Cooking for carnivores and a vegetarian at the same time is hard. And by “hard” I mean there’s always at least one of them – and possibly both of them – whining about what I’m making for dinner. As a former vegetarian, I really don’t care if there’s meat in my dinner. My husband, however, is a carnivore. He cares. He cares deeply and – therefore – he whines when there is no meat in his dinner.
This recipe, in all of its meatless glory, is one of the few that everyone will eat. It was inspired by Kitschen Cat’s quesadilla recipe, and is hearty and delicious. It is easily one of the Happy and Yummy daughter’s favorite dinners. I’ve added corn and more beans to the mix so even my dietitian mother would agree that we have covered all of the food groups.
I like this recipe because it makes more than two dinners’ worth of quesadilla filling which gets stored in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator. We get a lot of mileage out of this recipe on weeks when I have evening meetings at work because this mama’s not cooking after a 12 hour day in the office. I make the filling the evening before and put it in the fridge. My husband and daughter can make their own quesadillas on the stove whenever they get hungry. As for me, I’ve been known to pour myself a nice glass of coconut rum to accompany the nachos I make with this filling. I’ve also even eaten it cold on more than one occasion. Easy, healthy and definitely yummy.
A note on how much filling to put in the tortilla: you can use anywhere between a half cup and a whole cup of filling, depending on the appetite of the person eating it. A half cup is a pretty skimpy but a whole cup is a lot. You can put a layer of filling an inch thick on the tortilla without it falling apart. Don’t ask me how I know.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 medium-large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes (approx. 8 cups)
- 2 cans of low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can of Niblets corn, drained
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 4 oz block cream cheese (or non-dairy substitute)
- tortillas (we use high protein low carb tortillas)
- sharp cheddar cheese (I use Daiya vegan cheese)
- salsa verde and guacamole for toppings
Instructions
- Pour olive oil in a wide saucepan or deep frying pan; add sweet potatoes and toss to coat.
- Turn stove to medium-high heat, add half a cup of water, and cover.
- After 10 minutes, toss potatoes and replace cover. Cook another ten minutes and then toss.
- Cook for another five minutes and toss; keep cooking in five minute intervals until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Add black beans, corn, spices and salsa verde; stir well and place cover back on pot/pan for five minutes.
- Stir again and add the cream cheese, stirring gently until cream cheese is totally melted and filling mixture is thoroughly combined; remove from heat.
- Place foil over a cookie sheet and spray with nonstick spray; place tortillas on cookie sheet with half hanging over the side of the sheet.
- Place 2/3 cup filling on each tortilla and spread evenly over half of the tortilla.
- Top with cheese of your choice, and fold empty tortilla half over so it is on top of the filling and cheese.
- Place cookie sheet in the oven for 5-6 minutes on 425 degrees. If you like the tortillas crunchier, you'll want to leave them in a minute or two longer.
- If you're only making one of these, cook on medium heat in a covered frying pan, flipping every 2-3 minutes to ensure the cheese is melted but the tortilla doesn't burn.
- Serve with salsa verde and chunky guacamole.
Enjoy!
The recipe was an absolute home run! What a delicious, super easy, healthy meal! It’s one that I will make again and again.