Parmesan Quinoa Pancakes with Whipped Feta Spread & Marinara Dipping Sauce
I’m a bonafide grazer. Small bites all day long is how I roll.
First thing in the morning is always a cup of green tea or decaf coffee and usually a piece of buttered toast. An hour or so later after I get the kids off to school, I’ll have a bowl of yogurt or some scrambled eggs. That’s usually the time I sit down to the computer and check in on all of you. It seems that not long after I finish my breakfast, I’m grabbing for a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts to go with my second mug of tea. I jump into my routine (ever changing) of doing laundry, running errands or if I’m lucky a game of tennis or a quick hike. I never go anywhere without a bar or bag of almonds in my purse. I get hungry easily and if my blood sugar drops watch out folks- it’s not pretty.
Lunch is never a sit down affair for me. I know I should be better about it but I usually am grabbing something on the go in between crossing things off my to do list. Sometimes I’ll take the time to make a salad but usually it’s warmed up leftovers or a plate of poo poo’s from the fridge- lunch meat, sliced cheese, crackers, a sliced apple, a scoop of peanut butter or hummus. (Poo-poo’s is a term coined by my dear friend Joe. I think it comes from the poo-poo platter but I’m not really sure. Poo-poo’s is what we’ve affectionally named small bites in our house.) After writing and re-reading this, I think it might be a little weird but none the less, it’s what we call them. Afternoon becomes a free for all and I usually always grab for something sweet. A piece of chocolate, a homemade cookie or a slice of quick bread to get me through the afternoon.
I think dinner is the only time I actually sit down and enjoy a real meal. Sitting down as a family is a big deal to me and we eat together almost every night. Dinner time can be such a scramble, I try to plan ahead as often as I can so that we’re not relying on cereal and frozen waffles to pose as supper. I made these quinoa cakes a few weeks ago with some leftover cooked quinoa I had in the fridge. Not wanting it to go to waste but tired of quinoa salads, I decided to try these patties. They were such a hit, I’ve made them twice since getting the proportions just right. Great as part of meal but also terrific as a grab and go snack. (Just my style.) When just out of the pan, the crispy exterior from the toasted quinoa and cooked cheese is pretty spectacular. But I have to say I’m just as happy to eat one cold from the fridge as is. Top it on a bed of greens for a light salad or grab and go on your way out the door, these are winners. I am excited to start offering these on my catering menu. They’re that good. (Even if they aren’t the prettiest.)
Even my meat loving husband couldn’t get enough. It might have had something to do with the Whipped Feta or Homemade Marinara I served them with but let’s just go with the idea that these quinoa patties rock!
Hope you’re all having a wonderful week! Be well peeps! xo
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Parmesan Quinoa Pancakes with Whipped Feta Spread & Marinara Dipping Sauce
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Pin RecipeDescription
These quinoa pancakes make a great appetizer or a light supper served over mixed greens. Mix them up by changing the cheese and dried herbs to make them your own!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup whipped feta spread
- 3/4 cup your favorite marinara sauce, warmed
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix quinoa, parmesan cheese, flour, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, egg and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients well.
- Let mixture sit for 5 minutes.
- In a large saute pan, add remaining two tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Divide quinoa mixture into six patties.
- Fry the patties over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes each side, turning heat down if necessary so that patties brown but don’t burn.
- After both sides are browned and patties are cooked through, remove from pan and let drain on a paper towel.
- Serve warm with whipped feta spread and your favorite marinara sauce.
29 Comments
Not kidding: my mouth started watering like crazy as soon as I read the title. These sound so good, and such a fun take the pancake!
They are SO tasty. Who knew something so simple could be so good? 🙂
These look so delicious. Thanks for sharing.
My oh My – – – I can’t wait to try this marvelous looking recipe you have come up with!
Tastttttteee with a capital T and the feta has me Whipped with a capital W.
I adore quinoa cakes. These look amazing….and that, whipped feta! Oh my!
looks fabulous girl! Your site looks amazing. Miss seeing you this summer in Park City 🙁
To make these gluten free, does anyone know what you could replace the flour with?
Corn meal?
I’ve made them with tapioca flour as well. They turned out just fine!
I love small bites as well. Give me a plate of these, and I’m a happy girl!!
Next time we do a cooking day I think we should make these. We can eat while we work! LOVE!
I think the word is pupus and they are what you get with your cocktails in Hawaii. Let’s go!
And I also love quinoa patties–looking forward to trying yours next time.
Love everything about these quinoa cakes!
Yep, I’m a grazer, too. These quinoa pancakes would be perfect for dinner. And I’ll bet the leftovers would be even better for the next day’s grazing moments.
I am absolutely loving everything about these!
Oh my goodness does this look good!
It is rainy and chilly here today, and in my infinite quest to enjoy quinoa, I made these for lunch. Oh…..My……Goodness. So, so SO good. I put them on a bed of spinach (well, you know….in my infinite quest to justify buying the largest container of baby spinach in the grocery store) and they are delicious enough for company! Thank you!
You bet. For such a simple dish, they were super tasty!
Poo poos actually make a great lunch lol. I try to make a salad but poo poos end up on or aside my salad 🙂
These look so so good, I’ve been really wanting to make quinoa cakes lately to have for snacking and lunch. I love this!!
Give them a try! They’re so easy to make and really delicious too!
Made these for dinner last night and they were absolutely delicious. Had leftovers today, which I reheated in a pan with cooking spray so they would stay crispy. This time, I squirted fresh lemon juice on them and spread some of the whipped feta on top, and they were also really good. I am going to try to make them tiny and see if they freeze well. They would make a great finger food with before dinner drinks at the cottage. Thanks for the lovely recipe!
I’m going to have to try the squeeze of lemon next time I make these. Glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment!
Does the cooked quinoa need to be cold?
You could use either as long as it’s cooked. I would let it cool to at least warmish or room temperature first.
Thank you, thank you for a delicious and nutritious quinoa patty! My three-year old son devoured three of them (we made mini patties). We took your advice and made the whipped feta spread, they loved it so much that my two kiddos were eating it by the spoonful. We served this with Eating Well’s Seared Chicken with Apricot Sauce, and noticed that pouring a bit of the apricot sauce over the feta spread topped quinoa patty was UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS. My carnivore of a husband even liked it (that’s a huge compliment for you). Thank you again.
So glad the whole family enjoyed them!
I just made these, and they are AMAZING! I thought they tasted like hashbrown patties. 🙂 I didn’t have all the ingredients to make the whipped feta, unfortunately, so I just dipped them in pizza sauce. I must try the feta next time.
OMG…super yummy, even the leftovers!! Made these the other night for me and my boyfriend and loved them! Very easy and quick to make too if your quinoa is already cooked. We had them plain with no sauce and have decided they’re going to become a staple!!