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I’ve made these Kale & Quinoa Patties at least a few dozen times over the past few years so it’s safe to say that it’s a household favorite.
I actually originally posted this recipe back before I really knew that food blogging was a thing and back when I thought that I was just going to have a series on my blog called “Food Friday”. Those were back in my baby blogging days. You can see the post HERE but I’ll warn you: it’s pretty bad!! I often debate removing those earlier recipes from my blog because I’m so embarrassed by how terrible the photography is. And at the same time, I’m very proud of how far I’ve come in just a few years so I leave those posts up as a reminder of that.
Over the years, I’ve eaten these patties in pretty much every way possible. I’ve put them on buns and eaten them as a burger, I’ve topped them with avocadoes and goat cheese and cottage cheese and all kinds of other yummy toppings. I’ve eaten them with a fork and knife and I’ve also eaten then straight out of the skillet with my fingers. I’ve eaten them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and definitely as the occasional snack. Needless to say, I’m a pretty big fan and make these on a very regular basis. (psst, you should too!)
As family recipes typically go, I’ve adapted it a bit over the years. I’ve found some great little shortcuts and am at the point that I don’t even look at the recipe anymore when making them.
Quinoa is cooked in typical fashion. Once it’s done and the heat is turned off, the chopped kale is stuffed into the pot on top of the quinoa and covered to sit for a bit. After about 8 minutes, the kale is nice and steamed and can be mixed into the quinoa.
Making the rest of the recipe is as easy as mix everything in a bowl and then forming the mixture into patties to be cooked in a big skillet.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times before without the cheese in it and I’ve also made it with gluten-free breadcrumbs. It’s very adaptable which I love it for. But, at the end of the day, this is my very favorite version of the recipe; panko and parmesan included!
I’ve recently started making these patties with THIS avocado oil that I’m in LOVE with. I highly recommend using it for these patties!
I also highly recommend making these patties ASAP because they’re amazing and I know they’ll become a favorite in your house.
Kale & Quinoa Patties
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups of broth, veggie of chicken will work well
- 4 stems of kale, steamed and chopped (about 2 cups chopped up)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 4 eggs, whisked
- 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground pepper
- oil for the skillet, I use avocado oilbut olive or coconut oil will also work well!
- optional for topping: avocado, cilantro, extra parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa in the broth as directed on the packaging. Once done, take off of the heat, top with the kale (don't stir) and cover for 8-10 minutes. Stir and then set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the quinoa/ kale mixture, breadcrumbs, eggs, onions, cheese, garlic, and S&P.
- Take about 1/4 cup at a time, for the quinoa mixture into patties in preparation for cooking.
- Over medium heat, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet and add in the patties making sure not to overcrowd them (I cook mine in 2 batches). Cook for 5 minutes on one side, flip, and then cook for an additional 7-8 minutes on the other side. You want a nice golden brown on each side.
- Once done, top with your choice of toppings and ENJOY!!
these were good! first batch didn’t hold together so well. but once the pan had really heated up good, they came out great, crispy and held together well. i also added fresh corn and red pepper. very pretty and tasty
Hi. I made this with some trepidation. I don’t usually like quinoa and kale together because of the potential for bitterness. I am happy to say this recipe exceeded all my expectations and turned out delicious. I did saute the kale woth part of the onion and garlic first and used chia instead of eggs. Very yum!!!
I tried this but based on your recipe I steamed the kale first and then chopped it and then put it on the cooked quinoa which meant it steamed twice. Is that what you intend or do you chop the raw kale and then it steams on top of the quinoa? Do you use the stems?
My patties did not hold together like yours. It still tasted good, but I couldn’t figure out why it came out different.
Amazing! I didn’t expect them to be that good! Adding them to my menu :-)
I hope you don’t mind if i share your recipe with my friends?
so glad that you liked it! I’d be happy for you to share it
I absolutely love these patties. This will definitely become a staple. Next time I am going to add more Kale, squeezing more hidden vegetables into my kids tummy ?
I love these too and haven’t made them in forever. This is a great reminder :D
So you don’t ever cook the kale? Just place the chopped kale on top of the boiled quinoa and after 8 minutes mix together? I assume the kale will slightly cook from the heat? Let me know if I read that correctly!
I put the kale on top of the quinoa and mix it in and then let it sit. The heat from the quinoa kind of steams the kale and cooks it a bit
How do you state this vegan when it contains egg?
Sorry about that! I made these back when I was first starting to eat vegan and I had chickens so didn’t think much of it at the time. I’m not seeing where it says vegan anywhere on the page otherwise I would remove that label.
These patties look amazing! They would be perf on top of a salad for lunch!
Your photos <3 Those patties <3 Loving everything about this!
ooooh yum! We are always looking for new ways to use up our kale, and all of these ingredients are kitchen staples in our house. Genius idea!