This is our favorite weeknight-friendly veggie quesadilla recipe! These veggie quesadillas are filled with refried beans, sautéed vegetables, and grated cheese. Serve with your favorite quesadilla toppings. Our personal favorites are salsa verde, pico de gallo, pickled red onion, sliced avocado (or guacamole!), sour cream, and lots of hot sauce.
Ingredients
Sautéed Vegetables:
3tablespoonsextra virgin olive oildivided, plus more for cooking
1large red or yellow onionjulienned
10ozcremini (Baby Bella) mushroomsstems trimmed and thinly sliced
1(16-ounce) canrefried beans I recommend Trader Joe's brand
jalapeño hot sauce
5-6ouncessharp white cheddar cheesefreshly grated
fresh cilantro
Toppings:
sliced avocado or guacamole
pico de gallo or halved cherry tomatoesfor garnishing
salsa verde
sour cream
Instructions
Prepare Sautéed Vegetables: Heat two tablespoon olive oil over high heat in a large sauté pan. Add the sliced onions, season with salt and pepper immediately, and sauté, stirring every minute or so, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the onions are softened slightly and caramelized. Set aside in a bowl.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet over high heat (alternatively, you can use two pans and speed up the cooking process), add the sliced mushrooms and saute over high heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until they're released their moisture and gained color. Avoid stirring too frequently, as it will prevent them from gaining color. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Assemble: Spread a thin layer of refried beans on one half of each tortilla, add a few dashes of jalapeño hot sauce if desired, a spoonful of sautéed onions and mushrooms, and top with a generous handful of grated cheddar cheese and several cilantro leaves. Fold the tortillas in half.
Heat a large non-stick skillet with a thin layer of olive oil over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, lay the quesadillas (do not overcrowd the pan, usually 2 quesadillas at most can fit - so you may need to cook them in batches or use two pans). Once golden brown and crispy on the bottom, flip with a spatula and continue to cook until the quesadilla is golden on both sides and the cheese has melted.
Cut each quesadilla in half and serve with your favorite toppings. Our personal favorites are salsa verde, pico de gallo, pickled red onion, sliced avocado (or guacamole!), sour cream, and lots of hot sauce.