Veggie Quinoa Cakes

I’m not gonna lie, sometimes feeding my daughter is tough. She is the sweetest, funniest little girl in the world but at 18 months old, she’s also a tiny tyrant when it comes to food. If it isn’t a fruit, yogurt, bread, or cheese, she isn’t having any of it. I’m fairly certain that if it weren’t for those handy pouches with veggies mixed in, she wouldn’t get within 10 feet of a vegetable. It breaks my food blogger/veggie loving heart just a little. So, in an attempt to get my daughter to eat something other than cheese, I recently came up with these delicious little Veggie Quinoa Cakes. They’re easy to make (and freezable!) and packed with protein and veggies, making them a great option for the entire family!

This recipe starts with basic cooked quinoa and gets mixed together in under five minutes! I love to make a big batch of quinoa in my Instant Pot to have throughout the week, but if you don’t already have some on hand, just prepare your quinoa according to the package directions so that you wind up with about two cups of cooked quinoa. Allow it to cool a bit and then grab a big bowl.

The cakes come together with egg, a small bit of salt and pepper, and then some veggies. I like to use riced broccoli (which I buy at Trader Joes), shredded carrots, frozen peas, and some fire roasted corn for a good mix of texture and flavor. The great part about these quinoa veggie cakes is that they really are easily customizable to your family’s tastes and what you already have in the fridge or freezer. Don’t have or like corn? Add some edamame! Not into broccoli rice? Try cauliflower rice. As long as you keep the general total measurements the same, you should be good to go.

Toss in a bit of sharp cheddar cheese for flavor and a bit of extra “binding” and you’ve got yourself a quinoa cake mix. I love to portion these using my large scoop (mine is from Pampered Chef and is approximately 3 Tbsp per scoop) but you can use a small measuring cup, an ice cream scoop, or even just your hands. Gently pat the mixture into a cake like shape and they’re ready to bake. Don’t worry if they look a little messy. They’ll be just fine.

Bake for approximately 12 minutes at 375F, flipping the cakes once halfway through cooking. Allow to cool slightly and serve immediately! These freeze well for up to one month or keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days.