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Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Quinoa Cakes

February 26, 2013 By Patricia 37 Comments

Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Quinoa Cakes with a dollop of cream

Try, and try again

Every year, since I don’t know when, I try to appreciate three specific things: The Grateful Dead, Monty Python, and sweet potatoes. I can listen to one or two Dead songs but when it comes to British humor, give me Are You Being Served any day (say what you will, but I just don’t get it when it comes to MP). The good news is that I’ve finally reached the point of enjoying sweet potatoes!

Waste not

I was working on a recipe for work recently (I write for SheKnows.com – check it out!) and had a batch each of leftover mashed sweet potatoes with black beans. I didn’t want to waste what I had on my hands, but I didn’t feel like eating mashed sweet potatoes at dinner. I thought I could add the potatoes to a bread recipe, but that wasn’t really doing it for me. Enter Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Quinoa Cakes.

A plate of Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Quinoa Cakes

Put it all together

It might seem like there are a lot of ingredients going on with this recipe – and there are – but trust me, the flavor and texture combination is great. The cumin and rosemary pair well with the sweet potatoes, and the walnuts do, too. They also add a bit of crunch to the soft cakes. The quinoa and black beans help hold things together and keep the cakes moist. For the crowning glory, add the sour cream-Dijon mixture to the Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Quinoa Cakes. It adds a slight zing to the sweetness of the cakes.

As for The Grateful Dead and Monty Python, there’s always next year!

Recipe for Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Quinoa Cakes
Yields 16 cakes


INGREDIENTS

  • 2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
  • 6 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (you may need a little extra)
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2 garlic cloves, diced
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • Nonstick cooking spray

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray 2 baking sheets with the nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Prick the sweet potatoes in several spots, and microwave them for about 5 minutes. Carefully check to see if the potatoes are soft. You may need to cook them for several more minutes.
  3. Once the sweet potatoes are soft, allow them to cool slightly, then peel, and cut them into chunks. Add them to a bowl with the butter, milk, cumin, salt, and pepper, and mash them or mix with a hand mixer until smooth (I kept a few small chunks in mine). Set aside.
  4. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to boil. Once boiling, add the quinoa, cover and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is soft and has “popped” open. Stir occasionally.
  5. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and allow it to cool.
  6. Add the mashed sweet potatoes to a large bowl and mix in the black beans. Next add the cooled quinoa, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, walnuts, and rosemary. Mix well.
  7. Shape the mixture into 2-1/2-inch balls and flatten them slightly. Place on the baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for 15 minutes more until both sides are golden.
  8. While the cakes are cooking, mix together the sour cream and Dijon mustard. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the cakes.
  9. Dollop the sour cream mixture onto the cakes.
 

Yields 16 cakes

Filed Under: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian

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Comments

  1. Shon says

    February 26, 2013 at 3:44 pm

    YUM! What a great recipe - can't wait to try it. I have some sweet potatoes on hand as well as black beans, so this should be easy and good. Thanks!
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      February 26, 2013 at 4:34 pm

      Thanks, Shon! I still want to try a bread recipe with sweet potatoes at some point!
      Reply
  2. Sissy says

    February 26, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    Sweet potatoes, yum! I am going to figure out the points and make these tomorrow. I can see these replacing my Black Bean Burgers as a lunch staple. So great for Fridays in Lent, too. And who knows, maybe I can stealthily get my guys to eat these, though they say they don't like the texture of Quinoa.
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      February 26, 2013 at 5:43 pm

      These are filling. Two would make a great light lunch with a green salad, maybe. Your guys won't notice the quinoa texture -- everything blends together. I LOVE the walnuts in these for texture and flavor (and I never was a big walnut lover). Let me know if you try them!
      Reply
  3. Yvonne says

    February 26, 2013 at 6:31 pm

    Last week I went to my fav health food store (Mustard Seed) for quinoa, but the bin was EMPTY. I've got the rest of the ingredients. I'll try this soon. Seems intriguing. Thanks.
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      February 27, 2013 at 1:38 am

      Thanks, Yvonne - I miss Mustard Seed! Hope you get your hands on some quinoa soon :)
      Reply
  4. Julia says

    February 28, 2013 at 1:51 am

    I love the sweet potatoes in this..I bet these taste wonderful. I think these on a bed of greens would taste great.
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      February 28, 2013 at 2:44 pm

      Hi Julia - I really enjoyed these. I think my favorite part is the added walnuts for a little crunch!
      Reply
      • Julia says

        March 5, 2013 at 2:07 am

        I just noticed you grew up in Northeast Ohio..my whole family lives there and both of my parents went to U of Akron (Zips fans). :)
        Reply
        • Patricia says

          March 5, 2013 at 3:01 am

          Cool! I'm a Zip, too! How fun!
          Reply
  5. Ari @ Ari's Menu says

    February 28, 2013 at 3:36 pm

    These have almost all of my favorite things in one meal! They look delicious!
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      February 28, 2013 at 4:08 pm

      Thank you, Ari! Hope you give them a try - enjoy!
      Reply
  6. becca says

    March 7, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    I had almost all of these ingredients lying around, so I made these last night after seeing the recipe on pinterest. I didn't have breadcrumbs so I subbed in some dukkah and oatbran (all I really had that could substitute!)- they were delicious, and even better as leftovers today :) !
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      March 7, 2013 at 6:50 pm

      That's awesome, Becca! I love it when food is better on day two :)
      Reply
  7. Julie Catherine says

    March 13, 2013 at 3:56 pm

    I made these last night! Loved them! And so good for me too. I cooked half the batch, and froze the other half. They'll be great in a few weeks when I'm craving them again. Thanks for a great recipe!
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      March 13, 2013 at 3:59 pm

      Thank you, Julie! Glad you liked them AND were able to save half to enjoy later!
      Reply
  8. James says

    April 16, 2013 at 12:51 am

    Can't wait to try this! Do you have any recommendations about making them for a gluten sensitive? And/or skipping the breadcrumbs? Thanks for sharing!
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      April 16, 2013 at 2:49 am

      Thanks, James! You might be able to do w/out the breadcrumbs and maybe add extra walnuts instead. Or...you could buy or make GF bread and make the breadcrumbs from that. One last idea: perhaps try GF rolled oats if you have them on hand. Hope that helps! If you try the recipe, let me know how it goes!
      Reply
  9. Brittany says

    June 11, 2013 at 1:50 am

    Delicious! I made a few substitutions and added some things based on what we had on hand. Subs (same amounts as in the recipe): Almond milk for milk Coconut oil for butter Rolled oats for breadcrumbs Omitted: Walnuts Added: Raisins (2 tbsp-ish) Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 1/4 c packed) 1 spoonful Trader Joes Blackberry preserves And then instead of the mustard sauce I jmade a quick blackberry one (about 2 spoonfuls of the blackberry preserves with the juice of half a large ripe lime). Served with steamed kale. Mmm mmm!
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      June 11, 2013 at 2:09 am

      Wow - your version sounds good! Interesting idea to serve w/ the blackberry sauce :)
      Reply
  10. Corey says

    September 15, 2013 at 11:40 pm

    I just finished eating these - super delicious! I served them on a bed of iceberg lettuce, with a dollop of the sour cream mixture and a slice of cucumber. For the vegans in the audience, I substituted vegan spread for butter, nutritional yeast for the Parmesan cheese, and used tofu sour cream, almond milk, and spelt bread crumbs! Thanks for the recipe!
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      September 16, 2013 at 8:47 pm

      Awesome, Corey! Glad you were able to enjoy them!
      Reply
  11. Meagan says

    January 6, 2014 at 10:17 pm

    I just finished my cakes and boy were they yummy! I used beluga lentils in place of black beans. And I topped them with a dip made with Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. I used Dijon mustard but also added some smoked paprika and granulated garlic, fresh lemon juice with a bit of zest. DELICIOUS!!!!
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      January 7, 2014 at 1:54 am

      Hi Meagan! I love the sound of your topping! Glad you were able to personalize and enjoy these cakes!
      Reply
  12. Suzette says

    May 8, 2014 at 3:53 pm

    Thank you sooo much for this recipe. I have made them several times substituting a couple of things to suit dietary requirements. I always make extra with the intention of freezing some, but there are never any left!
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      May 8, 2014 at 5:10 pm

      Glad you like it, Suzette! I've got to say, I try to make extras, too, but they never make it to the freezer ;) Thanks!
      Reply
  13. Nathan says

    October 1, 2014 at 11:24 pm

    Subbed pine nuts, no sweet potatoes. Needed a little extra binder. Delicious. Thanks for the treat.
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      October 2, 2014 at 12:51 am

      Glad you liked them! Thanks!
      Reply
  14. plasterer bristol says

    September 1, 2015 at 7:39 am

    this sounds good. Something new to try as well. thanks for sharing this recipe. Simon
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      September 1, 2015 at 2:03 pm

      Hope you give them a try, Simon!
      Reply
  15. Valerie says

    February 3, 2016 at 2:03 am

    This recipe sounds amazing! I actually love sweet potatoes, and have been known to add them to everything from granola bars to brownies, to salads. Looks like I have a new recipe to try with them! I have a similar recipe using black beans and quinoa (http://doubletherecipe.com/2016/02/01/black-bean-quinoa-corn-cakes/) Thanks for sharing your great recipe!
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      February 5, 2016 at 1:46 pm

      Great, Valerie! Thanks for the kind words and sharing your recipe! You should search for my Sweet Potato-Pear Smoothie recipe! :)
      Reply
      • Valerie says

        February 7, 2016 at 12:58 am

        Yum!! Sweet potato smoothie - this I have to try :) Thanks Patricia
        Reply
        • Patricia says

          February 8, 2016 at 1:12 am

          Thanks, Valerie! Hope you do, and enjoy it!
          Reply
  16. Beth Redstone says

    April 27, 2016 at 5:09 pm

    Will be trying this recipe with vegan adjustments. Subbing homemade lemon oil dressing for milk and butter. No bread crumbs (no wheat) Also going to add some sprouted seeds, some of my homemade ketchup (no sugar) and some Worcestershire. Thanks for the basics, I know it will be delicious.
    Reply
    • Patricia says

      April 28, 2016 at 2:31 am

      That sounds great!Hope you enjoy it, Beth!
      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Quinoa Cakes says:
    June 5, 2014 at 7:44 pm
    [...] The point is, I was racking my brain for something that would please everyone. After much consideration, I found the perfect middle-ground: sweet potato, black bean and quinoa cakes (adapted from this recipe). [...]
    Reply

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I'm Patricia

Welcome to Grab a Plate!

Growing up surrounded by my Italian family it was always, "grab a plate" whenever anyone came to visit. Food was always a celebration, even everyday meals, and I like it that way. I try to make each meal memorable with my recipes for mainly meatless, mostly healthy, and easy-to-make dishes (with sweet treats in between).

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