These Grilled Potato Spinach Quesadillas are a quick vegetarian or vegan meal that can be made with ingredients we all usually have on hand!
Grilled Potato Spinach Quesadillas
- March 24, 2020
- Updated September 9, 2021
- Jump to recipe
It’s pretty safe to say that we’re all spending a lot of time at home these days.
And if you’re like me and my family, you’re probably trying to minimize the amount of time you spend out of the house.
That includes grocery shopping.
But working with the food you have on hand to make meals at home doesn’t have to be boring or flavorless. And these quesadillas are proof!
Grilled Potato Spinach Quesadillas: A True Pantry Meal
This is definitely a pantry meal, so these quesadillas come together with ingredients we all usually have on hand. (And if you’re looking for another excellent pantry meal, be sure to check out my Creamy Mascarpone Tomato Gnocchi.)
Tortillas.
Potatoes.
Spinach.
Cheese.
All are staple ingredients in most homes, so these quesadillas are especially great right now while we’re trying to minimize our time out and about.
Even better, for these grilled quesadillas you can use any type of potato, any type or size of tortilla, fresh or frozen spinach, and if you’re vegan or out of cheese, these quesadillas are just as delicious without it.
My Favorite Spatula For Quesadilla Flipping
Before I send you down to the recipe, here’s my recommended tool for flipping these quesadillas [aff. link].
It’s technically marketed as a cookie spatula, but the smaller size of this spatula makes it perfect for everything in my book. I love that this spatula size gives me greater control over where these quesadillas land when I flip them. !!!
Stay Healthy and Safe!
I hope that you and your friends and family are staying healthy and safe at this crazy time.
Enjoy the increased family time, and make these quesadillas for your next meal at home!
And be sure to check out my new variation on these quesadillas. My Grilled Potato Spinach Quesadillas with Beyond Meat Sausage and Bell Peppers are just as addicting and delicious. 😋
Grilled Potato Spinach Quesadillas
These Grilled Potato Spinach Quesadillas are a quick vegetarian or vegan meal that can be made with ingredients we all usually have on hand.
Servings: 5
Print RecipeIngredients
For the potato filling:
- 1 ½ pounds potatoes, whatever you’ve got on hand! (I have made this recipe with Dutch, Yukon Gold, and Red potatoes. You don’t even have to peel the potatoes if you’re ok with a little texture, which I am!)
- ¼ cup milk of choice
- 2 Tbsp butter, use Earth Balance or sub with olive oil to keep vegan
- 2 Tbsp mascarpone, (optional, but highly recommended; omit to keep vegan, or sub with vegan cream cheese)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 2-3 cups fresh spinach, or 8-12 oz frozen
Everything Else:
- 1-2 cups cheddar, freshly grated (omit to keep vegan, or use your favorite vegan cheddar)
- Tortillas, I used a mix of 20 small, taco-sized flour and corn tortillas, but use whatever tortilla size and type you have on hand
- Olive oil, for frying
Instructions
Boil the Potatoes
- Bring the potatoes to a boil in a large soup pot of water. There should be at least 1 inch of water above the potatoes.
- Boil for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft, and a fork goes easily through when the potatoes are pricked.
- Note: if using large potatoes, I recommend cutting them in half or quarters before boiling so they cook faster!
Drain the potatoes
- Once the potatoes are cooked through and a fork goes easily through each potato when pricked, drain the potatoes, and put them back in the pot.
- To the pot, add the milk, butter, mascarpone, and salt.
Mash the potatoes
- With a handheld mixer, now mix the potatoes on medium speed until completely smooth, and the butter and mascarpone are completely incorporated.
Add the spinach and seasonings
- While the now mashed potatoes are still warm, add in the spinach, garlic powder, and onion salt, and pepper.
- Stir everything together with a silicone spatula until the spinach wilts and is cooked through.
- Note: if using frozen spinach, cook the spinach on the stovetop until warm before adding to the potatoes. Frozen spinach will also probably turn your potatoes a little green, but it’ll still be absolutely delicious!
Compile the quesadillas
- Now take a tortilla. Spread your desired amount of potato filling on half of the tortilla.
- Sprinkle some freshly grated cheddar over the potato filling. (omit the cheese to keep these grilled quesadillas vegan!)
- Now fold the other half of the tortilla over the top of the potato filling and cheddar.
- Repeat this process until you’ve used up all your potato filling.
Grill the quesadillas
- In a medium to large-sized skillet, heat a few Tbsps of olive oil over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, after about 1 minute, add however many quesadillas to the skillet that you can without over-crowding the pan (I have small, taco-sized tortillas on hand these days, and I usually fit 2-3 quesadillas in the skillet at a time.)
- Grill/fry the quesadillas over medium heat until the side in the pan turns golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
- Flip each quesadilla over, and grill the other side until golden brown, another 2-3 minutes.
- Take the quesadillas out of the skillet, and put them on a paper towel-covered plate to help remove excess oil.
- Repeat the grilling/frying process with all the quesadillas you’ve assembled.
Serve and Enjoy!
- These grilled quesadillas are a great meal alone, or serve them with a side of beans for protein, a nice salad, and sour cream or your favorite hot sauce for dipping!
Notes
These quesadillas are vegetarian! These quesadillas are gluten free if you use gluten free tortillas. These quesadillas are vegan if you omit the mascarpone and cheddar, or substitute with vegan cream cheese and vegan cheddar, respectively.
© Copyright 2021 Vanguard of Hollywood
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This Post Has 16 Comments
Oh, quesadillas! I love a good ‘dilla, and these are making my stomach growl. (For the record, it’s only 6:45am here, and you’ve got me craving quesadillas already. Haha!) So I’ve put roasted potatoes on pizza, but I’ve never used potatoes in a quesadilla. I’m intrigued! And the spoonful of mascarpone for the creaminess factor is an awesome idea. We’ve been “teaching” Robbie how to cook during the quarantine, and I’m thinking these need to be on our menu soon. (And by “teaching” I mean trying to entertain him without too much screen time!) Stay safe (and sane) my friend!
Thank you so much David that is such an amazing compliment! Awww that is so sweet, this is the perfect time to teach our little ones how to cook! Robbie is so lucky to have a dad who is such a pro in the kitchen! Hope you and your sweet family are staying safe and healthy as well!
We loooove grilled quesadillas in this house! Using potato and spinach for the filling is such a great idea and I am sure it is delightful with the gooey cheese and the crunchy quesadilla pocket. Thanks so much for sharing and I hope you’re all staying safe. xx
Thanks Katerina! Quesadillas are such a fabulous family meal! Awww thank you so much, so far we are staying healthy! Hope you and your sweet family are as well! ❤️
This seems so unusual to me, and so intriguing. I’ll bet the texture is to die for, and who doesn’t love potatoes and cheese?
Thank you Jeff! The texture is to die for, if I do say so myself. 😃 And you are so right, the combination of potatoes and cheese is one of the best of all time. Absolutely love it!
The texture of these quesadillas is AMAZING. This was such a clever pairing, Shannon! The smoothness of the potatoes really compliments the crispiness of the tortilla. I could eat these ALL DAY.
Thanks MacKenzie! Haha I am right there with you! I could eat these all day, every day, and be completely happy. 😄
Hey Shannon…..greetings from the UK. I have a question…🤪. Planning a belated party for family (once restrictions end) and keeping busy looking for ‘prepare ahead & heat/re-heat’ ideas. Would these work to prepare all the way through…..cool….put in the fridge and reheat in the oven under foil…? I love the idea of them but don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen doing 2-3 at a time for 25 family members 😱😱 lol. They sound soooo yum …..I just know they’d have me back in the kitchen for 25 more 🤣🤣. Helen x
Hi Helen! 🙋♀️ Sounds like an amazing party, I hope all the restrictions end soon! These quesadillas are definitely a great make-ahead meal. Whenever we have leftovers, they are super easy to re-heat and enjoy the next day. Haha, I totally relate! No fun having guests if you have to spend the whole time in the kitchen away from the conversation! You could definitely make these quesadillas ahead, and re-heat them in the oven on a cookie sheet just before meal time. I would say leave them uncovered during re-heating so the tortilla crisps back up fully. My favorite re-heating method is to lay the quesadillas out on a cookie sheet, and re-heat in the oven at 375 degrees for 7 minutes. Then flip each quesadilla (so the other side of the tortilla has a good chance to crisp back up as well!) and heat for another 5 minutes. Thank you so much for your lovely comment Helen, hope your party can happen very very soon! 😃❣️😃
These were delicious! My picky family loved them and gave their approval to put this on our regular meal rotation. I used just half the garlic powder and half the salt that it called for, and 1 Tbs. of vegan cream cheese. On each quesadilla I used 1/2 slice of VioLife Cheddar Cheese slices cut in strips and spaced across the potato filling. I also added a sprinkle of chopped cilantro. I cooked each one in just a tiny bit of Country Crock Plant Butter and served with sour cream. I used flour tortillas for some of my kids and yellow corn tortillas for mine for more of a taco taste. Everyone agreed that these were a winner!!!!
Thank you so much for your comment Beth! I am absolutely thrilled that these were such a hit with your family. I love your substitutions, and the addition of cilantro is such a delicious idea. 😋 Thank you again for giving the recipe a try, hope you and your family have a lovely weekend! ❤️
These are great! I’m so glad you have notes about how to make this vegan, as I cannot do dairy. Can’t wait to try these!
Thank you so much for your comment.😃 Oh yes, these are great vegan as well! Hope you enjoy them!
Hi Shannon, these sound awesome. Like one of the previous comments I was also interested in making these ahead of time. Would they work if made completely than frozen ready to pop in the oven?
Hi Carole! Excellent question, you can absolutely make these quesadillas completely ahead of time, then freeze, and warm them back up in the oven later. To reheat from frozen, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lay the quesadillas out on a baking sheet so they’re not touching each other (this will help the tortillas get crisp again), and put the quesadillas in the oven for about 7 minutes. Take the baking sheet out of the oven, flip each quesadilla, and re-heat for about another 7 minutes. This will both warm the filling, and get the tortillas crisp again. (I’ve noticed that the time it takes to re-heat from frozen is surprisingly only a minute or two longer than re-heating from the refrigerator.) Thanks for your question Carole, hope you enjoy the quesadillas! ♥️