We’ve shared a few quesadilla recipes, but this veggie quesadilla is my favorite. For the most flavorful veggies, use my special spice blend and add them with cheese to your favorite tortillas (homemade flour tortillas are my favorite!). I love these veggie quesadillas so much that I always make extra filling and keep them in the fridge for quick and easy lunches throughout the week. The filling lasts for up to 5 days! For more quesadillas, see my easy chicken quesadillas or these breakfast quesadillas.
Key Ingredients
Tortillas: Store-bought tortillas work well for this recipe, but homemade are so much better! I love making quesadillas with my homemade flour tortillas or homemade corn tortillas (my son’s favorite). Veggies: In my photos, I’ve used mushrooms, onion, peppers, and kale. You can substitute your favorite veggies as needed. Spice Blend: These veggie quesadillas are inspired by the Patty Pan Cooperative farmer’s market stand in Seattle. They sell the best vegetable quesadillas, thanks to their coveted spice blend. For this recipe, I’ve done my best to recreate how amazing their quesadillas are. The blend combines onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, pepper, and salt. Cheese: I love using a melty cheese like Monterey Jack or my favorite, queso de Oaxaca (a mild Mexican cheese similar to mozzarella). I also love swapping the cheese for this vegan queso.
How to Make the Best Veggie Quesadillas
I cook the vegetables first. You can cook them well in advance and keep them in the fridge for quesadillas later in the week. They should last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. The vegetables you use are up to you. In the photos, we’ve used mushrooms, onion, peppers, and kale. Here are some tips for using other veggies:
Less hearty veggies like onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and summer squash will cook in a similar amount of time if you cut them into similar-sized pieces. Sliced cabbage and shaved or sliced Brussels sprouts are also great options. They take little time to cook. Just add them along with the onions and peppers. Mushrooms add so much flavor. Add whatever kind you have on hand (white button, cremini, portobello, and wild mushrooms all work well). I like to cook them for a few minutes before adding the other veggies so that they get a head start and begin to brown. Here’s my tutorial for how to cook mushrooms. Hearty veggies like root vegetables and winter squash take a bit longer to cook, so slice them very thin. Beets, for example, can be sliced into thin rounds (a mandoline slicer is useful). You can add them pre-cooked to the pan with other veggies, so they pick up some of the spice mixture and heat up. Roasted butternut squash would be ideal to add to the mix. Since it’s already roasted, it should smoosh down nicely in the tortilla.
To assemble the quesadillas, you can make a whole quesadilla by stacking two tortillas on top of each other with the filling and cheese between them, or you can do what we did in our video and add the filling and cheese to one side of a tortilla and then fold the other side on top. I like the folded method since it makes eating the quesadilla easier. A heavy-bottomed pan or skillet works nicely for cooking quesadillas. Think cast iron pan, heavy stainless steel skillet, or the more traditional comal (a flat griddle used in Mexico, Central America, and South America).
What to Serve with Quesadillas
I happily eat quesadillas straight from the pan, but they are incredible with a side of fresh pico de gallo or homemade red salsa, mashed avocado with lime or homemade guacamole, and sour cream or crema. 1 tablespoon neutral oil or butter 5 ounces mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups sliced) 1 small onion, sliced 1 bell pepper or poblano pepper, seeds removed and sliced 3 cups torn kale leaves or spinach 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon oregano, preferably Mexican oregano 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 5 ounces (141g) melting cheese like Monterey Jack, shredded (about 1 ¼ cups) Spray oil or oil brushed onto pan 2Stir the mushrooms around the pan, then add the sliced onions, peppers, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, pepper, and salt. 3Cook the vegetables until the onions have softened and smell sweet for about 5 minutes. 4Add the kale or spinach and cook until bright green and wilted, another 2 to 3 minutes. 5Make quesadillas or transfer the cooked vegetables to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. 2Spread a quarter of the cheese over the tortilla and then spoon a quarter of the cooked vegetable mixture onto one half. Carefully fold the tortilla in half, and then use a spatula to press the top down to stay folded. 3Cook until the underside is toasted, about 2 minutes. 4Carefully flip the quesadilla and cook until the second side is toasted and the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes. 5Transfer the quesadilla to a cutting board and cut in half. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. 6Keep cooked quesadillas warm in a 200°F oven while you finish making the remaining quesadillas.
