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–+ servings
5 from 2 votes

Crispy Quesadillas with Smoky TVP

A crispy tortilla filled with cheese, corn, black beans, and packed with protein from my smoky seasoned TVP, these quesadillas are a dinner you may just find yourself enjoying once a week!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Servings: 8
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the rice and TVP:

  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • 2 cups TVP, textured vegetable protein
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion salt
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1-2 tsp lime juice, freshly squeezed (optional)

Everything else:

  • Tortillas, whatever size/type you’ve got! (my favorite tortillas here are either the large burrito-style tortillas, or the small, street taco-sized tortillas. This recipe will make about 8 large burrito-sized tortillas, or 14 street taco-sized tortillas)
  • 1 15 oz can black beans, drained
  • 1 15 oz can corn, drained
  • 2-4 cups cheddar, freshly grated (use more or less cheese to preference, and use vegan cheddar to keep this meal vegan)

To serve:

  • Cilantro, for garnish
  • Sour cream
  • Hot sauce
  • Salsa
  • Guacamole

Instructions

Make the TVP

  • Place the TVP in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
  • Now bring two cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, carefully pour the water over the TVP. Stir the water/TVP mixture a few times with a spoon to make sure the water is evenly distributed, then cover the mixing bowl with a plate. Let the TVP sit for 10 minutes.
  • Note: if your rice isn’t cooked yet, get it cooking just before you make the TVP! Put it in the rice cooker, and the rice will be done at just about the same time as your TVP. For reference, in my rice cooker, 1 ½ cups dry rice makes just over 4 cups cooked rice, and this recipe calls for 4 cups cooked rice.
  • After 10 minutes, the TVP will have absorbed all the water.

Crisp the TVP!

  • In a medium-sized skillet, add the olive oil, and heat over medium for 30 seconds.
  • Now transfer the TVP to the skillet. Add the garlic powder, onion salt, liquid smoke, aminos, and 1/2 tsp of the sea salt to the skillet. Stir with your spatula so that all the seasonings evenly incorporate into the TVP.
  • Cook the TVP over medium heat for 10 minutes, until it’s no longer soft, and has a bit of a crispy texture to it. Stir frequently to keep the TVP from sticking to the bottom of the pan, and turn the heat down to medium-low if the TVP begins to cook too quickly.

Mix the rice and TVP together

  • Once the TVP has crisped in the skillet, add it to a medium-sized mixing bowl, along with the cooked rice. Stir until the rice and TVP are completely mixed together, then add the remaining ½ tsp sea salt, and lime juice, if desired. Taste, and add another ½ tsp sea salt if needed.

Compile the quesadillas

  • Regardless of the size of tortillas I use, I prefer to take one tortilla, put all the fillings on one side of the tortilla, and fold the other side of the tortilla over the filling.
  • Note: you will most likely have leftovers of the rice/TVP mixture, especially if you use smaller tortillas for your quesadillas. With the leftover rice/TVP mixture, I like to make a deconstructed version of these quesadillas—all the filling ingredients make a really easy and portable lunch for work.
  • Place a generous amount of the TVP/rice mixture on half of a tortilla. Spoon some beans and corn over the top, followed by the cheese. No hard and fast rules here, do as much or as little cheese as you feel like!

Fry the quesadillas

  • In a medium-sized skillet, heat a few Tbsp of olive oil for about 30 seconds.
  • Now add a quesadilla to the skillet, and fry over medium heat until the side in the pan turns golden brown, about 3 minutes.
  • Carefully flip the quesadilla over, and fry the other side until golden brown. (Adjust the heat to medium-low if the pan gets too hot, and the tortilla is browning too quickly.)
  • Remove the quesadilla from the skillet, and place on a paper towel-covered plate to remove excess oil.
  • Repeat the frying process with the rest of the quesadillas.

Serve and enjoy!

  • Serve these quesadillas with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or your favorite hot sauce. (See my recommendations above!)

Notes

These quesadillas are vegetarian.
These quesadillas are vegan if you use vegan cheese.
These quesadillas are gluten free if you use gluten free tortillas.