Grilled Potato Spinach Quesadillas

4.90 from 49 votes

My Grilled Potato Spinach Quesadillas underscore how good food comes from simple ingredients. Vegan, Vegetarian, & Gluten-Free options.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Servings:

1 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled; preferably a white or yellow potato variety, such as russet or Yukon gold.
¼ cup milk of choice, I prefer unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbsp butter, use Earth Balance or substitute with olive oil to keep vegan
2 Tbsp mascarpone, (optional, but highly recommended; omit to keep vegan, or substitute with vegan cream cheese)
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion salt
2-3 cups fresh spinach, or 8-12 oz frozen

1-2 cups cheddar, freshly grated (omit to keep vegan, or use your favorite vegan cheddar)
Tortillas, any size you have on hand; I prefer the mini street taco size flour tortillas and the mini street taco size corn tortillas
olive oil or canola oil, for frying

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 about 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 halves or quarters before boiling so they cook faster.

Once the potatoes are cooked through, drain the potatoes, and put them back in the pot.
To the pot, now add the milk, butter, mascarpone, salt, garlic powder, and onion salt.

With a handheld mixer, mix the potatoes on medium speed until smooth, and the butter and mascarpone are completely incorporated.

Now add the spinach. Stir everything together with a silicone spatula until the spinach wilts and turns bright green.
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 the quesadillas will still be delicious.

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.
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 of the potato filling.

In a medium to large-sized skillet, heat a few Tbsp of olive oil or canola oil over medium heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Once the oil is hot, add a quesadilla or two to the skillet. The amount of quesadillas you grill at one time will depend on the size of tortillas used.
Grill/fry the quesadillas over medium heat until the side in the pan turns golden brown, about 2-4 minutes.
Flip each quesadilla over, and grill the other side until golden brown, another 2-4 minutes.
Take the quesadillas out of the skillet, and put them on a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess oil.
Repeat the grilling process with all the quesadillas you’ve assembled.

Serve the quesadillas alone, or with your favorite condiments, such as sour cream and Sriracha.
Make these quesadillas a meal with my Champagne Vinaigrette Salad, my Kale Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing, or my Crisp Greek Salad.

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.

If you don't mind a little texture, don't peel the potatoes before boiling.

Do not use sweet potatoes for the filling. Use a white or yellow potato variety.

Use freshly grated cheese. It melts better and doesn't have all the additives and preservatives of pre-grated cheese.