This vegetarian-friendly Spinach Quesadilla recipe is a great way to make sure you're sneaking those healthy greens into your diet! Just 6 ingredients for the quesadilla and about 20 minutes to make! Then it's paired with a super easy - and tasty! - Ranch Artichoke Dip :).
This vegetarian quesadilla recipe is one outstanding - and easy dish! Fresh spinach and feta cheese (along with a good melting cheese of your choosing) are the key ingredients to making a superb meal that you can have ready in 30 minutes. People sneak spinach into smoothies all the time, so why not add it to a quesadilla? All you have to do is saute the spinach briefly beforehand.
If you're a carnivore, you can of course, try adding some bacon bits or some sliced grilled ranch chicken. And the Ranch Artichoke Dip? So. Good. Stupidly simple. Two ingredients - take your favorite Ranch dressing and blend it with a few jarred artichokes. Done. You can also try this roasted garlic chimichurri for dipping instead!
For more easy quesadilla recipes, try my ground turkey quesadilla with a side of homemade quesadilla sauce.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- So Many Variations. And since spinach isn't exactly a flavorful veggie on its lonesome, you can pair it with pretty much anything. It's a lovely, nutritious blank slate. You can get super creative with the cheese(s) you use, and feel free to add ingredients, like ground venison taco meat!
- Quick. When you're looking for something quick and easy, spinach quesadillas are always a winner! Just a handful of ingredients and on the table in about 20 minutes.
- All Occasion Dish: Turn it into a meal paired with some Mexican dense bean salad, enjoy as an appetizer, or quick snack!
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Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make Spinach Feta Quesadillas. This recipe makes two large quesadillas.
- Fresh spinach: A quick saute with some garlic infuses it with plenty of flavor for these quesadillas. You should try grilling spinach too, or using it to make cold spinach dip!
- Fresh garlic: You can skip it, but it adds so much flavor.
- Cheese: I love the blend of pepper jack cheese for some spice and feta cheese crumbles or its briny flavor that pairs so well with spinach.
- Ranch: You can use any Ranch dressing you like. I used Hidden Valley Ranch.
- Artichokes: I recommend using artichokes canned in water. If you only have ones canned in oil, give them a quick rinse under the faucet to remove some of the oil before adding them to the blender.
See the recipe card for the full ingredient list with quantities.
Variations
This Spinach Feta Quesadilla recipe is SUPER simple but endlessly customizable! Try adding some of these ingredients to the mix to create tasty variations:
- Add Meat: Bacon crumbles, shredded chicken (like my Instant Pot salsa chicken), Instant Pot pulled pork, or beef. You can also use grilled meats instead, like these grilled chicken thighs.
- Swap the Spinach: Instead, try other greens like kale or Swiss chard. You may need to saute these a bit longer.
- Add More Veggies: Consider adding mushrooms, peppers (bell, jalapeno, serrano, etc.), and onions.
- Vegetarian Protein: Make it heartier by adding some chickpeas, black beans, or pinto beans. Maybe even some tofu?
- More Mediterranean Flavors: Artichokes, black or green olives, and sundried tomatoes are all great options.
- Spicy Flavors: Add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the spinach during cooking.
How to Make a Spinach Quesadilla
- Step 1. Cook the spinach with melted butter or olive oil over medium heat until slightly wilted, stirring and flipping the spinach with tongs frequently. Add the garlic and cook for 45 seconds, stirring the whole time.
- Step 2. Remove the pan from the heat. Place the cooked spinach on paper towels, then cover with paper towels to help remove excess moisture. If you don't remove some of the moisture, you're gonna have a soggy quesadilla on your hands.
- Step 3. Lay a tortilla on a cutting board and sprinkle half with ½ cup shredded cheese. Top with half of the wilted spinach. Sprinkle half of the crumbled feta, and then finish by sprinkling with another ½ cup shredded cheese.
- Step 4. Fold the naked half of the tortilla over the top of the side with fillings. Repeat the step above with the second quesadilla.
- Step 5. Cook the quesadillas in a large pan sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side. You want each side crisp and toasty looking. You may need to cook one at a time, depending on the size of your pan.
- Step 6. Blend your favorite Ranch dressing (I used Hidden Valley) and 3-4 canned artichokes for 20-30 seconds, until smooth.
- Step 7. Cut each spinach quesadilla into four slices and serve with Ranch artichoke sauce for dipping. This roasted garlic guacamole, my unique take on traditional guacamole, also works great!
Pro Tip: Food Snob Alert! Grate 'Yo Cheese!
I frequently get shi... for this, but I always buy cheese in blocks and grate it myself. I don't care if this makes me a snob; I love it. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in cellulose to prevent it from clumping. Nothing wrong with it health-wise (that I'm aware of), but when I want cheese, I want CHEESE, not cheese and cellulose, and other miscellaneous additives. And it melts like trash. Ever made regular or air fryer chicken nachos made with pre-shredded cheese? Yuck. Grate 'yo cheese!
Spinach Quesadilla Recipe FAQs
If you think sauces are a necessary side for quesadillas, here are some of my favorite options. Try this fresh and zesty creamy green sauce made with jalapeno and spring onion. Or this spicy pico de gallo if you're looking for a side that's fiery and irresistibly fresh. Last, this citrus jalapeno salsa is fresh and acidic with some spicy jalapeno.
Yes, if you don't have fresh, you can! Just be sure that, just like the fresh, you let it sit on a paper towel (and press it on top) to get out as much water as you can to avoid a soggy quesadilla.
Spinach contains a lot of water, so cooking it first, and then draining and pressing it well with a towel helps remove most of the water so it doesn't ooze out in the quesadilla.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. To reheat, lay it on a baking pan or add it to the air fryer and cook at 400°F for 3-5 minutes. These cooking methods help crisp up the tortilla and melt the cheese the best.
More Quesadilla Recipes to Try
If you tried this Spinach Quesadilla recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below!
Spinach Feta Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 1 5 ounce bag fresh spinach
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, finely diced (optional)
- 2 large flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbles
Ranch Artichoke Dip
- 1 cup Ranch dressing (I used Hidden Valley)
- 3-4 canned quartered artichokes
Instructions
- Melt butter (or heat olive oil) in a large pan over medium heat. Once melted, add fresh spinach and cook for 4 minutes (or until slightly wilted), stirring and flipping the spinach with tongs frequently.
- Add the garlic and cook for 45 seconds, stirring the whole time.
- Remove pan from heat. Put the cooked spinach on paper towels, then cover with paper towels to help remove excess moisture. If you don't remove some of the moisture you're gonna have a soggy quesadilla on your hands.
- Lay a tortilla on a cutting board and sprinkle half with ½ cup shredded cheese. Top with half of the wilted spinach. Spinkle on half of the crumbled feta. Finish by sprinkling with another ½ cup shredded cheese.
- Fold the naked half of the tortilla over the top of the side with fillings. Repeat the step above with the second quesadilla.
- Heat a large pan or griddle to medium heat. When warmed up, spritz the surface with cooking spray.
- Add quesadillas and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until crisp and toasty looking (you may need to cook one at a time, depending on the size of your cooking surface).
- Remove from heat and cut into four slices. Serve with Ranch Artichoke Dip.
Ranch Artichoke Dip
- Add ranch dressing and canned artichokes to a blender and blend for 20-30 seconds, until smooth.
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