I have been having a Wonder Years marathon. Its pretty awesome. Did you know netflix now has all the seasons on instant? Did you know that Winnie Cooper grew up to be some brilliant math person who tweets palindromes? Did you know that Travis from Clueless (Breckin Myer) pretty much plays the same exact character on the early episodes of The Wonder Years also? Its weird. I love that show.
Anyway, on the blog we have been posting a lot of Thanksgiving and party food recipes to gear up for December. Parties are fun. Its a bit stressful to figure out what to bring sometimes. I just happen to have some thoughts on what to bring to holiday parties. If you’re single, and going to a party you hope to meet a cute boy, maybe bring Bacon Jam. Most boys like bacon. I think. If you’re single and going to a party to meet a girl, maybe bring Chocolate Covered Potato Chips. All girls love potato chips. If she won’t eat them because she is watching her figure, you don’t want to date her anyway. Trust. If you’re going to an office holiday party, maybe bring our Potato Rings. They are good, and they are fried, which means everyone that has good taste in food will like them. If you’re going to a holiday party anywhere in California, bring these! They are perfect and light and yummy!
♥ Teri
Cheesy Quinoa Cakes with a Roasted Garlic and Lemon Aioli
Makes 10 to 12
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa
2/3 cup grated fontina cheese
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
aioli:
½ cup light mayonnaise
1 head of garlic, roasted
1 lemon, zested and juiced
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. For the cakes: Place all ingredients, except for the oil, into a mixing bowl and stir together until well combined. Season with salt and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Pour oil into a large sauté pan and place over medium heat.
3. Form ¼ cup patties with the quinoa mixture and place in the heated sauté pan. (this will have to be done in batches)
4. Cook quinoa cakes for about 5 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining patties until all of the cakes have been cooked. Set aside.
5. For the aioli: Place all ingredients into a food processor, season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Pour into a small bowl and serve alongside the warm quinoa cakes.
{ 106 comments… read them below or add one }
If you make these tomorrow, I will bring you a Star Wars gift.
These look absolutely wonderful!
whoahhhhh these look amazing! i have a box of quinoa sitting in my pantry begging to be made into cheesy cakes.
happy thanksgiving to y’all!
delicious!! thanks for the recipe!!
These look amazing! Love quinoa and obviously love cheese! x
Ahh, I used to be obsessed with The Wonder Years! Love that show. And I love that these quinoa cakes are only SORT OF healthy
these look like *the business*. so making these.
Remember when it was rumored that Paul grew up to be Marilyn Manson? Poor guy; a shortened acting career, only to be confused for a quasi-evil rock star. Wonder Years was my favorite show growing up! Thanks for the note about the streaming availability. I know what I’ll spend my rainy evenings doing throughout the winter. And I think some cheesy quinoa cakes might be the perfect snack to accompany me on my future Wonder Years marathon! Happy thanksgiving!
we are TOTALLY having a Wonder Years Marathon too! CRAZYTOWN.
I told my husband it was on netflix instant and he almost cried. He’s been wanting the dvd boxed set for like 10 years now. I used to be totally in love with Breckin Myer. It was Clueless that sold me.
anything to do with quinoa makes my little tummy sing. love this! i wonder how it would work out if you were to add a little more veggie in the mix (ie sundried tomatoes, lime zest, maybe some shredded chard?)
This is simply lovely. So fresh and tasty looking!
This may the recipe that gets my teens to like quinoa!
These sound great! I haven’t seen Wonder Years in so long. Fred Savage is directing now. He’s done some episodes of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, another hilarious show. But not for kids! Thanks for the recipe.
Nom, Nom, Nom. Looks yummy!
Oh my, crunchy cheesy goodness! We just had these for dinner, and they are beyond yummy. I made a corn avocado salsa instead of the mayo, and sub’d in old cheddar cheese since that’s what I had. My meat-eater hubbie said it’s definitely a make again dinner! I agree! So good!
They look healthy and delicious.
ummm these looking A. MAZING. !!
Oh wow I had to go to wikipedia to figure out what quinoa is. Never heard of it. I will look and see if our store has it. Live out in the boonies here. lol It sure looks and sounds good.
I’ve been looking for a new quinoa recipe for a while now, and I finally hit the jackpot! Can’t wait to try it out.
I just found your blog – love it. what made me love it the most? These lines: If you’re going to a holiday party anywhere in California, bring these! They are kinda like the healthy version of bad for you party food. Most likely the stupid skinny people will probably eat one. Just don’t tell them there is cheese in it.
I’m a recent LA transplant and not that I think people from CA are dumb, but I agree & love your sentiment. Thanks! Can’t wait to try these!
WOW!!!! this is a keeper recipe. thanks so much, they were delicious!!! we had them tonight with creamy tomato soup…. yum yum, we all loved them.
I love this recipe and blog…I posted it on my community foodie blog. Hope you can come check it out http://www.facebook.com/thefrenchiefoodie
This recipe has been staring me down on Pinterest for days. I’m making it today. Hoping to turn my husband into a Quinoa lover like me! Love your blog… so glad I found it!!
Can these be frozen and reheated? An alternate to Latkes for the holidays? Make ahead and reheat in a slow oven. Test Kitchen Question?
I tried to make these but they did not stay in cake form at all. Any tips?
Aw, that’s a bummer. I would add more flour to the mixture to help keep it together (then adjust your seasonings). Sorry you had issues, hopefully this helps!
What is Quinoa? And where do I find it?
Thank you
Dawn
Hi Dawn. Quinoa is like a grain but it’s actually a grass. You can find it at nearly any regular grocery store.
It’s really high in protein too…just fyi
Look in the grocery store near the couscous in the rice aisle
It was in the “health food” specialty section in my g-store. It’s a seed, and looks very tiny until cooked. There is also a red version.
Ok, I saved the majority of my mixture to try again tomorrow. Nothing I made tonight worked. BLAH. I’m going to add more egg too, I only had a very small egg. Thanks for getting back to me so fast!
Yum! Quinoa is one of my new favorite foods. Is there any problem with the mixture sticking together. I’ve made veggie burgers before and some time have a problem with them falling apart.
Hi Catherine! You shouldn’t have a problem with sticking or falling apart…just make sure you have a well greased pan (nonstick is the best) and if you’re still a bit worried, you can always add a small amount of breadcrumbs to help hold the mixture together. Good luck!
I made these tonight and they are Devine.-you know that saying, “if it tastes good it’s bad for you” ? Well these little quinoa cakes of gorgeousness are definitive proof that this is not true.I was doing these for the vegetarians in the house while the meat eater was cooking himself a couple of sausages. Upon tasting one he was seriously ready to toss the sausages out the window. Next time I might add a few little bits of chopped up olives, or sundried tomatoes or basil or chopped cilantro or I might not because they are awesome just how they are. I am from New Zealand where our ordinary old tasty cheddar cheese is delicious so I used that instead of fancy fontina.This recipe will definitely be a regular in this household.
Hi Leah! I’m so glad you like this recipe! Yes, one of the best things about it is that you can add whatever little bits and do swamp outs for whatever cheese according to preference. I love your idea of olives or sun-dried tomatoes…it would add a great tartness/brininess to the cakes. Thanks for reading
Can these be made, then frozen and reheated?
Hi Jenna! Yes they can be frozen, but I would still try to make them fresh if you can. The end results always seem better to me when made fresh. Good luck!
I just have to say that I am completely addicted to these quinoa cakes! I made them a couple of weeks ago to accompany some butternut squash bisque, and I have made them three times since then. I loved them with my soup, but my favorite is with an over-easy egg on top. The fontina cheese and lots of pepper really make this amazing. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
I just finished making these are they are the BOMB! I too had problems with the mixture falling apart, but I found if I just left the blob to cook, it solidified while cooking. I also tried a batch with double the egg and some more flour. It worked too but puffed up more due to the extra egg. I am serving them tomorrow, but am seriously tempted to eat the entire thing right now!
Thanks doll,
The Glamorous Housewife
Thank you! This was awesome! My 2yo wasn’t a fan (but she’s 2 – she’s picky – haha), but my 9-month-old son couldn’t get enough and neither could my carnivorous husband! He was skeptical before tasting it but went back for seconds.
Even better: I had leftover quinoa in the fridge today so I chopped some plain chicken breast and shredded spinach, added a handful of Craisins and a few dollups of the aioli and – voila! – lunch salad! SO GOOD! This is going into my recipe file for SURE.
This sounds like the perfect blend of health and gourmet yumminess. You might be a genius.
Made this and it was a huge hit! Love the versatility of the recipe, as well — looking forward to trying it again with some different veggies/cheese. Thanks!
I made these with my 6 year old tonight and they were super easy. The batter did not stick and stayed in perfect cakes while frying. I didn’t have the green onion so I used a bit of shallot instead. They were seriously delicious. Thanks for this great dish to serve vegetarian friends!
These were amazing – I think I might try them with a sharper cheese next time? The fontina melted nicely, but didn’t have as strong of a taste as I would have liked.
I just made these for dinner and they are quite tasty! I put lime in my aioli because I didn’t have a lemon, but it was amazing. It was the first aioli I’ve ever made and I’m hooked! Thanks for a great recipe on both counts! Can’t wait to make them again.
Does anyone know what the calorie count is for these? They look Fabulous!
Do you think I could substitute corn starch for the flour? Would be awesome if they could be gluten free!
I would try subbing either cornstarch or rice flour, but if people are having trouble with the cakes staying together it might just be a recipe that doesn’t work well with a gluten-free diet like ours. I was going to repin this recipe on Pinterest until I read the disparaging remarks about we native Californians and decided that I didn’t need to spread that kind of vilification on my page, but I might try to come up with my own recipe and post that. But try it GF, what have you to lose?!
Yeah, I felt the same way about the comments about Californians. But hey, what do we know – we’re stupid.
Or you guys just both take things too personally. Get over it, it’s light hearted.
so delicious! i’ve made them a few times with a few variations. sundried tomato aioli on these is pretty awesome!
Very yummy. I made a batch as is and then made another batch substituting one cup of quinoa for a Crown Prince 6 oz. can of lump crab. Uber yummy.
Whoa, sounds amazing!
Just made these, eating them now… And YUM!
I just added a sprinkle of feta cheese instead of the salt.
Thanks. Love your site!
I’m a big fan of quinoa – these look fantastic!
I just made these. Did have the sticking problem. The last batch I dropped in the 1/4 cup blobs and them flattened them with the spatula. That helped a little. I may try some additional flour next time. Either way, they were extremely good, as was the sauce. Thanks!
These sound delish and I am going to make them tomorrow for dinner. I was curious if you happen to know the nutritional value of the cheesy quinoa cakes. I just wanted to know fat grams, fiber and protein. Maybe once I get the ingredients together, I can figure it out. They seem to be pretty healthy for the most part. Thank you in advance for your time.☺ Linda
Made these quinoa cakes this afternoon and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them. Didn’t have fontina cheese so substituted asiago and added an extra egg as my mixture seemed a bit dry before I did. Know these would make a great appetizer or side dish and my 4 yr old ate 3 of them so kid tested too!
I like these quinoa cakes so well that when I went on retreat by myself I took along quinoa and purchased things at a local organic food store to make these–yum! they are wonderful and experimenting with additional ingredients is a great adventure! thank you for sharing this wonderful, creative & tasty recipe~
Great recipe! Although I’m wondering, could you there be an error somewhere? Mine only made 5 cakes. Thankfully, there were lots of sides, so no one went hungry. Quinoa quadruples in size, so I cooked 1/2 cup. I may have used a little less cheese than called for, but that shouldn’t have resulted in so few patties. It wasn’t 2 cups UNcooked quinoa was it? Cuz that woulda made a hecka lot of quinoa. Anyway. Great recipe though. Keep up the good work!
Haha. Just noticed my second sentence about the error contained an error. Touche!
Hi Carie! I know that quinoa “quadruples” in size, which I’ve always found true except for when I’m cooking less than 1 cup of uncooked quinoa (I have no idea why). I usually have to make 3/4 cup of uncooked quinoa to get about 2 cups. Maybe that was it?! Otherwise, I got nothin’! Glad you liked the cakes themselves
Made these tonight. Hubby’s verdict: AWESOME. I was busy grading papers and forgot to roast the garlic ahead of time for the aioli, so I improvised with garlic powder and a little Tabasco. I think my husband would eat that on everything now.
We cooked ours in a cast iron skillet, and needed only 3-4 minutes total per cake to cook. I recommend 3/4 cup dry quinoa to yield 2 cups cooked; I cooked a full cup, and we ended up with around 3/4 cup leftover.
Served with chicken/apple/gouda sausages, and will add a green salad next time. Will be awesome breakfast leftovers, too.
Hi I just made these and they are delicious and so easy! Thanks for posting the recipe, I jazzed mine up with some chopped, cooked bacon and fresh chives.
Made these tonight and they were delicious, thank you for the recipe! Though like someone else, I don’t know how they could serve 10-12. I used 1 cup of dry quinoa and then measured out 2 cups after the quinoa was cooked so that wasn’t the problem. I made intentionally small patties (about 1.5″) and only got 12 and there was way more aioli than seemed proportional for the quinoa cakes. The rest of the ingredients were fine for me, I had no trouble getting them to form properly with just one egg and no sticking to the pan (used a cast iron skillet). Next time I will probably double the recipe for the cakes and that should be perfect.
Hi Kathy, just to clarify the recipe doesn’t say that it serves 10-12, but that they make 10-12 (total). Glad you like the recipe!
Wow, these sound amazing! I’m always looking for new ways to cook quinoa! Thanks for hte great recipe!
Just made these are the were delish! These will be a new family favorite!!! I lvoe Quinoa but was getting bored with it and wanted a new way to make it! so YUMMY!
Yes, please!
SUCH a yummy recipe! TO make them passover-friendly I subbed matzoh meal for the flour, and my mixture seemed dry so I added an extra egg. I love the idea of serving them alongside soup, I will definitely be trying that soon as well!
these look really delicious!
Don’t take it personally. It was meant to be light hearted.
we have made these twice this week. They are AMAZING! Thanks for the recipe..we found it via pinterest
Has anyone yet tried to adjust this recipe for a GF diet? Looking for something tasty to take for part of a meal to a celiac family who just had a baby. Thanks!
Hi, I have to eat gluten-free, so no flour allowed. Would subbing an egg work to keep the cakes together? Thanks!
I have used a little bit of almond flour with an egg white and its worked just fine. Good luck!
Looks DELISH! if you didn’t ave fontina cheese though what could you substitute it for?
Has anyone tried to bake them?
Thank you so much! These were delicious. I made them for my 27-month old toddlers to have as a snack. They loved them (and they are pretty tough critics).
Made these tonight and they turned out perfectly and they were delicious!! Thanks so much for the recipe! They were a big hit. I will definitely be making these again. Quick question though.. I had a hard time shredding the fontina since it was so soft so I ended up putting it in the food processor but it got a bit clumpy. Do they sell shredded fontina? If not, what is the next best cheese you would suggest for this?
So delicious!
I actually havent used fontina and instead use a mixture of old cheddar and fresh parmesan.
I use a 2 year old white cheddar and it’s fabulous. Sometimes I use normal onions, sometimes shallots.
Ive made a sundried tomato aioli too. But surprising enough, ranch dressing is delicious with these!
These quinoa cakes look really fantastic – one of my favorite grains, and this looks like a fantastic way to fix it!
I have made these many times and they are delicious! Sometimes I need more than one egg to keep everything together. Also, you can use greek yogurt instead of mayonaise for a healthier recipe. Enjoy!
Delicious!!
Oh my goodness. I have had this recipe printed for so long and finally had everything to make it and it’s my new favorite recipe!!!!! Seriously sooooo good. I did everything just as written except added a bit of grated carrot and zucchini with the excess water squeezed out, and added an extra egg. It was absolutely divine!!!!! And the sauce was perfect too although I might not have used enough cayenne, next time I will dig out my measuring spoons. But it was so good I will probably make these weekly!!
Can you bake these in oven.?
Looking forward to making these tonight. I’ll probably use cheddar cheese as another reviewer did as that is what I have on hand. Always looking for new and tasty quinoa recipes.
making these tonight!
Cant wait to make these for my husband. He is a vegetarian, so I am always looking for new recipes for him to try!!!
I just made those for a quick lunch and it was pretty yummy! I made 2 different mayo : a wasabi and soy sauce one, and a garlic, curry and sriracha one… Wasn’t bad but next time i will put more cheese in the bites and eat it with a marinara, because the mayo makes the cakes a little heavy imo!
I did bake these in a mini-muffin pan and they turned out very nicely, crispy and delicious. Everyone in the family loved them.
I hope you don’t mind, I linked back to you and shared this AWESOME recipe on my blog.
These were a total hit with my Autistic 7yo son, he ate almost teh whole batch!
shared the link on my blog … made these yesterday and they were delish. I added zucchini to your recipe and some minor modifications [ like the type of cheese cos we can't get that here ]
thanks so much for sharing
THESE ARE AMAZING! After trying to get my carnivore boyfriend to eat quinoa for quite some time with no success, I made these last night and we were both amazed. So much so that it inspired me to immediately buy your cookbook! I love these! Sharing this recipe (and blog) with everyone I know, thanks! Nicole
Have you tried baking these on an oiled pan and spraying oil on top to get the crunchiness?
My first introduction to Quinoa, and a very good one at that! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Tried the cakes for supper. Made them in a “muffin top” tin, put inan extra egg and baked at 350 for about 20-25 mins. My husband thought they were great – he still doesn’t understand what quinoa is but likes it. Thanks for the recipe.
how do you roast a head of garlic for this recipe? looks so yummy!
You can just slice the top portion of the head off and drizzle it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and wrap it up in foil…then pop the bundle in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes!
Yum!! You had me at fontina cheese…..
I had to report back to let you know that I made these the other night for my husband and I. I had to swap out the cheese for mozza and added a ton of fresh garlic to the patties and they turned out awesome. My husband came home from work and ate eight of them. Destroyed in a matter of minutes!
These are really good and healthy. However when I made them tonight, they broke when I flipped them over, so the outcome wasn’t so good-looking, but very tasty. Probably should put more flower in the mix? Next time I will also try with half the ingredients because they were too many for my little family of two.
Made these last night and served them on a bed of wilted spinach leaves. They are AWESOME!! Delishious and crispy. I tasted the sauce, alone, and thought…not sure if I’m going to like this. But then drizzled it over the cakes and the spinach leaves. Wow! Wonderful. Will be making these again. I did cook mine in an iron skillet with the olive oil, as don’t have a sautee pan. They turned out nicely crispy and very very tasty. Yummers!!!
Would greek yogurt be an ok sub for mayo?
Yes! I would just cut back on the lemon juice a little to cut out some of the tang.
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