This is a healthy, easy vegetarian quesadilla recipe with a difference! Smoky lentils and wine-infused kale pair with melted provolone cheese for a flavor combo unlike any vegetarian quesadilla you’ve had before. Topped off with creamy avocado, this makes a delicious lunch or dinner.
Quesadillas are such an easy quick meal, so I am always looking for new vegetarian quesadilla ideas. Things that go beyond the beans and cheese (much as I love those!) and pack in some veggies too.
So check this out. This extra healthy recipe has got me eating lentils and kale and being very happy about it.
Partly because we are bringing so many of my favourite ingredients into the mix. Our lentils are cooked in smoked paprika. The kale is cooked in wine and garlic. The cheese is not just any cheese, but melty provolone cheese from the Italian deli (of course you can use any decent melty cheese you have to hand- I’d love to try this with swiss or havarti, but just plain cheddar would be A-OK too).
Since there is so much going on in the filling, you don’t need a huge range of toppings or dips for these quesadillas. I just went with some very plain guacamole.
To be honest I have no idea where this quesadilla recipe idea came from or why I decided to mix all this stuff together. It’s just a mash up of Mediterranean flavors masquerading as a Mexican dish, and I like it that way.
If you like the idea of Mexican spiced lentils, be sure to check out my lentil tacos and lentil nachos!
If you have ready cooked lentils from a previous evening’s dinner or from a can or pouch, these quesadillas can be ready in just over 30 minutes! Bon appetit.
Lentil & Kale Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 4 small flour tortillas, to make them sandwiched, as pictured or 2 large (to make them folded over)
- 4-6 slices of Provolone cheese, or another strong or smoked cheese
- Optional toppings: salsa, guacamole, sour cream
Lentil Filling
- 2 Tbsp minced onion
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ tsp of smoked paprika and/or your favorite chili powder, feel free to mix it up but it’s great to have something smoky in the mix!
- ÂĽ tsp cumin
- 1 cup (240 g) of cooked green lentils, (a little under 1 can's worth)
- 1 Tbsp of tomato puree
- 1 Tbsp of water
- Salt and pepper
Kale Filling
- 3 handfuls chopped kale
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Tbsp of white wine, optional, substitute the juice of 1 lime if you aren’t keen on wine
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 360F
- First, prepare the lentils. In a frying pan or wok, saute the onions in a little olive oil until softened. Add the garlic and spices and cook until fragrant. Now add in the lentils and tomato puree and once they are mixed in with the spices, add the water. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the water has mostly evaporated and you have a soft, moist mixture.
- Lay out 2 tortillas and spoon the lentil mixture over them (pile it high, but you'll probably have leftovers)
- Rinse out the pan and re-use it for the kale, if you wish.
- Cook the minced garlic in a little olive oil until fragrant, before adding the kale and stir-frying for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Pour in the wine and cover the pan to let it steam for about 5 minutes, until it's evaporated and the kale is cooked.
- Add the kale on top of the cooked lentils.
- Now add the sliced provolone, and top with another tortilla.
- Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are crisp.