Crispy Quinoa Sliders.
Welp. Seems like I’ve got an addiction of sorts.
Can’t stop making these burgers and sandwiches with beans and potatoes and actual vegetables (if carrots count) and a variety of flavors. Have I ever told you how TEXTURE makes my life? It does. And even though I keep posting basically the exact same thing every week (sorry… sort of… but not) with a different taste and maybe a slightly different method, it’s only because each one keeps getting bettttttter and better. At least in my delusional world.
But no, in the real world too.
Like… this quinoa?
It gets so crispy I can hardly STAND it. The outside is so crunchy and golden and the insides are soft, but thanks to some coarsely chopped garbanzos and (ugh) carrots, it’s not like they are complete mush. They are hearty and just… crazy. I had to make mine into sliders because I’ve had an ongoing convo with a twitter friend over some quinoa burgers she ate a few weeks ago, and I’m enamored with all things mini… and am also fanatical over anything in burger form with a million toppings. Mini just means you get to eat more and when that means eating more burgers?
Don’t gotta twist my arm.
I’ve been super obsessive lately. I get in moods.
I have this odd obsession going with the movie The Kids Are Alright (watch it every week) and an even odder obsession with hummus on really thick toast (eating it like thrice a day). I’m obsessed with returning fall TV and every second that plays out on Boardwalk Empire and how weirdly sexy I find Kevin Costner (sort of had an issue with Dances with Wolves back in the day) and planning a trip to NYC and holiday nail polish colors and buying too many purses in shades of hot blue and purple that I’m not even stylish enough to use. I’m obsessed with saying the word obsessed even though I hate the word obsessed but am either 1. too lazy to look up another fitting synonym or b. not smart enough to know if those synonyms even work in these things I call run-on sentences. Ugh. It’s all very tiring. It’s like my mind is running a marathon.
One thing I’m not obsessed with at all is Monday. Like the day. In general. Yeah yeah. I know. Another person to whine about Mondays. Great. So original. Not like they’re going anywhere. I just can never get back into the groove. But I’m sure if I stopped partying like it was 1999 on the weekends (and by partying I mean laying around doing absolutely nothing and sleeping in and eating large amounts of macaroni and cheese and trying to disconnect my mind from the world for a hot five secs) it would be so much easier. And the other thing is that there is only one thing that really saves me on Mondays and it’s food… so there’s that. I attempt to plan for something really delicious but not food coma inducing; something I look forward to all day and something that gives me a lot of options for the rest of the week in case my motivation wears off by the time ABC programming rears it’s ugly (I mean beautiful) head Monday evening.
… bingo.
I think these quinoa burgers are one of the most versatile meals I’ve made… because the crunch means they can go on ANYTHING. No, seriously. Anything. Sandwiches, salads, as a side dish (’cause you know this would never fly as a main dish in my house) with ketchup, as a cold snack, or even chopped up and mixed with rice or pasta or… something like that. Whatever you want to do, do it. Just because.
Crispy Quinoa Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1/2 cup freshly grated provolone cheese
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large egg + 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 multigrain slider buns or dinner rolls
- 2 avocados, sliced for topping
- 1/2 cup chipotle mayo for topping
Instructions
- Add quinoa and stock to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for 15 minutes or until can be fluffed with a fork. You can do this ahead of time or even the night before (and store quinoa in the fridge) so the quinoa can cool.
- While quinoa is cooking, slice the green onions, chop the carrots, mince the garlic and grate the cheese. Place it all in a bowl, then add panko and mix. Coarsely chop the chickpeas and add to the bowl. One quinoa is finished cooking, add it to the bowl and mix well until incorporated. If needed, let cool or place in the fridge for a few minutes to cool. Add in beaten egg + egg white, salt, pepper and mix well. Form into patties (I really squeezed a handful of quinoa together and smoothed it into a round, it may take some squeezing and form to get the patties to stick) that fit the size of the buns you have.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Once hot, add 5-6 quinoa patties and cook until deeply golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Gently flip and cook 5 minutes more. Remove and continue with remaining olive oil and patties. Serve with sliced avocado chipotle mayo!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Still obsessed though.
179 Comments on “Crispy Quinoa Sliders.”
I love it when you talk vegetarian to me.
I love this recipe! I just made a batch of quinoa, I know what I’m making with it tonight!!! Have a great week!
Okay, I will give Quinoa anther chance ,these look too good not make.
Everything is about texture and crunch!
These look and sound delicious, Jessica! Did you make the chipotle mayo?
Oops yep, sorry, forgot to link! Fixed it.
You are not alone in your love of Kevin Costner. I actually find present day Kevin Costner to be way sexier than his strapping young self.
I’m also finding these quinoa burgers to be pretty sexy and just shot them to the top of my weekly menu!
These look awesome Jessica! Just out of curiosity, when do you add the chickpeas and the cheese? I think that this is what I am going to have for dinner! YAY!
All to the bowl in the beginning before the quinoa! I chopped everything while the quinoa was cooking and threw it all in before.
Looks yummy…Stupid question: are cooked chickpeas just chickpeas out of a can??
Yes! I used chickpeas I had cooked myself but if you use canned, just make sure to drain and rinse well.
Making these mini just means there’s a higher crispy crust ratio, so I approve.
I get obsessions like you do, too. I call them jags. Like I’ve been on a doily jag forever… I’ve crocheted like six of them. Also the BBC Pride and Prejudice has been on in the background for weeks.
You make anything with quinoa look delicious. I think I need to come over and eat one of these so you can convince me how yummy it really is!!!
I definitely think you might like it crispy!
LOVE these sliders Jessica! Gotta try asap :)
These sliders are totally obsess-worthy. Great recipe!!!!
You won’t be hearing this girl complain about the burgers you’ve been making! Each one of yours I’ve made has been fabulous!
I am A-OK with your obsession!
Looks great Jess! I assume Mr How Sweet probably isn’t a fan of these since they don’t contain chicken, but that just means more for you! Love the crispy quinoa idea… and I’m totally going to give it a try! :)
These look great, but the buns look even better! Did you make them?
Nope! They are from a local bakery.
My man wouldn’t let these pass as a main dish either, but that won’t stop me from making them! i was just looking for a new vegetarian burger-ish recipe, you read my mind!
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Carrots totally count as a vegetable, and I don’t blame you for being obsessed, Jessica. These look AWESOME!
I love a good veggie burger!
Love the quinoa love! These look fabulous!!
Texture makes my life too. So would these babies, I’m in awe of how good they look.
I loved The Kids are Alright, and then I felt kind of stupid blabbing on about how much I loved it when all the reviews came out. Whatever. It’s great!
Love all the veggie burgers you’ve got going on here. These in particular look so, so, (so) good.
These are SO cute. I, as well, am obsessed with the word obsessed. And run on sentences. And sentences that are fragments and not sentences.
Love how crispy quinoa gets! Definitely will have to try these!
ooo I love the idea of avocado in burgers!
I like the sound of quinoa burger/sliders!
Those look seriously delicious! Love those golden “patties”. Cannot wait to try them!
I am in LOVE with this recipe! Yes yes yes. Perfect for a Monday. And I love your extra ranti-ness today. Made my Monday, that’s for sure. The definition of obsessive is overenthusiastic…which just made me laugh out loud. Thank you for being your overenthusiastic self. :)
love that it gets so crispy! the thing with veggie burgers or patties is sometimes they just don’t but these, I can tell, are so crispy and I love that! And all the texture, too!
love the idea of having quinoa in veggie burgers – haven’t tried that one yet!
These look great! Do you think they would freeze well? I’m usually only cooking for myself so these would be a great option to pull out of the freezer.
I think they would! I would suggest maybe freezing them before actually cooking them – like make the patties and freeze, then thaw and cook until crispy. Either way, I think if you try to reheat them (from freezer or fridge) the best thing to do is place them in a skillet with some olive oil so they crisp up again.
Okay these look amazing and I will obviously be making them but WHERE ARE YOU GETTING AVOCADOS?! Those look so fresh and green and I seem to only find the end-of-season ones that are gross. Sadness.
Ugh… I KNOW. I’ve been buying 4-5 at a time (sometimes fully green which take forever to ripen) and no matter what end up having to pitch 2-3 away. It is so depressing. I just want a good avocado!!
With these being so tiny, you can’t help but want another serving!
When are you going to NYC?! Have you been before? =)
Love your chipotle mayo. These look great!
Wow….You always have the most beautiful pictures! These would be great stuffed into a pita. I am obsessed (fascinated, fond, riveted) with the thesaurus. Have a great Monday!
I totally love these – quinoa is so tasty prepared this way, and I love the avocado on top. Yum!
I’ve definitely been inspired by all of your burgers and sliders. I decided to be daring the other day and cook up some homemade turkey burgers. Definitely put cheese in with the ground turkey to mash it all up…I don’t have a grill right now, so I was cooking them up in the pan with some olive oil. The burgers kept sticking to the pan and leaving behind a cheesy turkey residue that i had to scrub out between burgers. Is there a trick so things don’t get stuck when making burgers?
I know a really hot pan usually means it should be non-stick, but that definitely varies with the brand. I have had the same probably when just mixing in grated cheese. I think it’s a better bet to stuff it with cheese, so meat surrounds it. No stickiness then!
Thanks so much :)
Oh yes, I adore crispy quinoa cakes and am totally digging the idea of tucking them into sliders. Nice!
These look so great! I’m also obsessed with meatless burgers and made your double bean burgers the other day. I’m also currently obsessing over oatmeal, peanut butter, and bananas, which I will throw together in almost any combination available. Chocolate is usually involved.
One of the first times I ever made quinoa was when I tried Joy the Baker’s recipe for quinoa patties. They were just like this, and oooooh did they get crispy!
BTW, I totally thought those avocado slices were actually apple slices since they’re so light in color! Wouldn’t that be good with these??
I’ve really resisted jumping on the quinoa bandwagon, but I’m going to have a hard time resisting now that I have a picture of these sliders in my head. Plus, I’m obsessed with avocado, and if this gives me another excuse to eat avocado, I’ll HAVE to do it.
I’m also not in love with Mondays. I usually medicate with chocolate!
Ohh maybe THIS will cure me of my quiona-dislike! I try so hard to like it, but I just cannot…
These look incredible. I’m seriously excited to give them a try! And if it makes you feel any better, I’m personally obsessed with the word thrice. So it made me chuckle that you used it.
What can I use instead of beans? :)
I think anything with texture – so maybe some extra carrots? Extra veggies??
Interesting. I am going to try that. And…did the phrase “extra veggies” really come out of your mouth? Well…typed from your thoughts. :) xo
I haven’t had dinner yet, and these look SCRUMPTIOUS! And even though you HATE Mondays (who doesn’t?), you certainly made mine today! You’re wit and humor never fail to crack me up, and it’s nice to know that GOOD COOKS DO MAKE MISTAKES!!! I’m making ALL of the holiday treats this year (again… :P) and am still learning the ways of the kitchen-for instance, cheap milk chocolate chips do NOT melt in the microwave OR in a bowl over a pan of hot boiling water (at least, mine didn’t) LOL!
So thank you for cheering me up on Mondays, and for all of the totally awesome cookie/truffle recipes!!! :) You ROCK, Jessica!!!
I tried to make these tonight but must have done something wrong- they wouldn’t stick together! I had more of a quinoa burger scramble tonight, but put the rest of the mix in the fridge for tomorrow. What should I add to help them bind? It already has 4 eggs in it… Thanks!
Wait… 4 eggs! Why 4 eggs? I would think that many eggs may make them too slimy and loose to hold together?
2 eggs didn’t do it, so i added more thinking it would help. maybe i had the wrong idea…
Did you try the 1 egg + 1 white in the recipe or just go with 2 full eggs? Make any other changes to the recipe or anything? I think the 4 eggs would definitely be too much – but you may be able to save them in you stir in some flour (maybe start with a 1/4 cup?) and try to get them into patties. I’d hate for you to have to pitch them after all that work!
they worked! you are wonderful. thank you!
I need to get into the quinoa patties bandwagon man, they look great. The hummus obsession I already have and mondays I don´t like because somehow, I do nothing on weekends (work-wise) but feel I should´ve. Crazy and stupid.
Couldn’t wait and had to make them for dinner. Best dinner we’ve had in ages. These are so good. Freaking love your blog.
A) You crack me up – always!
B) You make me hungry – always again.
C) If you find yourself in NYC – Cocktails!
Happy Monday, Jess!
After reading your post this morning I totally remembered I had some black bean quinoa burgers in the freezer. Normally I bake them, but I cooked one up crispy like you suggested. Amaaaaazing! Served mine over a piece of toast with sliced tomato and a fried egg on top. Yum!
Thanks!! :)
Let me know if they are saved! No idea why it won’t let us continue the replies under those previous comments. :)