Vegetarian Quesadilla

This Vegetarian Quesadilla is perfect for a light dinner. With sweet caramelised red onion, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheddar cheese, this tasty quesadilla is bursting with flavour, and so easy to make.

Vegetarian Quesadilla

These vegetarian quesadillas are really tasty and filling, perfect for lunch or a light dinner! This really is my favourite kind of comfort food, molten cheese between crispy tortillas, what's not to love.

I've made lots of different quesadillas but these and my sweet potato quesadilla are the most requested in TLFB HQ. This is a full quesadilla, meaning I use two tortillas per quesadilla, but you could get more out of this recipe and make half quesadillas, one folded tortilla, and serve it for lunch.

Quesadillas are really versatile, you can switch up the veggies if you like. They're also great for using up any vegetables you have hanging around the fridge at the end of the week.

What You'll Need

• Tortilla - We make this with corn tortillas, you can use wholewheat or plain flour tortillas if you prefer.
• Onions - Red onions are great for caramelizing, this is a little bit extra, but it does elevate these quesadillas. You could use white/brown onions here and leave out the caramelization if you want.
• Veggies - Cherry tomatoes, portobello mushrooms and fresh spinach are my choices of veggies here, but you can switch that up if you want.
• Spices & Herbs - I use cumin and smoked paprika, I also add some hot chilli powder for some heat but you can adjust the level of heat to suit your own taste buds. For herbs, I use dried oregano and fresh coriander/cilantro leaves.
• Cheese - Mature cheddar cheese workes really well here, I use full-fat cheese.

How To Make A Veggie Quesadilla

1. Caramelize the onions - add the sliced red onion to a pan and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes add the sugar, stir and cook for another 5 minutes. The onions should be soft and jammy.
2. Cook the veggies - add the garlic, spices, oregano to the onions and cook for a minute or two. Then add the tomatoes and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are a little soft and the mushrooms are cooked. Finally, stir in the spinach and the coriander. Cook until the spinach has wilted.
3. Fill the tortilla - Place one tortilla on a clean pan, sprinkle some of the cheese on the tortilla then add ⅓ of the mushroom and spinach mixture. Sprinkle some more cheese on top then cover with another tortilla.
4. Flip it - Cook the tortilla medium heat for about 3 or 4 minutes then carefully using a spatula flip the quesadilla over and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. Repeat until you have used all the filling.

Tips For Making The Best Vegetarian Quesadilla

• Use cheddar cheese - freshly grated mature/sharp cheddar cheese works best in these quesadillas.
• Go big - we love to have these for dinner so go for the full monty and use two tortillas. Add guac and all the extras!
• Choose your tortilla wisely - choose medium size tortilla, they will be easier to flip. You can choose corn or flour tortillas if you wish, whatever works best for you.
• Use a medium or large skillet to cook the tortilla. It will make flipping easier!

What To Serve With Quesadilla

If we're having these quesadillas for lunch I'll serve them with sour cream and lime wedges. If we have them for dinner I usually serve them with my Taco Salad.

More Tasty Lunch Ideas:

• Vegetable Orzo Soup
• Easy Halloumi Fajitas
• Garlic Mushroom Bruschetta

Have you made this Vegetarian Quesadilla Recipe? Rate it and leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!

Mushroom & Spinach Vegetarian Quesadilla

Tasty vegetarian quesadilla with caramelised onions, spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. Perfect for a weekend brunch, lunch or a light dinner. 

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Breakfast, Lunch

Cuisine: Fusion

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 3

Calories: 364kcal

Author: Michelle Alston

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 small red onions (150g) cut in half and sliced
• ▢ 1 + ½ tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon soft brown sugar optional
• ▢ 1 fat clove of garlic minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 scant tsp dried oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon hot chilli powder
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• ▢ 100 g small cherry tomatoes (¾ cup) cut in half
• ▢ 2 medium portobello mushrooms wiped clean and sliced
• ▢ 100 g mature cheddar cheese (1 cup) grated
• ▢ 100 g spinach (3 ½ cups)
• ▢ 6 regular corn tortilla
• ▢ A small handful of fresh coriander/cilantro leaves roughly chopped

To serve

• ▢ Sour Cream
• ▢ Lime wedges

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Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and half a tablespoon of salt. Turn down the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

  After 20 minutes add half a teaspoon of brown sugar, stir and cook for another 5 minutes
• Turn up the heat to medium, add the garlic, spices, oregano and cook for a minute or two. If the pan starts to stick add a small splash of water.
• Now add remaining oil then the tomatoes and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are a little soft and the mushrooms are cooked. If the pan gets a little dry add a splash of water.

  Finally, stir in the spinach and the coriander/cilantro. Cook until the spinach has wilted, about two minutes.
• Use a pan large enough for the tortilla, wipe a little oil on the pan. Place one tortilla on the pan, sprinkle some of the grated cheese on the tortilla then add ⅓ of the mushroom and spinach mixture. Sprinkle more cheese on top then cover with another tortilla.
• Cook over medium heat for about 3 or 4 minutes then carefully using a spatula flip the quesadilla over and cook the other side for about 2 minutes.

  Repeat for another 2 quesadillas. Keep them warm in the oven until they are all done.
• Pop the quesadilla on a plate or board and cut into quarters, serve with a dollop of sour cream and lime wedges.

Notes

• Tortillas - I use corn tortillas for these, they really work well but you could use flour tortillas if you prefer. Go for a medium-size tortilla, mine measured in at   
• Cheese - mature/sharp cheddar cheese works best here, make sure and grate it yourself for best results.
• Can I make this vegan? You can swap the cheddar for your favourite vegan cheese, just make sure it melts well. 
• Can I make these gluten-free? Just make sure your tortillas are gluten-free.
• Nutritional Information - is approximate and is calculated using an online nutrition tool. It is for one serving and does not include sour cream.
• Measurements - I weigh all my ingredients using an electric scale, all measurements are metric. Cup measurements are approximate.

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.4g | Protein: 13.5g | Fat: 19.7g | Saturated Fat: 8.1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 710mg | Potassium: 454mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 8.3g | Calcium: 308mg | Iron: 3mg

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*This recipe was first published on September 13, 2018, it has now been updated with a step by step guide, expert tips and more nutritional information.