The other day I had a flash back to my college days. Specifically, the food I ate during my college days. I couldn’t get my mind off of one of my favorite college foods: pizza dipped in ranch dressing.
When a pregnant woman gets her mind focused on a certain food, watch out. Suddenly, I needed some pizza with ranch dressing. Or at least something with those flavors. These quinoa pizza balls with yogurt ranch dip are the perfect healthier stand-in for my old college favorite.
The pizza balls are bursting with pizza flavor and the modified ranch dip is just as good as the chemical-y, over-processed bottled stuff. And the best part? You can eat this as a snack, meal, or appetizer and not feel like you gained 10 pounds in one sitting afterwards.
These are the balls just before putting them into the oven. I have to admit, I couldn’t stop taking little bites of the mixture before baking them. It is so flavorful! Once they are baked, it’s even better. I’m already thinking about making another batch.
Quinoa Pizza Balls with Yogurt Ranch Dip
Pizza Balls adapted from Newlywed, Newly Veg!
Makes 20 balls and 3/4 cup dip
for the quinoa pizza balls
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
5-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 (scant) cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried Italian herb mix
1/2 teaspoon salt (reduce or omit if your beans are cooked in salt)
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon minced garlic
In a medium sauce pan, bring the water to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover, and cook for 12 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
When the quinoa is finished cooking, transfer it (you should have 1 cup cooked quinoa) to a medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
Using a fork or potato masher, mash the ingredients together. It’s okay to have a few whole beans in there, but you want a mixture that will stick together well.
Roll the mixture into 1-2 inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, turning the balls over with a spatula half way through the cooking time. The balls will be lightly browned when they are finished. Serve warm or at room temperature.
for the yogurt dipping sauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 real mayo or vegan mayo (I used Vegenaise because that’s what I keep on hand)
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Want some nutritional stats? Each quinoa pizza ball is just 25 calories, yet boasts 1 gram of fiber, 1 1/2 grams of protein, .5 mg of iron, and 7 mg of calcium. Each tablespoon of the dip has about 36 calories and 3 grams of fat.
More important than the stats, though, is the flavor, and these little bites really pack the flavor. And there’s so much you can do with them.
I think they taste good at room temperature and are totally kid-friendly, so these would be great for school lunches. I crumbled a few over my salad for lunch today and loved the added nutrition and flavor. They are a wonderful part of a toddler lunch. Eat a few for a quick, nutritious snack. Put them in hoagie bun, add some marinara sauce, and turn it into a vegetarian “meat”ball sub. Go ahead, get carried away.
However you eat them, they are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. You might want to make a double batch.
Kristina @ spabettie says
September 7, 2011 at 4:52 pmoh, I LOVE this idea! pizza flavored anything and I’m there! I used to dip pizza in ranch too – I thought it was normal but I would get many weird looks! 😀
Maryea says
September 8, 2011 at 2:43 pmWell, it was pretty common among my friends in college. Strange things are common when you’re in college, though. 😉
Candy @ Healthy in Candy Land says
September 7, 2011 at 4:53 pmWhat a great idea! I bet my kids will love these. I am always looking for healthy alternatives to PB&J for school lunches, so thank you!
Lisa says
September 7, 2011 at 5:38 pmMy kids and I always post on our refrigerator what they will be having in their lunchboxes for the week. A protein, fruit, veggie, and carbohydrate. I can’t work these in this week, but, I will def. show them these for next week. My feeling is they will want them in their lunchboxes. Thanks for the idea!
Maryea says
September 8, 2011 at 2:41 pmI love you system. I need to keep that in the back of my mind for when I have school-aged kids. I just ate three of these straight from the fridge. They are so delicious!
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
September 7, 2011 at 7:11 pmSO creative! I love all the flavors and the nutrition packed food! I want to visit and learn from you!! (and maybe play house or Barbies with your little preschooler!) 🙂
Maryea says
September 8, 2011 at 2:41 pmShe would love that!
Rashmi from Yumkid.com says
September 7, 2011 at 7:25 pmwow.. very creative. love it! Will have to make it as a snack. Never thought of dipping pizza in ranch. Will have to try that too! How are you feeling?
Maryea says
September 8, 2011 at 2:40 pmI’m feeling great; thank you! This is a great snack. You definitely have to try the pizza+ranch combo. It’s fantastic. 🙂
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
September 7, 2011 at 8:01 pmAwesome! I saw the original recipe and meant to try them and then completely forgot about them! These are at the top of my list now, they look so yummy(and kid friendly! That’s the best part even for me :D) Your comment about a pregnant woman focused on food(which I totally understand!) reminded me of a friend who is about as far along as you mentioned to me that looking through food blogs was dangerous while pregnant, haha.
Maryea says
September 8, 2011 at 2:40 pmIt totally is! The first trimester was dangerous because certain foods would make me queasy, and now it’s dangerous because I want to make everything!
Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun says
September 8, 2011 at 11:12 amI am so saving this recipe! Looks amazing! I would never think to do something like this with quinoa.
Helen says
September 8, 2011 at 3:12 pmGenius! I love this 🙂
I am so pinning these to make later!
Maryea says
September 8, 2011 at 9:06 pmThanks for the pin! 🙂 (That sounds so funny…)
[email protected] DivA DiSh says
September 8, 2011 at 3:58 pmI am making these for sure!! yum! i love pizza flavored anything!
Sarah says
September 8, 2011 at 9:20 pmThese looks absolutely wonderful. I will file this recipe under to make ASAP.
Ali says
September 8, 2011 at 9:42 pmThose look way too yummy!!!!
Katie says
September 8, 2011 at 11:14 pmThose look ridiculously good! 🙂 Amazing pics too!!
Maryea says
September 9, 2011 at 1:27 pmThank you, Katie! 🙂
Carissa says
September 9, 2011 at 9:08 amI can’t wait to try these! I saw a quinoa pizza casserole on peasandthankyou.com and while it looks delicious I still haven’t made it. I like that these are so versatile. I have a slight aversion to casseroles, so these balls are much more my style.
Maryea says
September 9, 2011 at 1:26 pmI’ve tried that quinoa casserole and it is very good. You should try it, too! These are definitely different than a casserole, so if you are scared of casseroles, these might be better for you.
Kristin @ eat healthy. be happy. live well. says
September 9, 2011 at 12:21 pmWhat an interesting recipe! I never thought to make savory balls of any kind- I always go for the sweet kind 🙂 (there’s a joke in there somewhere!)
Lisa says
September 11, 2011 at 3:22 pmMaryea,
I had to report back and tell you how much my kids and I loved these. They were absolutely delicious! There were none left….that’s how much we liked them. I decided it might be a smart idea to make them first on the weekend so if I pack them in their lunches this week I would be sure that they like them. I don’t like to think of them going hungry at school if they don’t like something I packed for them. Thanks so much for this idea…..I have a feeling they will show up often for lunchboxes this school year.
Maryea says
September 12, 2011 at 2:17 pmThanks for letting me know! It’s always nice to find something you AND the kids like. 🙂
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
September 11, 2011 at 9:17 pmomg these look soooo good!
and easy!
And anything with DIP is music to my ears. I love my sauces, dips, and spreads!
Candy @ Healthy in Candy Land says
September 12, 2011 at 3:47 pmFor the dipping sauce, is the dill weed dried? We don’t usually keep mayo around because no one likes it–what do you think of using plain greek yogurt instead? Too tart? Thanks!
Maryea says
September 13, 2011 at 2:58 pmYes, the dill weed is dried. Sorry about that. I think skipping the mayo and using all yogurt would work. The flavor would be a little different, but it would still probably be good. Let me know if you try it!
Ange says
July 12, 2012 at 5:14 pmI used greek yogurt in place of the plain, but still used mayo. I had fresh dill, which left a little weird aftertaste, but otherwise it was good. I try to use greek yogurt in everything (just b/c I like it).
Sarah says
September 13, 2011 at 1:34 amI just made these today and I’m kind of in love. I have two teenage brothers who are super picky but I bet that I could get the to eat these 🙂 Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Maryea says
September 13, 2011 at 2:43 pmThanks for letting me know you tried them. I hope your brothers like them, too! 🙂
Candy @ Healthy in Candy Land says
September 14, 2011 at 11:01 pmI made these tonight, and they were a huge hit! Thanks so much for such a great recipe! Cameron especially thanks you! 🙂 I had to blog about them because we all liked them so much. 🙂
Deanna says
September 17, 2011 at 3:29 amThank you for yet another creative quinoa ball recipe! Can’t wait to try this one. Yum!,,
Sara R. says
October 9, 2011 at 7:11 pmI finally got around to making a batch of these tonight, and I could barely stop myself from eating all of the “mix” before I even formed them into balls and cooked them. My daughters called them “pizza cookies” since they came off the cookie sheet and looked kinda like the cookie balls I make all the time. Very yummy and enjoyed by everyone!
Maryea says
October 10, 2011 at 11:25 amThanks for letting me know! These are a favorite of mine, too. 🙂
HeatherC says
October 20, 2011 at 11:45 amI have everything but the basil- do u think dried basil would work too??
Maryea says
October 20, 2011 at 10:44 pmYes, I do think dried basil will work. You can also just increase the dried Italian herb mix. 🙂
Lucy H. says
February 2, 2012 at 12:10 amThanks for this great recipe! They were FABULOUS! I dipped them in pizza sauce because I didn’t have the ingredients for the ranch, but I plan on making them again soon using soy yogurt. Yay for a new tasty recipe! Thanks a ton!
Maryea says
February 5, 2012 at 7:54 amYou’re welcome! These are one of my favorites, too.
Amanda @ Diary of a Semi-Health Nut says
February 3, 2012 at 9:41 amThese look so amazing and creative and healthy I put them on my Friday Finds this week! Thanks so much for sharing! http://semihealthnut.blogspot.com/2012/02/friday-five-foodie-finds-14.html
Maryea says
February 5, 2012 at 7:43 amThank you, Amanda!
Squash Blossom Babies says
February 14, 2012 at 5:05 pmOh my gosh – these are brilliant! I can’t wait to try them! Just found this recipe on Pinterest and so glad I found your site!
Ange says
July 12, 2012 at 5:15 pmSo good!!! My balls were a little wet, maybe need to cook longer? Will be making these often!!
john says
February 10, 2013 at 7:32 pmwas so looking forward to these but one cup of water seemed too much,had to dump most of the water, then i didnt mash the beans very well in the mix and they broke apart, the broken bits were nice enough though and liked theyoghurt ranch dip.
Maryea says
February 12, 2013 at 11:01 amGenerally the ratio for cooking quinoa is the same as rice, 1:2. Sometimes I use a bit less water/broth if I want a fluffier quinoa, but for these I wouldn’t want that. You did cook the quinoa before adding it to the rest of the ingredients, right? After cooking it, the water didn’t absorb? Perhaps you needed to cook it a bit longer? I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out perfectly for you; it’s one of my favorites!
john staunton says
February 12, 2013 at 5:19 pmoh my mistake! I didnt realise the cup of water was for the quinoa! I did cook the quinoa, i just didnt think the cup of water in the recipe was for that!! Thanks that explains why i made a ‘balls’ of it.
Maryea says
February 14, 2013 at 1:07 pmHmmm I’m thinking maybe I need to make the directions more clear. Thanks for the feedback!