If you don’t have dinner plans for tonight I’ve got you covered! My sweet potato quinoa patty recipe is always a big hit. I mean who doesn’t love good hearty veggie burger made with sweet potatoes and quinoa, smothered in a creamy basil avocado spread, topped with fresh pomegranate seeds and served over a fresh bed of lettuce? I know not everyone agrees with the fact that veggie burgers > hamburgers (just ask my husband). One thing you will agree with is how much you love these sweet potato quinoa patties!
This recipe makes quite a few patties and (depending on how hungry you are or how big your family is) you’re pretty much guaranteed to have leftovers! Okay….this post is officially making me hungry!
In all seriousness, my favorite food combination right now is….wait for it…. sweet potatoes, avocados, and pomegranate seeds. I know… its kind of random and sounds totally gross, but trust me on this one. You will not regret making this dish or any others that have to do with sweet potatoes, avocado, and pomegranate seeds for that matter! I can’t wait to post all of my delicious creations for you to try!
When you look at the recipe for the first time, these might seem daunting to make. Truth be told, they’re actually pretty simple. Aside from containing yourself from eating them before they’re served, the most difficult task is cooking the quinoa, the sweet potatoes, and sauteeing the onions.
If you break this recipe into three parts you’ll see what I mean:
Step 1: Prepare ingredients for quinoa patties. Ingredients include cooked quinoa, cooked sweet potatoes, and sauteed onions.
You’ll need 2 cups of cooked quinoa. (That’s 1 cup of dry quinoa mixed with two cups of water). If you need to brush up on how to make quinoa check out my post on how to cook the perfect quinoa. When quinoa is cooked, scoop into a bowl and set aside.
Cook your sweet potatoes by rinsing then with water, brushing them with EVOO, and piercing the with a fork. (Note: I cooked my sweet potatoes in the microwave to speed things up). Wrap each sweet potato in a paper towel. Heat potatoes in microwave on high for 5 minutes. Flip potatoes to other side and heat for 3 more minutes or until they’re soft to the touch. They should be very soft and very hot so be careful!
Scoop out sweet potato insides into the bowl with the quinoa. Lastly, you’ll need to saute your onion. Heat EVOO in a sauté pan and stir in some minced garlic. Add your diced onions, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme and sauté until onions become translucent. then place onions in bowl with quinoa and sweet potatoes.
Lastly, you’ll need to saute your onion. Heat EVOO in a sauté pan and stir in some minced garlic. Add your diced onions, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme and sauté until onions become translucent. then place onions in bowl with quinoa and sweet potatoes.
Add sauteed onions to the bowl with quinoa and sweet potatoes. Throw in some fresh basil, mix together and baby, you’re in business!
Step 2: Shape and bake your quinoa patties. Use your hands to shape patty mixture into balls. Aim for a size slightly larger than golf ball size. IMPORTANT!!! Make sure they are very tightly packed so they don’t fall apart in the skillet!
Use coconut oil to cook your patties in a cast iron skillet. Make sure your skillet is nice and hot before you put your patties in. Place 3 – 4 patty balls in a skillet at one time and listen to them sizzle! Use a spatula to VERY VERY GENTLY press the top of each patty. Do NOT attempt to flatten the patties. If you press too hard the patties will fall into pieces and you will end up eating sweet potato quinoa scramble instead of these delicious sweet potato quinoa patties. This has happened to me and I can attest that the sweet potato quinoa stir-fry is also delicious. 🙂 You shouldn’t be afraid of messing these up because either way, the outcome will taste fantastic!
Cook patties for about 3 minutes on each side. Add another 1 – 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to cast iron skillet between batches for best results.
Step 3: Make the Basil Avocado Spread. Basil? Check! Avocado? Check! Greek Yogurt? Check! Now that the gang’s all here, throw them in the food processor. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and paprika over the contents and grind away! In about 30 – 45 seconds your delicious creamy basil avocado spread will be your for the tasting! (Add salt and pepper until your taste buds are satisfied!)
DINNER IS SERVED!
Arrange your sweet potato quinoa patties over a bed of leafy green lettuce (my favorite is the baby spinach and kale mix) drizzle with basil avocado spread, top with fresh pomegranate seeds and goat cheese then dig in!
Wondering how to use those leftovers? These sweet potato quinoa patties are delicious in a pita or severed in a whole wheat hamburger bun. Have an idea of your own? Leave a comment and let me know! I’d love to hear from you!
- • 2 cups cooked quinoa
- • Insides of 2 cooked sweet potatoes
- • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- • 3 garlic cloves, minced
- • 1 TBS fresh thyme, finely chopped
- • 1 TBS EVOO
- • Salt and pepper
- • Coconut oil for cooking patties
- • 1/4 cup + 1 cup fresh basil leaves, divided
- • 1 large avocado
- • 2 TBS Greek Yogurt
- • 1 TBS paprika
- • Leafy green lettuce (I prefer kale and spinach mixture)
- • Feta cheese
- • Pomegranate seeds
- • Prepare 2 cups of cooked quinoa (1 cup dry quinoa and 2 cups of water). Scoop cooked quinoa into a bowl and set aside.
- • Rinse sweet potatoes with water. Brush sweet potatoes with EVOO, pierce with a fork, and wrap each sweet potato in a paper towel. Heat in microwave on high for 5 minutes. Flip potatoes to other side and heat for 3 more minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft to the touch.
- • Cut sweet potatoes in half, scoop insides out and place in bowl with cooked quinoa.
- • Heat EVOO in a sauté pan. Stir in minced garlic cloves. When fragrant, stir in diced onions salt, pepper, and thyme. Sauté until onions become translucent then place onions in bowl with quinoa and sweet potatoes.
- • While contents in bowl cool, finely chop 1/4 cup basil leaves and stir in to mixture. Use hands to completely combine all ingredients.
- • When combined, pack mixture together in balls (slightly larger than golf ball size). Make sure ingredients are well packed. This will help ensure your patties stay in one piece.
- • Heat 1-2 TBS of coconut oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- • Place 3 - 4 sweet potato quinoa balls in skillet. Using a spatula, very gently press down on the top of each ball to flatten. (NOTE: Do not attempt to completely flatten the patty).
- • Cook patties for about 3 minutes on each side until a crispy brown crust begins to form and set aside. (Add 1-2 TBS coconut oil to cast iron skillet each time you start a new "batch" of patties.)
- • While patties cool, prepare Basil Avocado spread by peeling and placing 1 ripe avocado, 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, and 2 TBS of Greek yogurt in a food processor. Add 1 TBS paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Combine until reaching desired consistency.
- • Serve patties over a bed of leafy green lettuce. Place a dollop of basil avocado spread on each patty. Top with pomegranate seeds and feta, serve and enjoy!
- Make sure to pack patties very tightly before cooking.
- Add an additional 1 -2 TBS of coconut oil to cast iron skillet after each round of patties. Let coconut oil heat up before placing patties in cast iron skillet. For best results cook 3 - 4 patties at same time. Depending on size of balls, patties might take longer to cook. Do not cook patties for more than 6 minutes on each side.
- Store leftover patties and basil avocado spread in separate airtight containers. Contents should keep for up to 5 days. Stir basil avocado spread before re-serving to bring back color.
