Level of Effort: Easy
Cost of Ingredients: $3.17
Nutrition Info (1 quesadilla): 393 calories, 16.3 g fat, 13.3 g protein, 3.3 g fiber, 46.3 g carbs
Hi c’mon in to the cafe!
Today we’re talking quesadillas and how making them is about as easy as it comes. The downside of course is quesadillas generally aren’t the healthiest choice.
And that statement, my friend, has college cooking challenge written all over it! I love a challenge so today’s mission, should you choose to accept it, is to cook a quesadilla with a filling that’s both healthy and tastes damn good!
You up for it? To help get you started, I have an idea that’ll get the creative cooking juices flowing along with a few hot tips that’ll come in handy when you cook your quesadilla.
Choosing a Healthy Ingredient for the Filling
Sweet potato may not be the first ingredient that comes to mind for a quesadilla recipe but it’s one worth considering for this challenge. It’s one of the healthiest foods out there, it’s dirt cheap to buy, and easy to manipulate it’s flavor.
Thanks to the microwave, sweet potato is also a cinch to cook. Simply poke a few holes in it with a fork and microwave on high power for 4 to 5 minutes. Once soft, remove the skin, mash it and stir in low-fat sour cream, chopped green chilies and chili powder. Makes it taste more finger licking good than healthy!
Once the filling is ready, keep from getting overly giddy and overfilling the quesadilla. I’d say the filling sweet spot (where filling doesn’t squirt out each time you bite in) is about 1/2 cup of filling per quesadilla.
Cooking Your Quesadilla
Pre-heat the oil in the skillet before placing the quesadilla you’ve assembled in it. Hot oil fries the tortilla and makes it crisp on the outside (good!). Cool oil seeps into the tortilla and makes it soggy (not so good). To check if the oil is hot, flick some water from your fingertips into the skillet. If the oil pops, it’s hot.
Use just enough to coat the bottom on the skillet, about 1/2 teaspoon. Thirty to sixty seconds per side is all it takes to cook.
When the cooking is done, cut into wedges with a pizza cutter or knife and have sour cream and salsa nearby for dipping!
Healthy quesadilla mission accomplished! Have I sparked some new quesadilla ideas for you? I hope so. Give me a shout in the comments and let me know how you’d accomplish today’s challenge! Cheers!
Sweet Potato Quesadillas
A finger licking good quesadilla with a healthy sweet potato and cheese filling!
MAKES: 2 Sweet Potato Quesadillas
Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 14 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium sweet potato ~ $0.27
- 1 tbsp low-fat sour cream ~ $0.06
- 1/2 tsp chili powder ~ $0.06
- 1 can (127 ml / 4.3 oz.) chopped green chilies (about 1/2 cup) ~ $1.97
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese ~ $0.56
- 2 large flour tortillas ~ $0.22
- 1 tsp cooking oil (vegetable or canola) ~ $0.03
HOW TO MAKE
- Poke holes in sweet potato with a fork. Microwave on high power until cooked, about 5 minutes. Carefully remove from microwave (plate will be hot). Let cool.
- Remove skin from sweet potato. Place flesh of sweet potato in a medium bowl and mash with a fork until not overly lumpy. Stir in sour cream, chili powder and green chilies.
- Spread half the sweet potato mixture over one side of a flour tortilla. Top with half the cheese. Fold over into a half moon shape. Repeat process with remaining tortilla, sweet potato mixture and cheese.
- Heat 1/2 teaspoon of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place one quesadilla in skillet. Cook until outside is golden brown, about 30 to 60 seconds. Flip to cook the other side. Repeat process to cook second quesadilla.
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