Easy and Delicious Veggie Quesadillas

These Veggie Quesadillas are filled with spinach, onion, mushroom, and pepper jack cheese for a tasty vegetarian quesadilla recipe! Serve this quesadilla recipe with guacamole and salsa for dipping.

Making this Recipe for Veggie Quesadillas

I love quesadillas for a quick, easy meal! One of the great things about a quesadilla dinner night is that you can easily set up a fun quesadilla bar.

If you set up your quesadilla prep this way, you don’t have to worry about who doesn’t like what. And, everyone can assemble their own quesadilla according to their personal preferences! Just place all of the different toppings in bowl on the counter.

Sometimes I really love to load up my quesadillas with all the toppings. However, sometimes I’m craving something with extra vegetables that tastes a little bit lighter. This veggie quesadilla recipe is definitely a winner for those mealtimes!

Ingredients To Make Delicious Veggie Quesadillas

Here’s what you’ll need to make this mushroom and spinach quesadilla recipe:

• Red Onion
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Fresh Cilantro
• Flour Tortillas
• Pepper Jack Cheese
• Chili Powder
• Ground Cumin
• Garlic Powder
• Black Pepper
• Sea Salt
• Olive Oil or Avocado Oil

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

Tools Need to Make this Vegetable Quesadilla Recipe

Here’s a list of helpful tools to use while preparing this easy recipe:

• Cutting Board – to cut the vegetables on and the quesadilla after it is done cooking
• Sharp Knife – to chop the onions, mushrooms, and spinach
• Large Skillet – for cooking the vegetables and the quesadilla
• Wooden Spoon – to stir the vegetables while cooking
• Cheese Grater – to grate the cheese for the quesadilla
• Large Spatula – to flip the quesadilla while cooking
• Pizza Cutter – to cut the quesadilla into wedges

How to Make this Veggie Quesadillas Recipe

Here’s a quick breakdown of the process for preparing this healthy quesadilla recipe:

First, you’ll prepare the veggies by thinly slicing the onions and mushrooms. Next, heat the oil over medium heat.

Add the onions and saute for a few minutes. Then, add the mushrooms to the sautéed onion, and saute until the onions and mushrooms are both tender, about 6-8 minutes.

Season the veggies with salt, pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, and garlic powder (a little bit of taco seasoning would also work).

After that, add the spinach in batches. Let each batch wilt before adding the next so the pan has room. Then, cook the spinach until it is completely wilted.

Next, prepare the tortillas by brushing one side of each with oil. Then, divide the veggie mixture and cheese between the tortillas, covering half of the tortilla and folding them over after they’re stuffed.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Then, add the quesadillas and cook until one side is crispy and golden brown. After the first side has cooked, flip and cook the other side.

After both side of the tortilla are golden and brown, the quesadilla filling is hot, and cheese is melted, cut into wedges to serve.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Veggie Quesadilla Topping Ideas

Here are some of our favorite toppings to serve with veggie quesadillas. You can also serve them on a side in a bowl for dipping.

• Pico de Gallo
• Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt
• Chipotle Lime Ranch Dipping Sauce and Avocado Ranch Dipping Sauce, both recipes found here.
• Hot Sauce or Tabasco (hot sauce and sour cream mixed together also tastes great!)
• 5 Minute Basic Guacamole recipe features the delicious flavors of red onion, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, and fresh lime juice paired with ripe, mashed avocados.
• This Easy Restaurant Style Salsa is so good and so easy to make! It is perfect for serving with these Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas!
• Easy Roasted Salsa Verde made with a mix of roasted tomatillos, roasted poblano pepper, roasted jalapeño pepper, fresh garlic, cilantro, and shallot would also be a great veggie quesadilla topping idea!

Substitutions for this Veggie Quesadilla

Typically I don’t recommend making a bunch of substitutions when preparing a new recipe. When making substitutes, you won’t know if you don’t like the recipe or if the recipe didn’t turn out due to a preparation mistake, an ill effect from the substitute, or something else.

However, if you do choose to make substitutions in a recipe, I recommend only making one substitute at a time so you don’t have a building effect of multiple poor substitutions.

Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about substituting ingredients in this recipe for healthy quesadillas:

Can I Use a Different Cheese?

If Pepper Jack Cheese is too spicy for you and you’d like to use a different type of cheese when preparing this recipe for vegetable quesadillas, you can definitely do that!

I recommend one of the following options:

• Regular Monterey Jack Cheese (less spicy than pepper jack)
• Mild Cheddar Cheese
• Mexican Cheese Blend (typically a mix of Monterey Jack, Mild Cheddar, Asadero, and Queso Quesadilla).

What Kind of Tortilla Should I Use?

This recipe calls for 8-inch regular flour tortillas. If you want to mix things up, you can try a whole wheat tortilla or different flavored tortillas, such as jalapeno, chipotle, spinach, etc. I do not recommend using corn tortillas.

What Other Ingredients Could I Add To This Quesadilla Recipe?

This vegetarian quesadilla recipe is great for customizing according to your personal preferences. You can always add extra or different vegetables.

Keep in mind that if you add extra veggies and keep the original vegetable measurements the same, you’re going to have enough filling to make more quesadillas than the original recipe yields.

Alternatively, you can use less of some of the listed vegetables to make room for more variety.

Here are my suggestions for extra veggies:

• Red Bell Pepper
• Green Bell Pepper
• Jalapeno
• Green Chiles
• Pickled Onions (instead of sautéed onion)
• Small pieces of Zucchini or Yellow Squash
• Corn Kernels, especially yummy if they’re grilled or roasted!

Make sure you saute these vegetables, too, otherwise they’ll release too much liquid while the quesadilla cooks and the tortilla will become soggy.

This veggie quesadilla recipe is also a great way to use up leftover roasted vegetables, such as sweet potatoes.

For a protein boost, try adding black beans or pinto beans. Or, if you don’t need to keep it vegetarian, you could also try adding some Shredded Mexican Chicken or Slow Cooker Southwestern Pulled Pork to the vegetables.

What to Serve with Veggie Quesadillas

This recipe for Vegetarian Quesadillas pairs well a variety of Mexican side dishes Here are some of my go-to side dish recipes to serve with quesadillas:

• For drinks, Strawberry Agua Fresca, Watermelon Mint Lemonade and Pineapple Lime Coolers are all super refreshing!
• For a healthy veggie side dish to go with your quesadillas, try this Mexican inspired Creamy Cilantro Lime Broccoli Slaw or this lighter Cilantro Lime Kale Slaw.
• If you want a different from traditional type of side dish, you’ll love this recipe for Roasted Poblano Cilantro Quinoa.
• For rice, try this recipe for Homemade Spanish Rice as a side.
• Refried Beans are another great side dish traditionally served with quesadillas.
• For dessert after your easy quesadilla dinner, try these No Bake Mango Lime Cheesecake with Fruit Salsa.

How to Store Leftovers

Leftovers of this veggie quesadilla recipe are best stored unassembled. I recommend only cooking what you plan to eat. Then, store leftovers of the cheese, veggie mixture, and tortillas separately in the refrigerator.

Airtight containers work best for storing the vegetable mixture. It will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

How to Reheat Leftovers

To reheat leftovers that were not assembled: simply prepare the quesadilla as the original recipe instructs.

To reheat leftover cooked quesadillas: I recommend reheating already cooked quesadillas in a skillet over low heat until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted.

• You can also place the quesadillas on a sheet pan and reheat in a 200 degree oven.
• Reheating in a microwave would cause the tortillas to become soggy.

More Yummy Quesadilla Recipes:

I hope you’ll give these Veggie Quesadillas a try next time you’re craving Mexican food! If you’re looking for a few more delicious quesadilla ideas, you’ll see some of our favorites below. 

Pork and Pineapple Quesadillas are a delicious, light summer grilling recipe featuring cumin-lime marinated pork tenderloin and a fresh pineapple salsa between tortillas with melty cheese.

Chicken, Black Bean, and Spinach Quesadillas are super yummy and easy to prepare! Garlic sauteed chicken, refried black beans, and chopped spinach are stuffed between two whole grain tortillas for a tasty meal.

Breakfast Burrito Quesadillas are a fun idea for breakfast, featuring scrambled eggs, ham, peppers, and onions, but you can adapt them with plenty of fun breakfast burrito ingredients!

This Steak Quesadilla recipe is packed with flavor! They feature marinated grilled steak, peppers, onion, jalapeño, and spices with plenty of monterey jack cheese!

Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.

Get More Recipes via Email

Did you love this recipe? Sign up to receive Good Life Eats Email Updates and never miss another recipe!