happened to have some lying around, but otherwise followed the recipe to a T.
Thank you for all of the wonderful recipes!
IS the original recipe for one cup of Kale, did you just enchant the spinach one for one?
Yes, I didn't have kale but that would be perfect.
I made these tonight but subbed in crumbled feta cheese and I really like how it turned out
Nice idea!
I just made these using a blend of baby spinach, kale, arugula and green chard and I used panko instead of bread crumbs…they are delicious! I'm thinking maybe next time I'd like to add artichoke hearts as well! 🙂
I made these last night and they are AMAZING!!! Nothing on this blog has EVER failed me and it's always a big hit, even for picky eaters. Thank you for this recipe, I will be making this again…and again…and again.
I made these for my family last night. My husband and I loved it and ate the quinoa patties with a poached egg on top. It was amazing. My kids sorta "liked" it … not sure what to think of it… but then they had the idea to dip each bite into a little ranch dressing — voila. They devoured it. That's kids for ya. They way I see it, whatever I can do to get them to eat quinoa and spinach is a-ok with me. As far as GF breadcrumbs go – I took four pieces of gluten free bread (Rudi's or Udi's), toasted each piece well, then popped them into my Vitamix for 15 seconds and I had gorgeous, fluffy GF breadcrumbs. This was delish. Thanks Gina.
Can I ask how you prepared that beautiful egg?
Sure I poached in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes.
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_poached_eggs/
Thanks for the link. I Love poached eggs.
This sounds excellent! I'm looking to try out quinoa for the first time, and this might just be the one to do it! Thanks
Made this last night but added a half cup of lightly smashed chick peas to the quinoa and 1/2 tsp of red chili flakes. Also took one of the commentor's suggestions and made a spicy mayo topping. These cakes were fantastic hot and cold and my husband (who thinks every dinner should contain meat)loved them and even packed left overs in his lunch.
If you make with kale would you still steam like the spinich?
yes, or wilt it in a pan.
G'day! Unusual combination that seems to work, TRUE!
Never cooked with quinoa, perhaps should put on my list to do!
Cheers! Joanne
What's On The List
http://www.whatsonthelist.net
I use quinoa for soups and stews all the times till I see your quinoa/spinach patties today. I made them and love them. I added peppadews(minced), fennel, parsley, ginger, curry and added more parmesan cheese,too. VERY DELISHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Thanks, Gina!:)
YUM these were delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Do you need to squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach in order for them to stay together?
Yes I did.
These look awesome! Any ideas regarding what to sub for the egg for those that can't consume eggs?
Maybe yogurt?
Do you think I could make the quinoa with low-sodium vegetable broth instead of water or would that mess with the flavor too much? I also think I will halve the recipe.
Sure!
I made these last night. Very tasty. I didn't use 4 eggs, I only used two because I thought that 4 would make it soupy. I added all purpose seasoning salt. To top it off I used a combo of mayo and sriracha hot chili sauce. – Just a dollop.
I don't make much with quinoa. Any idea if these would work on the grill?
Not sure, I think the pan is better.
Hi Karen, I grilled the patties and it was absolutely delicious. Try it!
What about a foreman grill?
Definitely going to try this! Trying to stay meatless and this is a great way. Thanks.
Very tasty! I made them with kale and red quinoa since it was what I had on hand. One note for those who are using GF breadcrumbs- you might want to use a bit less than a cup. I made these using Schar's GF breadcrumbs and they came out incredibly dense. Might be better using home made, or a difference brand
Made these tonight! SO good!
Yum, these look great! That runny egg looks killer.
It was!!