These Tomato and Basil Quinoa Balls are perfect for little hands and something the whole family can enjoy.
If you have served quinoa to your baby you might wonder if the clean up is worth the effort. Those little seeds may be nutritious but they do have a habit of getting everywhere!
This is why quinoa balls are fantastic for babies and toddlers. There is no guarantee that they will be mess-free but they should help in reducing it! (fingers crossed)
Of course, these delicious balls aren't limited to babies, the whole family can enjoy them.
They are:
- lunch-box friendly
- freezer-friendly
- good for dipping
- great for serving with salad
- a vegetarian "meatball" alternative.
What You Need (& Alternative Suggestions)
- Quinoa: Use either white quinoa or tri-colour.
- Onion: For flavour, adds sweetness once sauteed.
- Tomatoes: Crushed or chopped canned tomatoes both work great, you could also use passata.
- Water / Stock: Use water (or homemade stock) if making for a baby (to reduce sodium levels) but if cooking for older kids stock will add more flavour.
- Egg: Used as a binder. This recipe tastes great before baking in balls. If you have an egg allergy you can make the recipe up to the stage you add the egg. Serve it without forming balls.
- Cheese: Grated cheddar adds flavour and helps with the forming of the balls.
- Basil: Adds great flavour, pairs lovely with the tomato and cheese.
How To Make Cheese and Tomato Quinoa Balls
- Soak: Start with soaking the quinoa. Allow it to soak as you chop and saute the onions. This helps to reduce the bitterness.
- Saute: Heat oil in a pan and gently sauté the onions and garlic until the onions become translucent. Allow it to really soften to release natural sugars.
- Cook: To the onions and garlic, add the tomatoes, stock (or water), quinoa (rinsed and drained) and stir. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for 15 mins.
- Fluff: Turn the heat off and leave the quinoa to sit covered for a further 5 mins then fluff with a fork.
- Mix: Add the cheese and basil and stir through. Allow to cool and then stir through the egg.
- Form Balls: Form tablespoon balls (makes 14). This mixture will be quite wet and the balls may flatten a little. Bake in the oven for 25 mins.
What to Serve Quinoa Balls With
Quinoa balls taste great hot or cold. Serve them up
- as a snack (with dips)
- as a lunchbox filler (makes a nice change from sandwiches)
- as part of the main meal (with roasted veggies, salad or even as a "meatball" replacement)
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to two days
- Freeze on a baking tray until solid and then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Be sure to get as much air out of the bag as possible when sealing, to help prevent freezer burn.
Other Quinoa Recipes to try...
Have you tried this recipe? Please rate and leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @healthylittlefoodies. I love seeing your creations!
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Cheese and Tomato Quinoa Balls
Delicious tomato, cheese and basil quinoa formed into balls.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves:14 Balls
Hover over "serves" value to reveal recipe scaler
Equipment
- Baking Tray
- Pan
Ingredients
- 100g (½ cup) Quinoa White or Tri-colour, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ Onion Finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Minced
- 120g (½ cup) Canned Chopped Tomatoes
- 120ml (½ cup) Vegetable / Chicken Stock
- 60g (½ cup) Cheddar Cheese Grated (Shredded)
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Basil leaves Chopped
- 1 Egg Beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180c / 350f / Gas 4
- In a bowl soak the quinoa in water.
- Heat oil, over medium heat, in a pan and gently sauté the onions and garlic until the onions become translucent. Around 5 mins.
- Using a fine-mesh sieve, drain and thoroughly rinse the quinoa.
- To the onions and garlic, add the tomatoes, stock, quinoa and stir. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for 15 mins.
- Turn the heat off and leave the quinoa to sit covered for a further 5 mins.
- Stir in the cheddar cheese & basil.
- Allow to cool and then stir in the beaten egg.
- Form heaped tablespoon sized balls.
- Bake in the oven for 25 mins or until golden.
Recipe Notes
Making for a Baby: Use water or homemade stock to reduce sodium levels.
Forming Balls: The balls will flatten slightly but if you are finding them difficult to form, place the mixture in the refrigerator for a further 10+ mins.
Short on Time? Now my kids are older I often don't bother forming balls (my youngest actually prefers it this way). Skip the egg and serve once you have stirred through the cheese and basil.
Extra cheesy optional step: Break each ball in half, add a small ball of mozzarella and reform the balls making sure the mozzarella is fully covered.
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to two days. Alternatively, freeze on a baking tray until solid and then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Be sure to get as much air out of the bag as possible when sealing, to help prevent freezer burn.
Nutritional information is a ROUGH guide only, calculated using an online nutrition calculator.
Nutritional facts
Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 96IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg
Eveline
Thank you for the recipes Amy! I must say I tried many of them and they are all awesome! My little girl loves them a lot! The whole family enjoys them<3
Amy
Thank you so much, Eveline. This means a lot to me 🙂
Sophia
Thanks for this great recipe Amy!
Very easy and tasty!
I am just wondering if I can do the first part of the recipe ( in the pan) the day before, keep it in the fridge and bake them the next day just before dinner.
Amy
Thanks Sophia, Yes that would work 🙂
Charlotte
Will Chopped Cherry tomatoes work instead of canned tomatoes? I have some tomato paste I could add
Amy
Hi Charlotte, the canned tomatoes counts as some of the cooking liquid so you would need to add more vegetable /chicken stock or water.
Melissa
Made 3 batches of these, my 11 month old loves them. How long do they freeze for?
Amy
Hi Melissa, I'm so glad your little one enjoys them! You can freeze for up to two months. 🙂
Megan
I used cooked quinoa that was a couple of days old and did all steps except added broth and boiled because the quinoa didnt need it. I this strained the diced tomatoes so there was limited liquid added. This made forming the balls no problem and they turned out really yummy! Hopefully my almost 10 month old agrees 🙂
Amy
Thanks Megan, glad they turned out well for you and I hope your 10 mth old enjoyed them too 🙂
Melissa
Hi I just made these and are delicious and hopefully my 9 month old will think so too . Just a random question but do I need to reheat them to give my baby as I’ve made them the night before
Thanks
Amy
Hi Melissa, my two enjoyed them cold. Glad you liked them, hope your little one will too 🙂
Heidi
You suggest serving them as a snack with dips, any recommendations on what dips pair the best?
Amy
Hi Heidi, I love to mix yoghurt with some freshly squeezed lemon juice, chopped basil and some salt and pepper. It is a nice easy dip to make and my kids love it with this recipe 🙂
Saralee Howard
Thanks for this great recipie! Can I freeze these after baking??
Amy
Thanks Saralee, Yes they freeze well 🙂
Gemma
Am going to give this a go for my little boy today! Do you have the Nutrition Facts for these?
Amy
Hi Gemma, I hope you enjoy them. I plan to update this post this week and will add nutritional information. You can always put the ingredients into an online nutrition calculator if you need to find out sooner 🙂
Liesbet
I liked the recipe but it really took a lot of time to prepare. more than I had anticipated in any case. In the oven my balls deformed into half balls. I couldn't present them the way you did. But. It was tasty!
Amy
Thanks for the feedback, Liesbet. I'm glad you enjoyed the taste of the recipe, it is a shame the balls didn't hold up though. Yes, this recipe can take a little time to prepare. Now my kids are older we often enjoy this recipe just as a quinoa dish. I skip the egg and don't bother forming them into balls. Saves a lot of time!
Anne-Maree
Thank you for a great idea ! My only question is around the quinoa, normally quinoa needs a water ratio of around 2:1 ie 2 cups water one cup quinoa. This one is on a 1:1 basis so won’t the quinoa not be fully cooked and not easily digestible for little ones ?
Amy
Hi Anne-Maree, the canned chopped tomatoes add liquid too and you cook it with the tomatoes. 🙂
Liesbet
oh were the chopped tomatoes supposed to be canned? Somehow I missed that in the recipeor ingrefients...
Amy
Yes, I did use canned tomatoes. I have changed the recipe to say that. Sorry that wasn't clear.
Kay
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I live in Indonesia where basil is not very easy to come by. What is a good substitute? Thanks!
Amy
Hi Kay, you don't need to add basil. You could try a little dried Italian herbs 🙂
Kate
Can I do without cheese?
Amy
Hi Kate, yes. You may have to add a little more basil for flavour. I also have a sweet and sour version.