Southwest Quinoa Sliders with Avocado Cream Sauce
Healthy, hearty and such a crowd-pleaser!
Ugh, I have the Monday blues. It doesn’t matter that this is a short work week – Mondays will always be Mondays. Although I am pretty freaking grateful that I have Thursday and Friday off. Now if only I can survive the grocery store tonight. I have some last minute things to pick up so I can make this stuffing with jalapeño cornbread.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, I am so grateful that I have a menu finalized! Jason’s sister’s family takes care of the bird and various sides but this year, I am in charge of the ham, stuffing, cornbread, candied yams, and dessert. I just hope I can pull it all off. I always plan way more than I can handle!
Now you’re probably wondering why on earth I would post quinoa sliders today. I did have a week of Thanksgiving leftover recipes for you guys but then I thought, with the biggest holiday right around the corner where we all overindulge and overeat and can’t fit into our skinny jeans, I couldn’t help but post a meatless, healthy recipe. I think it’s safe to say that we all need to go a bit lighter in preparation for the big day, right?
And that’s exactly what this recipe does. It’s vegetarian-friendly and chockfull of Mexican flair with chipotle peppers, corn, beans and of course, a creamy avocado sauce. Now don’t be fooled by the size of these cute little sliders. A couple of these babies is just enough for a perfectly light yet hearty dinner option!
Southwest Quinoa Sliders with Avocado Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup panko
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1-2 tablespoons pureed chipotle peppers, in adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole kernel corn
- ½ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Olive oil
- 12 split slider buns, toasted, for serving
- 2 cups arugula, for serving
- 2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced, for serving
For the avocado cream sauce
- 1 avocado, halved, seeded and peeled
- 2 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To make the avocado cream sauce, combine avocado, garlic, Greek yogurt, cilantro, salt and pepper, to taste, in the bowl of a food processor; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine qunioa, Parmesan, panko, flour, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, chipotle peppers, lime juice, eggs, corn, beans, salt and pepper, to taste. Divide the mixture into 12 balls; press each lightly to form 1/4-inch-thick patties.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add patties to the skillet and cook until browned and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side, flipping only once.
- Serve quinoa patties on rolls with arugula, tomatoes and avocado cream sauce.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
This was so yummy! We are meat eaters but I had a big bag of quinoa I needed to use up and this was perfect. Didn’t miss the meat at all. Seriously so good.
My daughter requests this all the time. Delicious!
Made these last week and the flavor was great! All 3 teens gave them 2 thumbs up. The problem I had was that the patties just didn’t hold together while cooking and flipping, no matter how gently I tried to handle them. They didn’t want to hold together well while I was forming the balls so I guess that should have been a clue. Not sure what the solution is but I’m guessing a slightly drier mixture … more panko? more flour? both? Definitely making them again so I’ll have to experiment. (Also, just want to say that I love your blog and your recipes are always a big hit in our house! Our favs are Quinoa Enchilada Casserole and Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce. I have happy kids when I tell them one of those are on the menu for dinner!)
I was wondering if I could bake these instead of frying? I need a double batch worth and it would be so much less work to bake them all at once in the oven.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
May I ask where you get the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?
Most grocery stores should carry them.
I’m excited to try these! do you think I can freeze the patties? And should I freeze before or after cooking?
Thank you for a healthy alternative Slider!!!!
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Hi Chungah and Therese, I wanted to let you know that I made this recipe and froze a bunch of patties and it turned out great! I froze the patties uncooked and used wax paper to separate each one. They froze well and when I was ready to cook them, I put them in the microwave on defrost for about a minute and that worked perfectly. I will caution that because they have raw egg in them, I would not freeze them for any longer than 30 days to be on the safe side. Thanks Chungah for such a plethora of reliable and DAMN delicious recipes!!
Can you use a blender instead of a food processor for the sauce? I don’t have one.
Yes, absolutely.
These were amazing! Definitely going to make them again! I impressed my whole family!
Oh my goodness, once again . . . DELICIOUS!
Every recipe of yours that I have tried has been wonderful! My husband and I are vegetarians and you have some great options for us.
Pingback: 50 Super Bowl Snacks - Garnish with Lemon | Garnish with Lemon
Tasty, tasty!! i could demolish a few of these I tell ya!
Me too! With sliders, you could become a bottomless pit!