Healthy Rissoles You and Your Kids Will Actually Eat (And They're Great for Cancer Recovery, Too)

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Let’s be honest — nourishing yourself after a cancer diagnosis is hard. Between the appointments, the fatigue, and the emotional load of parenting through treatment or recovery, it can feel near impossible to get a decent meal on the table — let alone one that your kids will actually eat.

If you're a mum with young kids, you’re likely trying to juggle your own recovery while also doing your best to keep everyone else fed and functioning. As a mum myself, I get how hard this can be. So I’m sharing my latest go-to recipe: a batch of hearty, protein-packed rissoles that tick a lot of boxes. They're easy to prep, full of recovery-supporting ingredients, and — miraculously — even get the thumbs-up from my fussy preschooler.

They also pack in nutrients to support your gut, your energy, and your recovery — all while being freezer-friendly and kid-approved.

Why I Chose These Ingredients (and How They Can Support You During Your Cancer Journey)

I’m a bit of a recipe modification queen. Hand me a recipe, and I’ll find a way to fibre and protein-pack it without compromising the flavour. This one’s adapted from the RecipeTin Eats classic rissoles recipe — and it’s a regular in our freezer stash.

Here’s what I love about this modification (besides the fact that it makes about 18 rissoles and freezes well):

🌱 High in Protein — to Help You Rebuild Strength

Each rissole gives you around 8 grams of protein, thanks to a mix of pork mince, cheese, chickpea flour, and eggs. Your protein needs increase during and after treatment and surgery — especially if you’re healing, fatigued, or dealing with muscle loss. Protein supports repair, immune health, and energy — all essential as you rebuild.

And eggs? They bring more than just protein. They’re also rich in choline, which supports brain and nervous system health — another bonus during recovery.

🌾 Fibre + Low GI Carbs = Happy Blood Sugar + Happy Gut

We’re using Carisma potatoes in this recipe — a lower-GI variety that helps avoid big blood sugar spikes. Carbohydrates are essential for long-lasting energy, but the type matters. Slow-release, fibre-rich carbs are ideal, especially during recovery and for long-term health.

I’ve also swapped out the usual panko breadcrumbs for besan flour (chickpea flour). It’s naturally gluten-free, high in fibre, low GI, and gives these rissoles a lovely nutty flavour — plus, it makes them coeliac-friendly.

Why all the fuss about fibre? Fibre helps regulate digestion, keeps your bowels moving (especially helpful if you’re dealing with treatment-related constipation), feeds your gut microbiome, and plays a key role in hormone balance — which is important for everyone, but especially for people with hormone-sensitive cancers like many breast cancers.

Bonus for Your Gut: Prebiotics for Microbiome Health

If you’ve been through chemo, antibiotics, or just stress (hello, all of the above?), your gut might need some TLC.

This recipe includes prebiotic-rich ingredients like:

• Onion

• Garlic

• Chickpea flour

• Potatoes

These help to feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut, which play a role in digestion, immunity, and even mood. Plus, chickpea flour adds a nutty, satisfying flavour.

Fun fact about potatoes — they naturally contain fibre, but when they’re cooked, cooled, and reheated, they develop resistant starch — a type of prebiotic fibre that your gut microbiome loves! So batch cooking these rissoles and reheating them later adds an extra gut health bonus!

So… Will Your Kids Eat It?

If you’re cooking for young kids, I see you. My daughter’s current food group of choice is porridge - all day, every day - so I totally get the fussy eating phase.

Here are a few helpful tips to increase the chances these rissoles actually get eaten:
Get the kids involved – Adding ingredients, mixing the mixture, or pressing the rissoles into shapes makes food way more exciting. My 3-year-old loves helping from her kitchen tower.
Eat together when you can – Even sharing a few bites at the table can help create a more relaxed, positive vibe around eating.
Share plate style – Pop the rissoles on a shared plate and let everyone choose their own. Less pressure = more curiosity.
Avoid pressure – I know it’s hard, but try not to push. Kids are more likely to try new foods when they feel safe and in control.
Repeat exposure – It’s totally normal for kids to reject new foods the first few (or many) times. Keep offering them alongside familiar foods and be patient. More for you if they don’t eat them, anyway ;)

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Rissoles Recipe

Makes ~18 rissoles
Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins per batch

Ingredients:

• 1 small brown onion

• 2 large Carisma potatoes, pre-cooked and skin removed

• ¼ cup besan (chickpea) flour

• 500 g pork mince (or veggie mince for a plant-based option)

• ¾ cup grated cheese (mozzarella or tasty both work!)

• 2 small carrots

• 3 eggs

• 2 garlic cloves, grated

• 1 tbsp fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)

• ½ tsp each salt and pepper

• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (Note 3)

• Extra virgin olive oil, for shallow frying

Method:

1. Grate the onion, carrot and garlic into a large bowl. Stir in chickpea flour to soak up excess moisture.

2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix until combined.

3. Scoop up a heaped tablespoon of mixture and form into a ball, then lightly flatten into a patty. (For fun shapes, see Note 1!)

4. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook rissoles in batches for ~4 mins each side, until golden and cooked through.

5. Serve with salad, roast veggies, or good old tomato sauce.

   (I dip mine in beetroot hummus which is also very good!)

Note 1: Fun Shapes for Kids

Place metal cookie cutters directly into the pan (e.g. star, heart, gingerbread person) and press mixture in. Carefully remove cookie cutter once it holds shape, then flip to cook the other side. It's a fun way to get kids involved and curious about food.

Note 2: Cooking Tip

If you’re low in iron (which many of my clients are after cancer treatment), try cooking these in a cast iron pan — it can increase the iron content of your food by up to 16%.

Note 3: Worcestershire Sauce

If you are coeliac, please check your Worcestershire sauce is gluten free. There are many of the market these days, but traditionally it was made using barley so please double check!

Nutrition Information

Each rissole (around 70g) contains approximately 140 kcal, 8.2g protein, 10g fat (including 3.4g saturated fat and 1g polyunsaturated fat), 4.7g carbohydrates, and 0.8g fibre. They also provide key micronutrients like 0.54mg iron, 0.34µg vitamin B12, 54mg sodium, 190mg potassium, 14mg magnesium, and 41mg calcium.

If you're looking for more nourishing recipes to support your energy and gut health during or after cancer treatment, check out my library resources and recipes here.

And for breast cancer survivors, my Nourish for Survivorship Recipe eBook was made just for you — it's packed with feel-good meals to help make cooking simpler, more enjoyable, and a little less overwhelming 💛

Alex is an Accredited Practising Dietitian with a Master’s degree in Nutrition & Dietetics, and over 10 years of experience supporting people with cancer and chronic illness in both hospital and private settings. She is available for 1:1 nutrition coaching here.