Easy Veggie Quesadillas

These easy veggie quesadillas are full of flavor and perfect for a vegetarian or meatless meal on busy weeknights. Using all different kinds of vegetables with melty cheese creates a fresh, crispy quesadilla. Great as an appetizer too or even a healthy lunch.

You might also like this tasty Yucatan shrimp recipe!

My son just started college in the fall and over break he told me he wanted to a) learn how to cook and b) make more vegetarian meals. I was excited to both teach him how to cook and the idea of trying out more vegetarian meals.

So today I made these easy veggie quesadillas because I know how much he likes Mexican food and they are pretty easy to make. Plus they are economical too. I loaded it up on vegetables, beans for protein, spices and cheese and just cooked them up in a pan for a healthy Mexican dinner one night.

My son was at college be me and my husband really liked this vegetarian dinner for a change. I found some cool condiments at Aldi and drizzled that on top with some cilantro. It was perfect and we will definitely be making them again! Or better yet, maybe my son will make them for us next time. 😉

Recipe ingredients I used and substitutions.

The basic ingredients I used for this dish are: olive oil, yellow onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, black beans, canned tomatoes with chiles, corn, zucchini, spinach, cilantro, garlic, sharp cheddar cheese, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, onion powder and flour tortillas

Vegetables
I used fresh mushrooms, onions, sweet bell pepper, spinach and zucchini. You can any fresh veggies you have on hand but I really like the onions and peppers for flavor. The spinach was more for nutrition, color and to bulk up the dish but you can eliminate it if you don’t have any.

I also used frozen corn though you could use leftover ears of corn. And for the tomatoes I used diced tomatoes with the chile’s to add a bit of heat. You could use fresh but you might want to add a jalapeno pepper or some hot pepper flakes for a bit of spice.

I highly recommend this vegetable chopper when you have to chop so many veggies and in a uniform size. This particular one works great for me.

Beans
I like black beans in my Mexican food because they are a bit smaller and work well for these quesadillas. You could use pinto beans, chili or kidney beans if you prefer them. You could also eliminated them if you don’t like beans.

However the beans add extra protein and make this dish more filling. They also really add to the texture and flavor. Sweet potatoes or butternut squash can also be substitutes as they have the similar texture.

You could also use refried beans but don’t mix them in with the veggies. Just spread them on the tortillas before adding the cheese or filling.

Herbs and Spices
I love fresh cilantro with these types of meals but you could use fresh parsley or no herbs at all. This is more for garnish anyway. I do recommend the fresh garlic and the rest of the spices are common pantry ingredients.

Sharp Cheddar Cheese
This is my favorite type of cheese but you could easily use Monterey Jack cheese, Colby Jack cheese or a Mexican cheese blend. In a pinch you could also use Mozzarella because it will help keep the vegetables together inside the tortillas.

You could use pre-shredded cheese though today I bought a block of cheese and shredded it with my new rotary cheese grater which I love. To me the cheese just tastes better when you shred it yourself.

Flour Tortillas
I used large burrito sized flour tortillas and made big tortillas. All these quantities will be for making 4 large flour quesadillas. You can use whatever kind of flour tortillas you want as well as any size.

If you want to use corn tortillas they would work too but I don’t usually do that. Also there are all kinds of healthy options like wheat tortillas or low carb ones.

How to make these easy veggie quesadillas.

Step 1: To make the quesadilla filling get out a large skillet and heat to medium high heat. Add olive oil and once it’s hot, turn the heat down to medium and add the onions and peppers. Saute for a minute or two for the veggies to soften.

Step 2: Add the beans, corn, canned tomatoes, spinach, zucchini and mushrooms. Then sprinkle the seasonings and crushed garlic over top. Mix well the cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir midway.

Step 3: Take off the lid and mix again. If there is a lot of liquid with the veggie mixture, continue to cook uncovered for 5 minutes until some of the liquid evaporates. Take off the stove and let cool for a few minutes so it’s easier to handle.

Step 4: Get out a plate and place a tortilla on top. Add a bit of shredded cheese on the bottom and then add a heaping cup of the vegetable mixture on top. Spoon it out so you can get it evenly over the cheese. Then top with another layer of cheese and finally the top tortilla.

Step 5: Get out a large nonstick skillet and spray with cooking spray. Heat to medium heat then add the oil to heat up. Place the quesadilla into the hot skillet then turn the heat down to medium. Spray the top of the quesadilla and cook for 2-3 minutes to brown the bottom and create a crispy tortilla.

When ready to flip, place the plate on top, use pot holders and flip the skillet and plate together so that the quesadilla is on the plate. Spray the pan again real quick and slide the quesadilla back in the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes to brown the bottom.

Step 6: When both sides are browned to your liking and the cheese has melted inside, take off the heat and slide on to a cutting board and continue with the other 4 large quesadillas.

Using a pizza cutter, cut into four slices and sprinkle some chopped fresh cilantro leaves on top. I also used the following aioli condiments that I bought at Aldi. You could try some of the creamy cilantro lime sauce for this vegetarian quesadilla recipe if you want or even hot sauce.

You could also serve with a bowl of your favorite salsa jor ust plain sour cream for dipping. Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card. 

You can add a simple green salad to make this a complete meal option or try this keto margarita slaw or this tasty low carb southwestern coleslaw.

More easy Mexican recipes to try.

We love Mexican food and I have quite a few low carb recipes but these are some of my not low carb Mexican recipes that make for some tasty meals.

• one pot Mexican rice casserole or easy rice bowl
• street corn salad or bean salad
• Instant Pot burrito lasagna or chicken burrito casserole
• spicy red lentil vegetarian chili
• veggie bean burrito or chicken enchiladas

Well I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked these easy veggie quesadillas. It just goes to show you don’t need to have meat for dinner to make a delicious meal.

I hope you like this veggie quesadilla recipe as much as we did and play around and make it your own. It’s great for those on a vegetarian or low calorie diet. Let me know if you have another tasty veggie combination to try in the comments section. Enjoy!