This easy Quesadilla recipe is perfect for a weekend lunch, they're cheesy, delicious and get some goodness into the kids.
Feel free to change up the fillings: the butternut squash and cheese make a good base for other fillers and help keep the Quesadilla together while they cook.
Easy Vegetarian Quesadilla Recipe
This recipe uses the 2 ingredient tortilla recipe, you can find that here. I've used white spelt flour for this Quesadilla recipe and while the tortilla are not as white as white flour would make them, it gives them a slightly crisper bite. Which in a Quesadilla, is perfect!
In this recipe I've used butternut squash, black beans,corn (canned) and Cheddar cheese. You need some sort of a cheese to make the quesadilla stay together, as the melted cheese firms up as it cools and keep the quesadillas shape.
You could substitute the Cheddar for most other cheeses, it's the fat content in the cheese you're after, so stick with full fat cheeses (always, really!) and that'll let you add any other ingredients you like.
Grab the FREE 18 Meal Ideas CHEAT SHEET Here!What Are The Steps To Make A Quesadilla?
The first thing you need to do is to make your tortilla wraps. While I like to make these from scratch, you can buy some good Clean store bought ones. Just make sure to check the packaging. There shouldn't be more than 3 ingredients at most. These Organic tortilla are a good option if you'd prefer to buy them.
However, I promise, these are so simple to make at home, it's way more hassle to go and buy them :) The 2 ingredient tortilla recipe takes minutes, and they're fresh and delicious ready for your Quesadilla!
Start with cutting your butternut squash, ready for roasting. Roasting the squash gives it some serious flavor, crispy edges and adds some texture to your quesadilla. While this would work fine with boiled squash, I really prefer roast it.
Cut your squash up pretty small: Firstly so it roasts fast, and secondly, since it's going into a quesadilla, you want the fillings to be small so they mix well and stay inside the tortilla. Before I out the squash in the oven, in a bowl, I oil in and season it. This way I make sure all sides are coated and will crisp up nicely as it's cooking.
And I use foil on my baking tray. Easy's good in this house, and not having to scrub crispy butternut squash off a baking pan, in my book, counts as good :)
While your squash is roasting, make your tortilla, then stack them on a plate until you need them (uncooked).
Once the squash is roasted, in a large mixing bowl, combine it with your fillings. I always make too much filling for Quesadillas. I don't know why, I do the same with Fajitas. However, the filling's good covered in the fridge for a couple of days, so should you make too much, make some more tortilla for snacks in the next few days.
Now for the main event: Putting your Quesadilla together.
Using good non-stick frying pans like these, makes cooking your quesadilla a breeze. You need to dry fry your tortilla, and it's easy with a good nonstick frying pan.
Grab the FREE 18 Meal Ideas CHEAT SHEET Here!Cook your tortilla for a couple of minutes on one side and then turn it over. Add your filling on one side, while the underside of the tortilla cooks. Then simply fold the half without ingredients over, apply a little pressure to make it stick and cook for another minute. Flip it over and cook on the other side if it needs it. Keep the heat fairly low, so as not to burn the outside of the tortilla.
I tend to cut these in half for little hands. And then you're done. Just repeat until all your tortilla are used up.
What Can I Put In My Quesadilla?
There's really not a lot you can't put in your Quesadilla.
In this recipe I've used butternut squash, Cheddar, corn and black beans, but there's almost endless combinations. The Quesadilla take so little time to heat through, you'll want to make sure your filling is already cooked before it goes into the tortilla.
Here's some other ideas for vegetarian Quesadilla fillings to get you started:
- Cheese & onion
- Tomato & mozerella
- Mushroom & blue cheese (a personal favorite!)
What Can I Use Instead Of Cheese In Quesadillas?
There's no hard and fast rule that you must out cheese in your Quesadilla, I do, simply because it holds the filling together and we all love cheese (did I mention that? :-)
Having no cheese in your tortilla just means it might be a little more crumbly, but just as delicious.
I'd recommend not filling your tortilla quite as much if you're not going to be using cheese, and stay a little further away from the edges when your filling them in the pan, but other than that, no cheese is totally fine!
In fact, in Mexico, it's common to have these without cheese.
More Easy Kid Friendly Lunches
Vegetarian Quesadilla Recipe
Vegetarian Quesadilla {Butternut Squash & Black Bean}
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Butternut squash Peeled and diced into small pieces
- ⅔ Cup Blackbeans Precooked
- ¼ Cup Cheddar Finely grated
- ⅔ Cup Corn Canned
- 1 Batch Fresh tortilla See Recipe
- 3 tablespoon Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250F
- Peel and dice your butternut squash. The pieces should be ½ inch in size. Put the diced butternut into a bowl, add the Olive oil and seasoning. Combine to make sure all the Squash is coated in oil
- Put your Butternut squash in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, until fully cooked through and browned and crispy on the edges
- Make your tortilla
- Take your cooked squash, and combine it with all other ingredients, mixing well. Your butternut squash will break in some places, this is fine!
- Heat your frying pan to a low heat (no need for oil)
- Cook one tortilla at a time, for 90-120 seconds
- Turn over the tortilla and add your ingredient mix on one half
- Fold the side with no ingredients on it over to create a half moon. Apply a little pressure to help the top half of the tortilla stick to the ingredients. Cook for another 30 seconds. Flip over and cook for 30 seconds
- Put your finished quesadilla on a board and repeat until all the tortilla have been used
- Enjoy!
