Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas with Kale Pesto
You guys probably don’t need a recipe for quesadillas.
A quesadilla — just like a grilled cheese — requires few ingredients and basic cooking technique.
Chances are, you probably already know how to make it without measuring out any ingredients.
Step one: Tortilla + cheese + stuff you like + a bit more of cheese + another tortilla.
Step two: griddle in butter.
Step three: wait, there’s no step three.
The only tricky part is flipping the quesadilla without it falling apart.
How many times have you tried to flip it over to cook on the other side and all the filling came out?
A hundred times? A thousand times? A million times?
Hold on a sec: how many quesadillas have you cooked in your life?
The flipping issue is not that hard and can be easily solved by:
(1) not over stuffing the quesadilla (thing that I never do!),
(2) using the half-moon technique (spread your filling over half of the tortilla, then fold the other half over the filling), or
(3) using a plate (put a plate over the top of it, put one hand under the plate, and hold the skillet handle with the other. Flip the whole thing upside down so the quesadilla ends up on the plate, then slide it onto the skillet.)
I know a few people who brag about how they can flip quesadillas with a spatula but I believe that they’re either liars or they own one of those huge spatulas that look like a shovel.
Anyways, I made some vegetarian quesadillas the other night and they were so delicious I needed to share it with y’all.
Grilled veggies + kale pesto + cheese + tortilla = awesomeness.
I know there’s nothing Mexican about these quesadillas — except for the tortillas. No queso, no pico de gallo, no guac, no meat.
Still they’re super delicious and pretty darn healthy. With all those veggies and the kale pesto.
And if you’re using cauliflower tortillas, it’s like eating veggies topped with veggies with a veggie sauce and just a bit of cheese.
Because you know, cheese.
Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas with Kale Pesto Print this recipe!
Ingredients
Makes 2 huge quesadillas, enough for 4 people
1 zucchini, sliced into ¼-inch thick slices
1 small eggplant, diagonally sliced into ¼-inch slices
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and quartered
1 small red onion, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fine grain salt
Ground black pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheese (Monterey Jack is the best)
4 large tortillas or 8 small ones (to make cauliflower tortillas use this recipe)
4 tablespoons kale pesto, (to make kale pesto use this recipe)
2 teaspoons butter, divided
freshly chopped parsley (or cilantro)
Directions
Place vegetables on a large platter, drizzle with two tablespoons of olive and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a grill or a grill pan to medium-high (if you’re using an outdoor grill lightly oil the grill grates).
Grill vegetables, turning frequently, until tender and slightly charred, about 4 minutes for the onion and 7 minutes for the eggplant, zucchini, and red bell pepper.
Transfer vegetables to a cutting board and let cool for about 5 minutes. Cut into into roughly 1½-inch pieces and set aside.
In a large skillet sizzle ½ teaspoon of butter over medium-low heat.
Lay a tortilla, then build the quesadillas by spreading 1 tablespoon of pesto, then by laying some grated cheese on the tortilla, and then arranging some of the grilled veggies. Sprinkle a little more grated cheese and top with a second tortilla.
When the tortilla is golden, carefully flip the quesadilla to the other side, adding another ½ teaspoon butter to the skillet at the same time. Continue cooking until the second side is golden.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas and fillings.
Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve.
Nutrition facts
One serving yields 524 calories, 33 grams of fat, 38 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of protein.
One serving yields 524 calories, 33 grams of fat, 38 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of protein.
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