Group · Starchy foods

Plain quenelle

The plain quenelle is a preparation from Lyon made of wheat semolina, eggs and butter, poached and then puffed up during cooking. It is neither a meat nor a vegetable: it is a starchy food, in the same way as gnocchi.

In terms of nutrition facts, uncooked: 226 kcal per 100 g, with 15.1 g of fat, 14.7 g of carbohydrate, 6.88 g of protein and 1.1 g of fibre. It provides 90.7 mg of phosphorus per 100 g and contains 0.88 g of salt, with 116 mg of cholesterol from the eggs.

226kcal
Calories
14,7g
Carbohydrate
6,9g
Protein
15,1g
Fat
1,1g
Fibre
Serving:
g
Plain quenelles au gratin

Macronutrient breakdown

226
KCAL
Carbohydrate 40 %
Protein 19 %
Fat 41 %

Nutrition table per 100 g

Calories226 kcal
Kilojoules940 kJ
Protein6,9 g
Carbohydrate14,7 g
Fat15,1 g
Fibre1,1 g

Micronutrients per 100 g

All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.

  • Omega-3 ALA0,67 g34 %
  • Total omega-30,69 g28 %
  • Selenium11,1 µg20 %
  • Omega-6 LA2 g20 %
  • Vitamin E1,76 mg15 %
  • Phosphorus90,7 mg13 %
  • DHA0,02 g9 %
  • Vitamin B20,12 mg9 %
  • Vitamin B9dietary folate equivalents14,4 µg
See the other 11 nutrients
  • Vitamin A64,2 µg8 %
  • Manganese0,16 mg8 %
  • Vitamin K15,5 µg7 %
  • Vitamin B50,44 mg7 %
  • Copper0,06 mg6 %
  • Iron0,82 mg6 %
  • Zinc0,57 mg6 %
  • Potassium100 mg5 %
  • Calcium31,1 mg4 %
  • Vitamin B10,04 mg4 %
  • Magnesium12,4 mg3 %

Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table

Tips

15.1 g of fat: the butter is structural. It gives the softness and allows the quenelle to puff up. A “light” quenelle does not really exist: it would lose its texture.

The sauce decides the dish. A quenelle with Nantua sauce, made with butter and cream, can double what is on the plate. A tomato sauce or a broth changes the equation completely.

Two quenelles weigh 200 g: count on 452 kcal. That is before the sauce. It is a main dish, not a side.

They swell by half during cooking. Twenty minutes in the oven in their sauce, at 180 °C: they need room to double in size. In a dish that is too tight they stay dense.

They contain gluten and eggs. Two allergens, to be expected in a semolina-based preparation, but still worth flagging.

Comparatif

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