The idea for these cheese garlic mushroom quinoa bites came from the deep fried garlicky mushrooms I used to love as a kid. Made with quinoa and cottage cheese, and oven baked, they are definitely a healthier – but no less tasty – take.
Make them for lunch, take on a picnic, or put them in a lunchbox. You can bake them ahead and put in lunchboxes through the week, or freeze them (see below for freezing tips.)
Can you freeze these quinoa bites?
Yes, you can. Freeze on a tray and then once frozen place in a container or bag until ready to use. Defrost as many as you need. I recommend reheating in the oven if possible.
Serving Ideas for these quinoa bites:
For blw serve by themself or with a dip such as this roast vegetable lentil sauce or some plain greek yogurt. For a family meal, you could serve them as ‘veggie nuggets’ with peas or salad, and potatoes.
If you are looking for more baby led weaning ideas that older kids love too, have a look at these no added sugar banana muffins these savoury pinwheel hearts, or these drop scones, which disappear in minutes!
Cheese Garlic Mushroom Quinoa Bites
Author: Robyn
Ingredients
- 40 g quinoa
- 1 dsp olive oil
- 250 g mushrooms peeled and finely sliced
- 1 medium zucchini/courgette grated
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 egg beaten
- 100 g cottage cheese
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard optional
- 20 g parmesan grated
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Oven 170˚C/340˚F
- Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions (usually around 15 minutes or so), then drain and cool.
- While the quinoa is cooking, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat and fry the mushrooms for a couple of minutes, until they are golden. Turn the heat down and add the zucchini, then cook until both are soft and any liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and cook for just a minute more. Cool.
- Beat the egg with the cottage cheese and mustard, if using, until well combined. Add the cooked quinoa and mushroom mixture, parmesan and black pepper. Stir well.
- Place dessertspoonfuls of the mixture on baking sheets lined with baking paper and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the bites are set and beginning to turn golden.
- Cool on tray.
- To freeze: freeze in a single layer on a baking tray for a few hours, then pack them into a container/bag and take out as you need.
Nutrition
HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?
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Or just leave a comment below!
Cassandra says
My son has a dairy allergy any sub for cottage cheese
Robyn says
You could try using tofu instead of the cottage cheese, or a bean puree or hummus. I haven’t tested these personally and am not sure if the bites would be as firm. Hope this helps, Robyn
Susan says
Any ideas on what to sub if egg allergy?
Robyn says
Hi Susan, instead of an egg you could bind the cakes with a little rice flour, or use a flax egg in place of the egg – the quinoa bites may be more fragile using either of these substitutions though. Hope this helps. Robyn
Emma g says
Can I omit the cottage cheese?
Robyn says
Yes you can make these without cottage cheese, they may be a little drier than if you used the cottage cheese, but should still hold together.
Tricia says
Made these for my 7 month old who has been on baby led weaning, and he absolutely loved it! I omitted the zuchinni just because I didn’t have any on hand at the moment, and it still turned out delicious. The adults loved it too, thank you!
Robyn says
So happy to hear your son loved them Tricia! 🙂 And the grown ups enjoyed them too – as we do!