We absolutely love quesadillas in this house. It is one of our most favorite “go-to” meals and the reason is because you don’t need a
lot of specific ingredients to make them. It’s one of those dishes where you can throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand (and need to eat)! As long as you have whole-wheat tortillas, cheese, and some spices the rest can come together pretty easily. I do admit that sweet potatoes somehow do something magical to the flavor of this dish, but even if we don’t have any we still make quesadillas all the time. So don’t let that stop you!
Vegetable Quesadillas on Whole-Wheat Tortillas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 2 cups mixed veggies, diced or shredded (grated sweet potato is the secret ingredient that makes excellent addition to this recipe, and you can also use bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, & fresh or frozen corn)
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 lime, juiced
- salt, to taste
- 2 cups cheese, grated (we prefer Monterey Jack and recommend grating it yourself to avoid the powdery anti-caking agent in pre-shredded cheeses)
- 6 whole-wheat tortillas
- butter, for cooking
Optional Toppings
- sour cream
- avocado
- cilantro
- hot peppers
- salsa
Instructions
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Heat oil in a medium sized sauté pan over medium heat.
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Throw in the diced onions and veggies and cook for 4 or 5 minutes until tender.
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Add the chili powder, lime juice and salt (to taste) to the veggie mix.
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Heat griddle to 375 degrees or you can cook the quesadillas in one or two pans on the stove over medium heat.
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In a large bowl mix together the veggies and grated cheese. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on three of the whole wheat tortillas and then top them with the other three.
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Melt a little butter on the griddle or in the pan(s). Cook the quesadillas for several minutes until the bottom starts to brown. While I am waiting I like to add a little dab of butter on the top (for when I flip it over).
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Once it browns flip and repeat on the other side until lightly browned.
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Let the quesadilla cool for a few minutes before cutting for the best results. I like to use a pizza cutter to make perfect triangles.
Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy! My daughter even likes the leftovers cold in her lunchbox.
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Yes. Dinner tonight is planned :)
Funnily enough, i have *just* finished making a whole batch of whole wheat tortillas.
I think i may have just found dinner! Thanks!
That sound great! But can I avoid using butter? What about cooking spray?
Please don’t use cooking sprays! They have siliocon dioxide which is dangerous if inhaled and TBHQ which is a petroleum based preservative. They also have soy lecithin which basically is the sludge left over from the soybeans after grinding them. This means this sludge has, at one point, been doused in Roundup weed killer. EWWW!
Don’t be afraid of butter! First because it’s natural and second because it’s good for you. Our brains are 60% fat and they need fat to function.
I know I sound like a broken record to all of you who have seen my posts, but please read “Death by Supermarket” by Nancy Deville. Look at her website. She eats a pound of butter a week. And she looks amazing at 60! The info in this book complimnents the info on this blog so well! She really dives into the lies the FDA has told us and why we should only eat what we can pick, gather, hunt, fish or milk.
You can get a food grade pump bottle at a kitchen store such as Bed, Bath & Beyond. Put olive oil or your oil of choice into it and use it like commercial cooking sprays. No gunk or fake food ingredients. Just oil.
I am so glad you say that about BUTTER. I did not know that about cooking spray and will not use it anymore.
Thanks for the update for a more healthier me! I will pass this on to my family.
Unless you have an allergy to butter don’t be afraid of the fat in it: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/15/mini-pledge-week-6-no-low-fat-lite-or-nonfat-food-products/
When we make quesadillas, I use the waffle iron. Yes it does come out with waffle marks, but it is really easy. And I have found that it is best NOT to spray/grease the waffle iron first, otherwise I end up with an oily mess. There’s no flipping either! You just have to be careful to leave a little bit of space around the edges, so the cheese has room to spread (1/2 inch or so.)
Can the tortillas be made in advanced and then put in the freezer? Thanks!
I currently have a stack in the freezer right now. I recommend thawing them in a microwave between moistened towels. My hubby and I made a double batch last time so we had them for later.
Absolutely!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! I saw the Yahoo story about your blog and have been looking through all the amazing information and recipes you have here… WOW!!! Our 7 year old daughter helped me clean out our pantry and refrigerator this past weekend… learning (along with me) about all the important things to avoid in the foods we had. It was scary how much non-food we had. Our pantry is now stocked with a whole new set of whole grain/whole food items. The best part was having my daughter come back from school yesterday and tell me she didn’t eat the class snack (each week a family brings in a snack for the whole class). She said she looked on the label and it had all the ingredients she learned not to eat anymore!!! I was SO incredibly happy! Thank you for everything you have put together and for sharing your story. It has made a HUGE difference for us!!!
I’ve never thought of putting vegetables and spices in a quesadilla. I’m making this for lunch today.
This sounds really good! I even have sweet potatoes on hand at home! Definitely going to give this a try tonight :)
OMG!!! These are the BEST in the world. Something so simple, yet I couldn’t put it together myself. Ha!! I made the whole wheat tortillas first. I was a little hesitant because when I made your whole wheat pizza crust it didn’t come out very good. I must have done something wrong. I followed the recipe but it came out really really dense. Anyway, made the tortillas and while those were cooking I sauteed a veggie mixture of zucchini, yellow squash, and sweet potatoes. I put that mixture in the tortillas with some mozzarella and wholly guacamole they are fantastic. Even my 9 year old “pickiest kid in the world” daughter LOVED them. Thank you so much for these.
Is the sweet potato cooked or uncooked when you grated it? I’ve just never used it in any other ways, so I have no idea what you can do with a sweet potato. I love them and would love to sneak them in for my husband (he’ll complain, but he’ll still eat whatever’s on his plate). PS: Can’t wait to make my first tortillas! I didn’t buy any at the store yesterday, instead I bought White Whole Grain flour. Same price as buying one bag of tortillas, but I’ll be able to make a bunch with it and not feel guilty eating them! Thanks for your blog, you’ve changed my family’s life!
The grated sweet potato is uncooked…throwing it in the saute pan cooks it enough before it goes in the quesadilla. Good luck!
I can’t believe I just found your site. I blame it on living on an island in the south Pacific (er – a continent, actually) and not looking at Yahoo with any sort of regularity. But, hello!
I’m so happy that your blog on wholesome living has gained such popularity. Because showing that living this way is easy, and practical, and inexpensive (in addition to being good for you) is exactly what I’m hoping to achieve in my own blog. I think that when you took that extra step, and made people part of a community of those giving-it-a-go, that’s when you really changed lives.
Beautiful. I look forward to sitting down with your site for awhile to see how your family has changed over the past year and a half.
Pleasure to meet you,
Amanda
Can’t wait to try this! Another variation that my family loves is quesadillas made like pizza. I make homemade tortilla dough and roll out 2 huge tortillas, like the size of pizza. I add both to the oven to cook on one side. When browned, turn and add toppings to one and then place the other on top. I add toppings such as hamburger meat, cheese, veggies, etc. Think Tacos!! :) My kids love this plus they enjoy rolling out the dough. We create an assembly line with everyone adding something. It usually takes maybe 10-15 minutes to cook.
Great idea, Kris!!! I’ll be combining the quesadilla idea with the pizza idea for a quick easy meal tonight!! :) I love when I can come here and find what to make for dinner!!! ha!ha!
Another great variation of this is a veggie burrito. Try whole wheat tortilla, cheese, spinach, bell pepper, tomato, and homemade guacamole (salsa, salt, garlic, avocado, and lemon. This is my go to meal and being a vegetarian while eating “real food” lets you be even more creative. Try this! It is heavenly!
These were so yummy! How do you flip it without the veggtables coming out?
If you are having a problem with that then add more cheese to make it “stick” together better!
I just found you. I have been (or trying) to eat well for 7 – 8 years. So many things you have encouraged me to do such as QUIT buying cans. I love your blog..don’t ever retire.
Love these! Quesadillas are one of my favorite dinners because they’re so quick and tasty. Whole wheat tortillas just taste so much better than white tortillas, don’t you think? My husband brought some from Mexico and they were heaven. Oh and avocado: not optional! :) Love your blog, real food is what it’s all about!
Made these last night with the refried beans as a side dish and my 6 year old daughter gave it 2 thumbs up. She said she could eat them every week…I agree! Didn’t make my own tortillas but I am going to buy a press so that I can do so next time. These are now added to our weekly meal plan. Thanks for all of the great recipes and ideas!
We love quesadillas. This is a great recipe to use up bits and pieces from the refrigerator. Recently we made cauliflower quesadillas and zucchini flower quesadillas. Check it out at http://omnivore-almostveg.blogspot.com/2011/08/mexican-dinner.html
I made these tonight with pre-roasted butternut squash, corn, and cauliflower. They were yummy with your refried beans. I had 3 windows open to get all three recipes done. Thanks for keeping up with this blog. It is a good go to resource for my family.
I tried this today and got mixed reviews from my picky family. I only had sweet potatoes, orange bell pepper and corn on hand, but I think that if I used the same mix as the veggie burgers, I would have had a happier family. That said, it was pretty good. My six-year-old ate as much as I did, my three-year-old ate a good amount for him, but my husband and eight-year-old just picked at it. I will have to try this again, but with a different veggie mix and see what happens.
Hi Justyna. Thanks for leaving a review…sorry to hear it was mixed. Yes, give it a go again with different veggies – they may all surprise you! Good luck. Jill
We tried this tonight and my family enjoyed it. I sauteed yellow onion and green pepper then added it to the corn tortilla with Monterrey jack cheese and pork like mentioned in your “Menu 4: Summer Meal Planner.” I made one for me and my husband had 2. He told me he THOUGHT he’d have to eat more, but 2 was plenty! (BTW, I have not told him that we are slowly going to more real food….it’s going VERY well so far!) I totally agree that you get full much faster with non-processed foods. I’m glad I found your website! This is a fun project to begin during my summer vacation!
We made these on Sunday, but I only had four tortillas. I ended up with some left over mix and put it in the fridge thinking I would make some more tortillas last night.
I got home to late to start the tortillas, BUT we put the filling in between two slices of our whole wheat sandwich bread and grilled them on the stove. HEAVEN! Ate them with a side of avocado!
I’ve featured this recipe on my blog: http://dontboilmybooks.weebly.com/1/post/2012/11/sweet-potato-madness.html
Many grocery stores make their own tortilla’s with no preservatives…check those out.
So tonight I made these veggie quesadillas. My family and I usually have take out on Friday nights, but these were way better. My picky eater daughters even thought they were delish. I used zucchini, onion, red, green, and yellow peppers, mushrooms, and garlic for the veggies. Thanks!!!
Had these tonight and loved them. Thanks so much for sharing. I used the leftover veggies from making veggie fajitas last night and just added some corn and cheese. Love love love them :)
Great recipe!! My husband is a big meat eater while I can take it or leave it…this had enough substance that he felt full when we were finished eating. I used small sweet peppers (various colors), zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes & onion…very tasty! Love your website!
I love the idea of Veggie Quesadillas; however, I can NOT get my quesadillas to stick together. The veggies fall out and I’m left with a soggy mess. Any ideas, tricks or advice??!! Thank you!
Hi there Rachel. Are you using a full fat cheese? That should make them stick. :)
Hi There–these sound amazing! I was wondering how long you think these would last in the fridge? I was thinking of pre-making a couple to get me through the work week, but would hate to waste all the good stuff in them!
Hi Diedre. They’ll be good up to a week in your fridge but you can freeze them for months. ;)
This recipe is the best! We made it last night and loved it – served it up with yoghurt for dipping. Do you think you could saute double the veggies and then freeze 1/2 the sauteed mix – making it simpler for next time? We used corn, diced onion, grated sweet potato and zucchini
Hi there. Sure, you could freeze the veggies. You might find them a little soggier than when made fresh.
Is the sweet potato cooked before being grated?
Nope. They cook really quickly when grated.