Easy Cheesy Mexican Lentil Quesadillas
These Lentil Quesadillas is a simple weeknight meal you can pull together in 30 minutes or less. Tortillas are stuffed with toasted cumin seeds, lentils, corn, cheese, then topped with fresh pico de gallo. It’s a kid friendly meal your family will love!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 250kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 Sprouted Wheat or Whole Wheat Tortillas (To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free tortillas)
- ½ cup shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend
- 1 cup cooked small lentils I used Trader Joe's Steamed Packaged Lentils
- 1 cup frozen or fresh corn
- pico de gallo for serving
- Optional Toppings: Diced avocado, green onions, guacamole, Plain Greek Yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Toast cumin seeds in large, dry skillet over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until fragrant, shaking pan constantly. Transfer to small bowl, and set aside.
- Toast corn in the same skillet, shaking the pan for about 5 min or until cooked through. Transfer to small bowl, set aside.
- Arrange 4 tortillas on a baking sheet sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.
- Sprinkle half the tortilla with ~2-3 Tbsp grated cheese, and 1/4 tsp toasted cumin seeds. Top with 1/4 cup lentils, 1/4 cup corn, and fold the other side over. Repeat for the next 3 tortillas.
- Put the tortillas in the oven and broil for 5-10 min until the tops are lightly browned and crispy. Serve with Pico de Gallo, avocado, guacamole, Plain Greek Yogurt, or diced green onions on top!
Notes
Top Tips for Making Vegetarian Quesadillas with Cumin and Lentils
- I used frozen corn, but you can also use fresh or canned.
- To save time use pre-cooked & steamed lentils. I buy mine from Trader Joes.
- To reduce the overall fat in these quesadillas you can use reduced fat cheese, but you can also just use less of the full fat variety (which is what I'd recommend doing!)
- Use cumin seeds rather than ground cumin. When you toast cumin seeds the oils are released which brings out a beautiful aroma.
- Keep the cumin seeds from burning by constantly shaking the pan. This will also ensure they are toasted evenly.
- Toasting the corn in the same pan as the cumin seeds will give the corn a nice flavor.
- If you don't have sprouted wheat tortillas you can use whole wheat tortillas, gluten free tortillas, or even corn tortillas!
- Stuff the quesadillas with additional vegetables you have on hand, or sub the corn for another vegetable such as red peppers or zucchini.
- Spray the tortillas with a cooking spray or lightly brush the tortillas with oil to get them nice and crispy.
- Top these quesadillas with slices of avocado for added creaminess and healthy fats.
Nutrition
Serving: 1quesadilla | Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 868mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g