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Cheesy Quinoa Bites Recipe

These cheesy quinoa bites make a great healthy snack for kids, make-ahead freezer meal, and the perfect healthy lunchbox food with lots of protein.

A new year always brings new resolutions. And I do have new resolutions, but this would be the same resolution I’ve had pretty much every year that I can remember – get healthier.

  • Drink more water.
  • Eat more fruits and vegetables.
  • Eat less junk food.
  • Exercise more.

You know, the normal resolution-y type stuff.

Hopefully, this is the year that sticks.  It has to stick through January because I’m in a group of ladies trying to lose 10 pounds by February 4th.

Even if it doesn’t stick all year, a month of healthier eating/exercising is better than nothing, right? 

So far this year, I’ve exercised every day (*cough* ignore that the grand total is only two days)! That’s a success rate of 100%!

I’m all over this exercise stuff.

But eating is the other half of the equation.

Oh, I have a hard time eating the right foods. I love my processed, refined, fried foods with creamy white sauces. It’s true.

My very popular response to the question, “What would you like for dinner?” is “All the french fries.”

I’m not planning on giving up all of my favorite foods. I need some fried potatoes in my life. But I am planning to try to monitor my portion sizes and add more healthy foods to my repertoire….Enter Cheesy Quinoa Bites.

Cheesy Quinoa Bites

I was trying to find a way to take a healthier food and make it taste less healthy and I think I’ve succeeded! This is like a mash-up of vegetable quinoa and a tater tot. Without the taters, of course.

I love that they’re bite-sized and I love it even more that they keep me full, thanks to the superfood that is quinoa (pronounced keen-wah, if you didn’t know!).

These babies are amazing. Quinoa is filling and packed with protein, so I felt completely satisfied by these.

I calculated the calories of all of the ingredients on My Fitness Pal and assuming their entries are correct, there are only 130 calories in 4 bites! I may have eaten 8 for dinner because they still fell under my calorie count! Score!

And if you decide to pass on the food processor and grate your carrots by hand, then you’ve added an arm workout! 😉

I used Kraft’s Light Honey Dijon salad dressing as our dipping sauce, but ranch or even sour cream would probably taste great!

Make Ahead Freezer Meal

These cheesy quinoa bites make a great make-ahead freezer meal, too! Make a batch (or two or three!) and freeze them for a quick meal later.

I prefer to cook them first, cool them, and then keep them in a freezer bag. Then, just take out however many you need for lunch or dinner. I think they taste better if you thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave, but they can be microwaved from frozen, too.

*Update on Prep Instructions

When I first made these, I always used mini muffin tins, but now I prefer to use a cookie scoop to scoop the mixture onto a silicone-lined baking sheet.

The baking directions and oven temperature stay the same, but then you never have to worry about them sticking!

Quinoa Bites FAQs

Still have more questions? Check out the Quinoa Bites FAQs page for more answers to the most commonly asked questions.

Cheesy Quinoa Bites

Cheesy Quinoa Bites

Yield: 28 bites
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

These cheesy quinoa bites make a great healthy snack for kids, make ahead freezer meal, and the perfect healthy lunchbox food with lots of protein.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa (I cook my quinoa in low sodium chicken broth)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup shredded carrot
  • 2 stalks green onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix together quinoa, carrot, egg, green onion, garlic, cilantro, cheese, flour, salt and pepper.
  3. Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup to the top (1 heaping Tbs each).
  4. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Notes

The dipping sauce pictured is Kraft's Light Honey Dijon salad dressing.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 7 bites
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 119Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 472mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 8g

**This information is just an estimate and may not be 100% accurate. Always double-check the nutritional information using your specific products and ingredients.

Looking for more quinoa bite recipes?

Pizza Quinoa Bites

Barbecue Chicken Quinoa Bites

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites

Southwestern Quinoa Bites

Tomato Basil Quinoa Bites

Chicken Bacon Ranch Quinoa Bites

Ham & Cheese Quinoa Bites

Monica Mansukhani

Monday 20th of August 2018

Do you think adding shredded raw sweet potato would work instead of shredded carrot? Thanks :)

Becky

Tuesday 21st of August 2018

Hi Monica! I haven't tried that myself yet (I want to now!), but I do think that would work!

Gabrielle

Friday 26th of January 2018

Hi there,

I’ve not had quinoa before, let alone cooked it, so bit of a newbie here. When the bites are finished in the oven, are they supposed to be a little moist on the inside or dry?

Becky

Saturday 27th of January 2018

Hi, Gabrielle! It shouldn't be either extreme! They certainly shouldn't be dry or falling apart, but they aren't super moist either (though some recipes are a little more moist than others). They are firm enough to stay together and the outside will be a bit more dry than the inside. The inside reminds me a little bit like a tater tot, but it's so hard to compare because the quinoa isn't potato texture either! I'm sorry I can't describe it more clearly, but you should definitely give them a try!

Rita

Monday 13th of June 2016

Congratulations on this delicious recipe, made at home for my family and it was great. We love it!

Becky

Friday 17th of June 2016

Thank you so much, Rita! I am thrilled to hear that you all enjoyed it as much as I do!

Anna

Thursday 9th of April 2015

I love quinoa and this is a great recipe! Thanks :)

nice cheesy potato bake recipe please

Saturday 20th of December 2014

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