I’m a sucker for savory patties like these…I’ll take crab cakes or croquettes any day! So when I found the idea for these quinoa and kale patties, I was thankful I had all the ingredients on hand because I had to make them immediately! Delicious, filling enough for a main meal and best yet, healthy….a great go-to meatless meal. If you make the patties smaller these would also make a great appetizer!

Quinoa and Kale Patties
The following makes 8 patties (adapted from Yummy Supper):
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups chicken/veggie broth or water (using broth will add more flavor)
- Olive oil
- 3 cups kale (about half a bunch), stems removed and chopped
- 3 gloves garlic, minced
- 4 eggs, whisked
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup panko
- Lemon zest and juice
Cook quinoa according to package directions. Mine was: add 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water (I used chicken broth) in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed, 10-15 minutes. Allow quinoa to cool.
Meanwhile, saute the kale in a little olive oil in a large skillet until slightly wilted down to about a heaping cup or so. Season to taste with salt and add the garlic. The warm kale will heat the garlic a bit. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
In a large bowl, mix together cooked quinoa, sautéed kale and garlic, eggs, cheese, green onions, salt, red pepper flakes, and panko. Let everything sit for a few minutes to absorb the liquid (if needed). Batter should be moist, but not runny. Form mixture into patties, you can make them as large as you’d like.
Over medium-low heat, add some more olive oil to the skillet you used to saute the kale in. Cook up to 6 patties at a time (don’t overcrowd the pan). Cover the pan and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until the bottom is well browned. Flip and cook the other side for another 7-10 minutes until both sides are nice and brown. Remove patties from skillet and season with salt.
You can garnish/top these patties with just about anything you’d like….hot sauce, lemon juice, etc. In addition to topping with lemon zest and juice, I had some leftover yogurt sauce from a dinner I made earlier in the week that I decided to serve with these patties (1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tbsp each chopped fresh mint and cilantro, 1 tsp each grated fresh garlic and ginger and salt and pepper to taste)…delicious! These patties can dry up, so I recommend serving with lemon wedges.