Cheesy veggie quinoa bites are a delicious, healthy after school snack or side dish. Easy to make and the recipe can be customized to whatever you have on hand in the fridge!
What do you do when you have a bunch of leftovers in the fridge? Mix them all up into a healthy snack or side dish with plenty of vegetables, whole grains, and protein. My kids couldn’t keep their fingers off of these Cheesy Veggie Quinoa Bites.
2015 is a year of change here at Cupcakes & Kale Chips. Honestly, I keep wondering if my readers notice and care, but, you know, I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do. I started this blog as a hobby, but I discovered a passion and a world of opportunities. To keep it going, it costs money. So I started taking some paying gigs to offset the costs. Then I realized that this could actually become a real job, and while I am blessed that I don’t have to work, I’ve gotten to the point where I need something else to give me a true feeling of personal satisfaction, and I want to help ensure the security of my family should, God forbid, something awful happen.
People like what I do – readers make my recipes! I get asked to contribute to sites, and speak at conferences, giving me a sense of fulfillment. As a former straight A student (no lie, I think the only B’s I ever got were in gym and handwriting) who then went on to a successful career with a big pharma company, after several years away from having these types of tangible measures of success, this is important to me, and makes me a better person, a happier person. And, therefore, a better, happier mom.
Plus, The Bug is off to Kindergarten in the fall. The little dude wakes up every morning asking to go to school, but I’m still working from home. So, I don’t have to drop them off at 7am and then not see them again until 6pm, which is what would have happened if I had never left my former career to be a stay-at-home mom. For me, this is the best of all possible worlds.
They go to school between 8:30 and 9, then I pick them up after nap and snack, around 3pm to 4pm. Sometimes we come home, sometimes we are off to karate, or meeting Daddy for dinner, or getting haircuts, or whatever. They’re happy, I’m happy, and we enjoy our mornings and evenings together. Tonight we had a crazy newspaper snowball fight – it was awesome!
And as I always say, all moms and parents have to make the choices that are the best for themselves and their families.
So yes, you are seeing some more sponsored posts. You are seeing affiliate links and you’ll probably start seeing shopping lists. If you click on those to head over to Amazon and then, while you’re there, you happen to buy anything, not just the product I linked to, I’ll make a little commission. It doesn’t cost you anything, don’t worry!. I have a team of contributors to help me bring some different voices and types of recipes to my site. As I make these changes, I hope you’ll continue to support me and follow along.
Cheesy Veggie Quinoa Bites were born from two hungry little boys and me staring into the fridge at containers of leftovers.
Now, my boys aren’t fans of just eating quinoa straight up. I have to be a quinoa ninja, so in this case I went with two surefire bets – adding cheese and making it into finger food. Of course I also had to add the leftover vegetables I had in the fridge too. And it was a total success! I had to stop them from polishing off the whole batch just so I could grab some photos. Heck, I had to stop myself too!
After you’ve picked up what you need…
Quinoa | Cabot Cheddar Cheese | Mini muffin tin
Head on over to The NY Melrose Family to get the full recipe!
Here’s the recipe for the cheesy veggie quinoa bites. Enjoy!
Cheesy Veggie Quinoa Bites
Veggies, protein and while grains packed into fun, cheesy tots perfect for little fingers to grab and munch on!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
- 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup chopped vegetables cooked {steamed, roasted, etc}
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray or oil.
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the cups of the mini muffin tin, and press down to pack it in firmly.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
How about some options for dipping those bites?
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And here are some great quinoa bites from my friends…
- Mini Pizza Quinoa Bites from Iowa Girl Eats
- Jalapeno Popper Quinoa Bites from Alida’s Kitchen
- Quinoa Buffalo Bites from Wonky Wonderful
Want to see lots more yummy food from me and my friends, and cute pictures of my kids?
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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I earn a small percentage from any purchases you may make if you click on them. These companies have not contacted me. I use the stuff because I love it.
I can relate to so much of what you say about not having to work, but “needing” to work personally. You’re not alone 🙂
And love this ninja attack on making quinoa kid friendly!!
Regan @ Cabot Creamery recently posted…Farmer Friday: Women in Farming
Thanks Regan. I’m still battling the guilt, so it helps to hear other people say that! Thanks!
Haha, I feel like some of the best dishes ever come from throwing a bunch of leftovers together! For some reason I never think to combine quinoa and cheese together but I’m loving these cheesy quinoa bites!! This is such a great idea!
Izzy @ She Likes Food recently posted…Warm Lentil, Kale & Potato Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing
Oooh, I love cheese and quinoa!
My 9 month old LOVES these! It’s a great way to mix things up and travel so easily to daycare. Thank you for sharing!
Oh yay! Love helping mamas find healthy things for their little ones!
i cant wait to try these! what a wonderful, simple, idea. Just wish i had the nutritional info.
I don’t post calorie counts because it can vary greatly by the brand of product you use, fat free versus full fat, etc. But a lot of people like the SparkPeople calorie calculator where you can input all of the ingredients you are using. https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Thank you so much!
Would these freeze well?
My granddaughter has an egg allergy. Any ideas on substitutions?
There are a number of egg substitute products (I think one is called Ener-G), and some people use ground flax seed mixed with water. Not sure how it would work with this recipe. I think trying that or even omitting it might be fine. It’ll taste good, they may just be a little softer and more fragile.
First of all, these were amazing, thank you! Three questions: 1) how would these do if you froze them? 2) any advice to stop them from sticking to muffin tin? 3) have you ever tried this not in muffin tins? Just in maybe a 9×13 foil tray?
Oh great, so glad you enjoyed them! I haven’t frozen them, but I think they would freeze well. Plenty of cooking spray. I have one muffin pan that never sticks, and one that, no matter what I make, always sticks. I haven’t tried in a tray. You wouldn’t get the crispy edges, but one idea is to use a little scoop and put little “tots” on a cookie sheet. I’ll have to try that!
They freeze really well! I froze and doled them out through the month.
These are delicious, my toddlers loved them! Almost tastes like Mac & cheese which is a win with my kiddos!
I’m so glad that your kiddos love the quinoa bites, Stephanie!
how do these turn out if made and then frozen?
Michelle, if you cool the quinoa bites completely before freezing them and make sure to wrap them very well with plastic wrap and an outer layer of aluminum foil or inside of a freezer bag, I think they would reheat well.
We love these! I added some crumbled bacon to one batch for my husband. I love them in their healthier bacon free form!
Thank you!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the quinoa bites, Marcy, but your addition of bacon to them sounds delicious!
Love this recipe..have used it many times now. They pack for work lunches and reheat in the microwave. I usually make a batch for the week of grab and go breakfast, lunch or snacks and even make as an appetizer( i try to make them more bite size.)
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy the quinoa bites recipe, Dale!