Name: 15 Minute Loaded Veggie Quesadillas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 10- inch tortillas (burrito size); 2-4 tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese; 1 orange bell pepper; 1 red bell pepper; 1/4 cup baby spinach (packed tightly); 1/2 cup black beans; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon onion powder; Scallions for garnish; Avocado (queso and/or sour cream for dipping)

15 minutes for a delicious, nutritious, and filling meal? Sign me up!

Real talk: who doesn’t love a quesadilla? You’ve got melty cheese plus a crispy tortilla… what’s not to love.

And quesadillas are sooo easy to make.

Instead of making difficult New Years’ resolutions this year, how about just making easy meals?

The idea of a new year adds a lot of pressure. What should we change? What can we do differently? What do we want to fix?

And while I’m all for self-improvement, I also think it’s important to remember that January 1st is just another day.

While it’s great to resolve to eat nutritious foods, it’s also important to nix an all or nothing mindset. You don’t have to only cook at home, or only eat “clean” (not a real term), or cut out entire food groups just because it’s a new day.

Instead, can you resolve to eat things that make you feel good? Or to take 10 minutes for yourself to eat lunch instead of skipping it?

And that’s where these quesadillas come in.

They’re homemade. They’re ready in 15 minutes flat. And, not only are they delicious and satisfying, but they’re also full of nutritious ingredients.

They’ve got black beans that add belly-filling protein and fiber. Plenty of micronutrients and antioxidants from red and orange bell pepper, plus spinach. And even cheese is a delicious way to add beneficial calcium and protein to your diet.

So make these, enjoy them, and go easy on yourself this year, okay?!

Prep the ingredients

Finely dice the bell pepper. Set aside 1/2 cup (you can save the rest for future use). Finely chop the spinach.

Drain and rinse the black beans and add to a bowl. Add the paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper to a bowl with the black beans and mix to combine. Set aside.

Cook the tortilla

Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium high heat.

Once the pan is hot (you should be able to feel the heat with your hand slightly above the pan), add one of the tortillas.

On one side of the tortilla, add half of each of the: shredded cheese, diced bell peppers, chopped spinach and seasoned black beans. Let cook for 2-3 minutes.

Fold the tortilla and cook more

Fold the tortilla in half, pressing down gently on top so that it holds together. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the cheese appears melted and the tortilla becomes brown and crispy.

Flip the tortilla and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the second side becomes brown and crispy.

Repeat & eat

Repeat with the second tortilla.

Cut into triangles and serve with dips and/or scallions to garnish.

Notes

Tortilla: I used white flour burrito sized tortillas. You can make these smaller if you prefer or use a different kind of tortilla, like whole wheat. I don’t recommend using a grain free/almond flour based tortilla though. They don’t cook as well and tend to crumble.
Cheese: In the spirit of easy, I used pre-shredded mozzarella cheese. You can always grate your own cheese, just make sure to account for those few minutes of extra time.
Veggies: I used bell peppers and spinach, but so many veggies would work well. You can also try finely chopping or dicing kale, mushrooms, onions, broccoli or carrots.
Storage: While this meal is super easy, I wouldn’t recommend making it too far in advance. If you make it in the morning to eat later, you can reheat it on a pan with a little oil or in the oven on broil. Or just make it right before eating – that’s the beauty of a 15 minute meal :).

Course: Lunch