You'll love these Mediterranean Style Quinoa Patties with Zucchini and Feta Cheese. They are crispy, delicious and easy to make.
Cook quinoa the night before or in the morning and finish the patties just before lunch or dinner and you'll have a complete meatless meal that is full of healthy goodness. Also check out my delicious Baked Zucchini with Mozzarella And Tomatoes.
PIN THIS RECIPE NOW!
Quinoa Cakes
9 years ago, before moving to the US I had no idea what quinoa was. We never cooked with it in Ukraine and even the fanciest groceries didn't carry it.
But after I stepped on American soil and started to explore new interesting food groups, I discovered quinoa and quickly fell in love with it.
And when I had read about all its health benefits I loved it even more.
That is my friend when Quinoa Patties With Zucchini happened - a simple, easy and delicious way to put quinoa to a good use.
To my big disappointment, my husband is not a huge fan of Quinoa.
Since he typically has his lunch at work, he doesn't eat much of Quinoa-based dishes that I usually cook during the day for me and kids.
However, when I first made these Quinoa Fritters, he absolutely loved them.
Apart from Quinoa, this recipe consists of a unique combination of ingredients that everyone loves and simply can't say "no" to.
If you've never tried Quinoa before, now is the right time to try it. It's one of those super grains you should be eating as often as possible.
And I'm not exaggerating. Just take a look at these 27 Science-Backed Health Benefits Of Quinoa and hurry up to the grocery store to stock up on it.
Okay, enough with Quinoa talks!
Do you want to know what is one ingredient that makes these Quinoa Patties extra special?
- Cheese!
Cheese makes everything batter, isn't it? I'm pretty sure this was a saying about Cheddar cheese, which ironically we'r not using in this recipe.
However, to give my recipe Mediterranean twist I added some Feta cheese which I'm a huge fan of.
I love incorporating Feta in a variety of my dishes, like in these super yummy Cauliflower Cakes with Dill Pickle Sauce or Roasted Brussel Sprouts Recipe With Balsamic Vinaigrette.
By adding Feta to this recipe, you're making patties extra delicate and even more delicious.
What else can you add to the Quinoa Patties?
- sun-dried tomatoes
- olives
- capers
If you don't like Feta, you can definitely substitute with other cheeses.
Goat Cheese, Parmesan or Gruyere would work great as well.
Or you can even take a mix of different cheeses. If you are like me who loves cheese, you know, you can't spoil the dish with some extra cheese, right?
Okay, we've got quinoa, we've got cheese. Now, let's add some more healthy goodness to the recipe.
And here comes my favorite Zucchini. By adding this delicious vegetable, you're enhancing these quinoa patties with vitamins, making them a great healthy meal for the whole family.
Also available: Baked Zucchini with Mozzarella and Tomatoes
When working with Zucchini, there's one important thing to keep in mind.
When you shred Zucchini, make sure to drain as much liquid out of them as possible. Otherwise, it won't be as easy to form the patties and you'll have to add more breadcrumbs.
And don't forget to make the Greek Yogurt Sauce. It'll just take you a few extra minutes but it pairs beautifully with Quinoa Cakes.
How To Make Vegetarian Quinoa Zucchini Patties?
If you want to make these Quinoa Patties without eggs, just add a few extra tablespoons of breadcrumbs until the mixture starts to hold together when shaped into a pattie.
You can also easily substitute Feta by either using vegan cheese or adding one of the ingredients from my suggestions above.
More Filling Vegetarian Meals |
PIN THIS RECIPE NOW!
If you make these Zucchini Quinoa Patties, don't forget to snap a picture and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons.
I'd love to connect with you on social media. Follow me on:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Bloglovin, Twitter
Recipe
Quinoa Patties With Zucchini And Feta Cheese
Ingredients
Click on the highlighted link to purchase the ingredients
For the Patties
- 6 oz uncooked quinoa * See the notes
- 2 medium zucchini peeled and shredded
- 1 c Feta cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon regular breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon dill finely chopped
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 4 tablespoon olive or grapeseed oil
For Greek Yogurt Sauce
- 4 tablespoon Greek yogurt plain
- 1 baby dill pickle finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon dill minced
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- salt, pepper to a taste
Instructions
For the Patties
- In a medium saucepan combine quinoa with 1.5 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Let it cool.
- Place shredded zucchini in a large piece of paper towel and squeeze it to drain liquid out of zucchini.* (See the notes)
- In a big bowl, combine cooked quinoa, zucchini, Feta cheese, garlic, dill, sun-dried tomatoes, eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Form the mixture into small patties. If they start to fall apart, add more breadcrumbs, one tablespoon at a time.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Working in batches, cook the patties for 5 minutes. Slowly and carefully flip the patties and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a plate and let them cool while you prepare the sauce.
To make Greek Yogurt Sauce
- In a small bowl stir together Greek Yogurt, baby dill pickle, dill and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to your taste and give everything another stir.
Notes
Nutrition
Useful Resources on Quinoa:
101 Healthy Quinoa Recipes For Every Meal
12 Health Benefits of Quinoa, According to Science (+8 Delicious Recipes To Try)
Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
Liliane Abergel says
Dear Iryna, this recipe is a KEEPER! It's so versatile that you can use lots of different vegetables or leftovers, different cheeses or combinations of, different herbs and spices and on and on ... I just love it and share it with anyone interested 🙂 You got me back into cooking and baking, which I had quit and I'll always be grateful to you. My friends don't stop talking about it and all love it. I shared today with my younger sister and knowing her and her hubby, they will love it too! I'll try taking a photo with your hashtag and post it on Instagram as soon as I make it again ... it disappears fast in my house 🙂 Take good care and KEEP creating! Regards, Liliane
Iryna Bychkiv says
Liliane, your message absolutely made my day — thank you so much! I’m thrilled to hear the recipe brought some joy back into your kitchen. It means the world to know it’s being shared and loved by you and your friends.
Liliane Abergel says
Thank you for this lovely recipe, Iryna 🙂 I'll make this recipe for lunch today with few changes: no Dill, Cilantro instead and I'll add chopped kalamata olives. Since both olives and Feta are salty enough I won't add salt.
Iryna Bychkiv says
Liliane, you're welcome! I hope you'll get a chance to make these quinoa patties, they're really good;)
Liliane Abrgel says
Thank you for this lovely recipe, Iryna 🙂 I'm trying it for lunch with couple of changes, Cilantro instead of Dill and I'll add chopped Kalamata olives. Also will cut out the salt because of the Feta and olives. I love Quinoa and use it practically daily in many forms. You just gave me man extra one!
Vicki says
This looks delicious and I will definitely make them, I just have one question….Why peel the zucchini?
Liliane Abergel says
Hi Vicky, my name is Liliane and I became an avid follower of Iryna. I made this recipe couple of times and wash and trim the zucchini but don't peel it. I'm a believer that any edible cover for fruit or vegetable can be used if washed well (I use a vegetable brush with soap and water) I then dry it, shred it and put it in cheesecloth to squeeze the water from it. Hope that answers your question. Have a fantastic weekend 🙂
Costin says
Excellent recipe but for an extra portion of health, I suggest to bake in oven instead of frying in oil.
Iryna Bychkiv says
Costin, thank you for your comment! I'm happy you enjoyed this recipe! And yes, baking the patties in the oven makes them healthier.
Mark Mc Nally says
Great recipe idea. Only alteration made was to add chopped chives and grated carrot. Squeezing liquid from zucchini is a must. Thanks for the post.
Iryna says
Mark, thank you so much for your comment and a 5-star rating! I'm happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Eliana says
Substitution for Quinoa please. Don’t I’ll find Quinoa in SA
Iryna says
You can try substituting it with white or brown rice:)
karen nielsen says
Hi from Denmark
I made these patties Yesterday and will neve again buy premade veggiepatties! What a splendid recipe! I would love if there where a converter to metrics, though - but it went fine anyway.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! 👌🏻⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best regards
Karen
Iryna says
Hi Karen! Thank you so much for your comment and a 5-star rating! I'm happy you liked this recipe.
Claire says
Karen 170g quinoa according to Siri
Joanna Stephens says
These look like a tasty and healthy alternative to a hamburger patty. I would love to add in the sun dried tomatoes for some extra flavor. YUM!
Iryna says
Yes, sun-dried tomatoes would definitely be a great addition to these patties.
Jill says
I really like this way to use quinoa. Love all the flavors in the recipe. I'll have to try these!
Iryna says
Thanks Jill!
Tracy says
These were so good! Love the zucchini and feta with quinoa, my daughter LOVED them!
Iryna says
I'm so happy you liked the recipe Tracy!
Dannii says
Everything is better with feta so these look great. They would make nice burgers.
Iryna says
Thanks Dannii!
Heidy L. McCallum says
I love this idea, quinoa is one of my favorite ingredients so I am always looking for new and interesting recipes. I can't wait to make these. ASAP
Iryna says
Thanks Heidy!
Andrea says
These are so delicious! Even my non-vegetable eating husband wolfed these down. I just needed to add a fair bit more bread crumbs to hold everything together. These will definitely become a regular dish for our dinners! Thanks xo
Iryna says
Thanks for your comment Andrea! I'm so glad you and your husband liked the recipe!