This recipe for Kale + Quinoa Cakes is an easy vegetarian recipe that's high in protein, fiber, and makes a lovely lunch, dinner or appetizer! These Kale + Quinoa Cakes are one of my favorite freezer friendly meals to keep on hand.
Hey! Happy Friday!
I've got lots of fun things happening this weekend celebrating love, friendship, sunshine, impending babies and (obviously) food. I hope your weekend is packed to the gills with lots of cool outdoor activities and summertime vibes.
I've been keeping this recipe in my back pocket for a while now. It was once a favorite of my clients when I worked as a personal chef, and truth be told, I made them so dang much I couldn't stomach even thinking about them for a while. But! This past week I had some leftover quinoa, so I thought the recipe was worth revisiting, and boy am I glad I did.
These protein and fiber packed little fritters are going to be the healthiest and tastiest things you eat all day. BOOM! Is your mind blown? It should be. Not only are they good tasting and good for you, they freeze superbly as well.
The perfect food? Maybe. Just maybe.
PrintKale & Quinoa Cakes
This recipe for Kale + Quinoa Cakes is an easy vegetarian recipe that's high in protein, fiber, and makes a lovely lunch, dinner or appetizer! These Kale + Quinoa Cakes are one of my favorite freezer friendly meals to keep on hand.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: vegetarian
- Method: pan fried
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plus ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½-1 teaspoon of salt* (see note)
- black pepper to taste
- 1 large bunch kale, finely chopped
- 3 cups cooked quinoa (from about 1 cup dry)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko, but it doesn't matter)
- 2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and begin to sweat out the onions and garlic. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper, and once they’ve softened up at bit (about 3 minutes) add in the kale. Cook for a few more minutes while tossing around until the kale is wilted down. Pull the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool down.
- In a medium bowl combine the quinoa, parsley, eggs, breadcrumbs, and cooled vegetables. Mix everything together really well, then split the mixture into 8 even portions and form each one into a compact, slightly flattened disc.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saute pan and gently drop in half of the cakes. Use a spatula to press them down and maneuver the sides to help form them into patties. After a few minutes, check to see if the bottoms have browned, and when they are nice and golden, flip them over. Cook the other side until browned, and remove to drain on a rack or paper towels. Repeat with the remaining cakes.
Notes
- My quinoa was already seasoned and therefor needed less. If the quinoa you're using hasn't been salted, you will want to up the amount to one whole teaspoon.
- These freeze beautifully. Once cool, wrap them up tight and freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months. The reheat very well in a toaster oven.
- To serve as an appetizer, just form into much smaller patties and keep warm in a low oven before serving.
- Other greens or grains may be substituted for the kale and quinoa - try these with rice, millet, barley, farro, buckwheat, swiss chard, spinach, mustard greens, etc.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 185
- Sugar: 1.6 g
- Sodium: 275.5 mg
- Fat: 5.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.9 g
- Protein: 7.7 g
- Cholesterol: 69.8 mg
MINA FALCO
Hi
Cole, I made the kale and quinoa cakes so good! I did add some of your honey garlic mixture to the second set of 4 I made, tasty :0
Coley
Yay!! SO happy you loved them, Mina!
Ash
Do you have any thoughts on how to bind these without eggs? I need to be vegan for health reasons.
Coley
You can substitute the eggs for flax eggs and it will work, just give the mixture about 10-15 minutes to firm up in the refrigerator before forming them into patties. To make a flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of flax seed meal or ground up flax seeds with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for at least 5 minutes before adding to the recipe. Use one flax egg for each egg in the recipe. Hope this helps!