Layers of fresh summer vegetables, refried beans, and cheese sauce sandwiched between two grilled soft flour tortillas!
These Garden Veggie Quesadillas are not just delicious, they are so much fun and easy to make. When you break it down, a quesadilla is merely a stuffed grilled cheese sandwich made with flour tortillas instead of bread.
I like to stuff fresh homemade Soft Vegan Flour Tortillas with loads of sautéed garden vegetables, Mighty Cheez Sauce, and Instant Pot Refried Beans. And if you make the cheesy sauce and refried beans during weekend prep, these Garden Veggie Quesadillas come together quickly and are a breeze to make.
Let’s break down each element of these Garden Veggie Quesadillas – the soft flour tortillas, the cheez sauce, the refried beans, the vegetable mixture, and the condiments. You can use or omit any of these elements, but this is my favorite combination. And once you try these, I’m certain you’ll agree. They’re pretty good.
Because commercially prepared flour tortillas tend to have quite a bit of sodium, I make my own Soft Vegan Flour Tortillas when we want to enjoy these tasty quesadillas. I make my flour tortillas with white whole wheat flour and do not add any salt; but you can use any combination of flour and a touch of sodium if you’d like. With all of the flavor these quesadillas pack, I promise you won’t miss the salt. Of course you can always purchase flour tortillas; and if you follow a gluten-free diet, simply use gluten-free flour tortillas. Aldi’s liveGfree flour tortillas make great quesadillas!
The Mighty Cheez Sauce is fantastic in these Garden Veggie Quesadillas. Most quesadillas use shredded cheese, but I have found that a cheesy sauce acts as a glue to keep the sautéed vegetables in place. It’s no fun when the stuffing falls out onto your plate or in your pan instead of remaining inside the quesadilla. Plus, the cheese sauce is 100% plant-based and can be made oil-free. If you prefer, you can simply use shredded vegan cheese. Just be very careful when transferring the quesadilla to keep the filling from falling out before the cheese has had a chance to melt.
Next up are my Instant Pot Refried Beans. They pack such incredible tex-mex flavor in these Garden Veggie Quesadillas! They are a simple yet magical pot of pinto beans that make a great accompaniment for tacos, tostadas, burritos, vegetable fajitas, super nachos, or tamales – including these Garden Veggie Quesadillas. Made in a pressure cooker, these are a fix and forget about it kind of side dish. I like to soak my pinto beans in water on Saturday night, rinse and cook on Sunday. That way, the beans are ready to use in two meals during the week. EASY.
The refried beans are completely tailorable since you can adjust the flavor, sodium, and spice levels with these oil-free and wholesome Instant Pot Refried Beans. They are naturally gluten-free and use a canned chipotle pepper with adobo sauce. This gives such depth of favor not found in the canned variety. I also love that you can use the immersion blender right in the Instant Pot insert after they’re cooked. Less mess and less dishes.
The Vegetable Mixture used in these Garden Veggie Quesadillas are what makes these little packets of flavor shine. I mean, the cheese sauce and refried beans are delicious and make a great quesadilla on their own. But honestly, I get my kicks out of the vegetables in a dish. And these diced up veggies do not disappoint.
Since I try to use a variety of colors whenever I can, I use a purple onion and a portion of a few different colors of bell peppers. You can use one color, two colors, three colors, or four colors – it’s completely up to you. If you only have green bell peppers, these quesadillas will still be incredibly delicious. I promise.
I recommend using cremini or baby bella mushrooms because they tend to have a little more depth, character, and flavor. If you can’t find them, you can certainly use chopped up portabella mushrooms or white button mushrooms. And if you don’t like mushrooms, feel free to omit them all together. Just add a little more peppers, onion, or zucchini. You can also add eggplant, sweet potato, or yellow squash, too.
Oh, and I love adding fresh zucchini to the mix. I had an incredible bounty of zucchini this summer and I love using them in my recipes. Do you have a garden? What do you enjoy growing? It is so satisfying to use my little home garden crop in my cooking.
If you’ve made quesadillas before, you are already familiar with the process. There’s nothing new or fancy here. When something works, there’s no need to invent something different just to be different. However, I’m going to provide instructions for two different options, just in case you haven’t made a quesadilla before. Or if you have, you may find something helpful. I’d love to hear back from you with what works and what doesn’t.
For Option 1, lay two soft flour tortillas on a large cutting board. Spread about one quarter cup of the Mighty Cheez Sauce evenly on the first flour tortilla; then sprinkle about one quarter cup of the sautéed vegetable mixture on top of the Mighty Cheez Sauce. On the second flour tortilla, spread about one quarter cup of the Instant Pot Refried Beans evenly; then turn it over and place it on top of the vegetable-cheez tortilla to create a tortilla sandwich or quesadilla. Press gently after matching up the edges. It should look like this photo.
When you finish cooking your quesadilla, transfer it carefully back to the cutting board and allow it to cool briefly. Then cut it like a pizza. Using a large sharp knife, carefully cut the quesadilla in half. Then cut each half of the quesadilla into either quarters or thirds to create either six or eight equal pie-shaped pieces. I have found that it is easier to use the point of the knife to prick into the tortilla, then ease the blade into the prick with the knife. This helps prevent the stuffing from squishing out too much. It’s kind of like drilling a hole in the wall – you first use a thin nail or screw, then the larger one. It just works better.
If you want slightly larger pieces, you’ll want to cut them into thirds which will give you slightly larger pieces. If you want smaller pieces for appetizers or for little hands, I recommend cutting the quesadilla into eight smaller pieces.
For Option 2: Lay one flour tortilla on a large cutting board. Spread about two tablespoons of Mighty Cheez Sauce evenly on only one half of the flour tortilla; then sprinkle about two tablespoons of the sautéed vegetable mixture on top. On the other half of the same flour tortilla, spread about two tablespoons of the Instant Pot Refried Beans.
Fold the refried bean half of the tortilla over the vegetable-cheese sauce tortilla half to create a semi-circle tortilla sandwich or half quesadilla. It should look just like this photo.
When you finish cooking your quesadilla, transfer it carefully back to the cutting board and allow it to cool briefly. Using a large sharp knife, carefully cut each quesadilla into either quarters or thirds to create either three or four equal pie-shaped pieces. And please try my trick – use the point of the knife to prick into the tortilla, then ease the blade into the prick with the knife to prevent the stuffing from squishing out too much. Do you have any helpful tricks to share? I’d love to hear them.
Now for the fun part!! It’s time to dig in to these tex-mex morsels! Just like tacos and fajitas, these awesome Garden Veggie Quesadillas are even better when served with your favorite condiments and sides. I tend to serve these with fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, sliced avocado or creamy guacamole, lime wedges, sliced jalapeño, or fresh salsa.
You can also serve the quesadillas with more cheese sauce and refried beans, sweet corn, tofu sour cream, black beans, rice, and more. You know what you like, so you do you.
I hope you enjoy these Garden Veggie Quesadillas as much as I do. Please leave a comment, comment and rate it here, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook! I’m just starting out and would love to see your results. Enjoy!!
Ingredients
- 5-6 crimini mushrooms, diced (1 cup)
- 1 onion, diced (1 cup)
- 2 medium bell peppers, diced (2 cups)*
- 1 zucchini, diced (1 cup)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 Tbsp)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp coriander
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup cilantro, minced
- 1-1½ cups Mighty Cheez Sauce
- 1-1½ cups Instant Pot Refried Beans
- 12 Soft Vegan Flour Tortillas**
- 1-2 Tbsp oil (optional)
- salsa, guacamole, sour cream, green onions, lime wedges, cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté the mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, onions, and garlic over low-medium heat, about 6-8 minutes. Add a tablespoon of water or vegetable broth as needed to keep from sticking.
- Add the chopped cilantro, sauté 2-3 additional minutes. Set aside.
- Heat your griddle or large skillet on medium.
- Option 1: Lay two flour tortillas on your work surface. Spread about ¼ cup of Mighty Cheez Sauce evenly on one flour tortilla; sprinkle about ¼ cup of the vegetable mixture on top. On the other tortilla, spread about ¼ cup refried beans. Place the Instant Pot Refried Beans tortilla on top of the vegetable-cheez tortilla to create a tortilla sandwich or quesadilla.
- Option 2: Lay one flour tortilla on your work surface.
- Spread about 2 tablespoons of Mighty Cheez Sauce evenly on one half of the flour tortilla; sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture on top.
- On the other half of the flour tortilla, spread about 2 tablespoons of the Instant Pot Refried Beans.
- Fold the refried bean half of the tortilla over the vegetable-cheez tortilla half to create a semi-circle tortilla sandwich or half quesadilla.
- If using oil, drizzle and spread a small portion of oil in the skillet.
- Carefully place the quesadilla on the hot skillet, flipping over when the tortilla is toasted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Continue cooking on the other side another minute or two.
- Remove the quesadilla from the skillet and place on a cutting board; and allow to cool briefly.
- Using a large sharp knife, cut in half and then in quarters or thirds to create six or eight equal pie-shaped pieces.
- Repeat the process to make 6 whole or 12 half quesadillas.
- Serve with desired toppings: chopped cilantro, green onions, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, etc.
Notes
* Feel free to use any colored bell peppers, including poblanos or cubanelles.
** I make my own Soft Vegan Flour Tortillas using a blend of white whole wheat flour and no salt. If following a gluten-free diet, use gluten-free flour tortillas. Aldi’s G-free flour tortillas make great quesadillas!
Garden Veggie Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 5-6 crimini mushrooms diced (1 cup)
- 1 onion diced (1 cup)
- 2 medium bell peppers diced (2 cups)*
- 1 zucchini diced (1 cup)
- 3 garlic cloves minced (1 Tbsp)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp coriander
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup cilantro minced
- 1- 1½ cups Mighty Cheez Sauce
- 1- 1½ cups Instant Pot Refried Beans
- 12 8-10 inch flour tortillas**
- 1-2 Tbsp oil optional
- salsa guacamole, sour cream, green onions, lime wedges, cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté the mushrooms, onions, and garlic over low-medium heat, about 5-6 minutes. Add a tablespoon of water or vegetable broth as needed to keep from sticking.
- Add the bell peppers and zucchini and continue to sauté until tender, about 5-6 more minutes. Set aside.
- Heat your griddle or large skillet on medium.
- Lay two flour tortillas on your work surface. Spread about ¼ cup of Mighty Cheez Sauce evenly on one flour tortilla; sprinkle about ¼ cup of the vegetable mixture on top. On the other tortilla, spread about ¼ cup refried beans. Place the refried bean tortilla on top of the vegetable-cheez tortilla to create a tortilla sandwich or quesadilla.
- If using oil, drizzle and spread a small portion of oil in the skillet.
- Carefully place the quesadilla on the hot skillet, flipping over when the tortilla is toasted, about 1-2 minutes. Continue cooking on the other side another minute or two.
- Remove the quesadilla from the skillet and place on your work surface. Allow to cool briefly. Using a large sharp knife, cut in half and then in quarters or thirds to create six or eight equal pie-shaped pieces. Repeat the process to make 6 quesadillas total.
- Serve with desired toppings: chopped cilantro, green onions, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, etc.