Little Quinoa Patties

I am trying to limit my intake of rice and eat more quinoa. I prefer to prepare just enough for my consumption so I don't have any leftovers to refrigerate. Next time I have leftovers, this will be a good recipe to try by Heidi Swanson.

Photo from Heidi Swanson.

Anytime I have leftover cooked quinoa, I make these little patties. They're good hot or cold and are well suited to fighting afternoon hunger pangs. It's a bit of a stretch, but they could be described as a (very) distant cousin of arancini, Italy's beloved deep-fried risotto balls. In contrast, these are pan-fried in a touch of oil, and smushed flat in the pan to get as much surface browning and crust as possible. I'm including my basic version, but often times I'll add a handful of very finely chopped this-or-that: broccoli, asparagus, or cauliflower, depending on the season. They're great on their own, slathered with ripe avocado or drizzled with hot sauce.


Makes 12 little patties.

2 1/2 cups/12 oz/340 g cooked quinoa, at room temperature

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1/3 cup/.5 oz /15 g finely chopped fresh chives

1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup/.5 oz/15 g freshly grated Parmesan or Gruyère cheese

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup/3.5 oz /100 g whole grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed

Water, if needed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter

Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form into twelve 1-inch/2.5cm thick patties. I err on the very moist side because it makes for a not-overly-dry patty, but you can add more bread crumbs, a bit at a time, to firm up the mixture, if need be. Conversely, a bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat, add 6 patties, if they'll fit with some room between each, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes and continue to cook until the patties are browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Alternatively, the quinoa mixture keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days; you can cook patties to order, if you prefer.

To cook quinoa: Combine 2 cups/12 oz/340 g of well-rinsed uncooked quinoa with 3 cups / 700 ml water and 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, decrease the heat, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the quinoa is tender and you can see the little quinoa curlicues.

Comments from people who have tried this recipe:

• These are awesome. I started out making these to use up extra cooked quinoa; now I make huge batches so I have extra patties for easy lunches, snacks, and even breakfasts. An electric griddle helps, as does a food processor for very finely mincing all the ingredients, and an ice cream scoop for forming the patties. Once you make them a few times, the handling gets easier, and you can add all kinds of different herbs and veggies to change the flavor profile. One of my personal favorites...stir in cooked chopped (squeezed dry) spinach, gruyere and a little extra garlic. I also prefer using extra chives or scallions in place of the minced onion. So delicious.

• These are great. I added a whole cup of cheese (mine was milder than the types suggested) and used oats instead of bread crumbs. Just be sure to chop everything very fine. Served lemon-garlic aioli alongside from this site and it was a great pairing.

• These patties are wonderful! I made the mixture ahead of time and had it handy in the fridge. Made the patties when my husband had an old friend visiting and used my crumpet rings to make 6 large patties on the griddle. Then I sauteed mushrooms and garlic along with some leftover ratatouille in a pan on the side and served the patties over the veggie mixture. The guys raved about the meal and nobody missed meat. This one is a definite keeper!

• it is best with left-over quinoa that is slightly overcooked. the stickier- the better. I found that I didn't need the breadcrums when i used quinoa that I had cooked for about 30 minutes. Otherwise the flavors are really great for breakfast/brunch/lunch. I have and will make these again for the whole family.

• BTW, quinoa can be cooked ahead and frozen in plastic zipper bags to make this a really quick meal to prepare.