Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas

February 05, 2022

I’m of the opinion that pretty much everything tastes better in a toasted tortilla. I often take leftover ingredients from my fridge and turn them into a tasty quesadilla. So that’s exactly what I made with the leftover frozen spinach in my freezer. Easy, cheesy, creamy Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas!

A stack of spinach and mushroom quesadillas on a wooden cutting board

To craft these Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas, I used my Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas as a template. The filling is a combination of your main ingredient (in this case mushrooms and spinach), cheese, and a little bit of sour cream to make everything extra creamy and delicious. That little bit of sour cream really takes the quesadillas to the next level!

Can I Use Fresh Spinach?

I also tested this recipe using fresh spinach, just to see which would be better. I added the fresh, roughly chopped spinach to the quesadilla filling without sautéing. The quesadillas were good, but they did get a bit watery if they sat in the hot skillet too long or sat on the plate too long before eating.

Another option for fresh spinach would be to sauté the fresh spinach down until almost all of the water is cooked out, but you’d likely need a very large quantity of spinach yield enough to fill the quesadillas once sautéed.

Cheese Options

I kept my spinach and mushroom quesadillas very simple with classic mozzarella cheese, but you could have fun here and add more flavor by swapping out the cheese or adding a second type of cheese. Adding a few crumbles of feta or a couple of tablespoons of grated Parmesan to the mozzarella would add an extra punch of flavor. Mixing in some smoked gouda would also be amazing! If you want things a little more spicy, you could use pepper jack in place of the mozzarella.

A cheesy spinach quesadilla being torn in half, cheese stretching between pieces
A stack of spinach and mushroom quesadillas on a wooden cutting board

Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas

These Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas are filled with melty, creamy cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and a healthy dose of spinach.
Course Lunch, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine American
Total Cost $5.73 recipe / $1.15 each
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 5 quesadillas
Calories 297kcal
Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. mushrooms $1.69
  • 1 Tbsp cooking oil $0.04
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder $0.02
  • 1/4 tsp salt, divided $0.02
  • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper, divided $0.02
  • 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper $0.02
  • 1/2 lb. frozen chopped spinach $0.84
  • 8 oz. mozzarella*, shredded $1.85
  • 1/4 cup sour cream $0.29
  • 5 7-inch flour tortillas $0.94

Instructions

  • Slice the mushrooms and add them to a skillet with the cooking oil, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and half of the salt and pepper. Sauté over medium until the mushrooms have release all of their water and it has evaporated out of the skillet. Set the mushrooms aside.
  • While the mushrooms are cooking, thaw the frozen spinach then squeeze out as much of the water as possible. You should have about one cup of spinach (loosely packed) once squeezed.
  • Add the mushrooms, spinach, shredded mozzarella, sour cream, and another tsp each of salt and pepper to a bowl, then stir to combine.
  • Add about ½ cup of the cheesy spinach mushroom mixture to each tortilla, spread it out to cover one side of the tortilla, then fold to close.
  • Cook the quesadillas in a skillet over medium heat until brown and crispy on the outside and melty on the inside (I do not use butter or oil in the skillet, but can if you want a more fried texture).
  • Slice the quesadillas and serve!

Notes

*You can swap out or mix in your favorite type of cheese.

Nutrition

Serving: 1quesadilla | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 652mg | Fiber: 3g
Two hands holding a stack of quesadillas

How to Make Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas – Step by Step Photos

Sliced mushrooms on a cutting board

Slice 8oz. mushrooms. I used baby bella, but you can use whatever type you like.

Sautéed mushrooms in a skillet

Add the mushrooms to a skillet along with 1 Tbsp cooking oil, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper, and ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper. Sauté over medium until the mushrooms have released all of their moisture and it has evaporated out of the skillet. Set the mushrooms aside.

Thawed and squeezed mushrooms

Thaw ½ lb. of frozen chopped spinach. Squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible. You should have about one loosely packed cup of dried spinach.

quesadilla filling ingredients in a bowl

Add the spinach, mushrooms, 8 oz. shredded mozzarella, ¼ cup sour cream, and an additional ⅛ tsp salt and pepper to a bowl.

Mixed quesadilla filling in the bowl

Stir the ingredients together until well combined.

filling added to a tortilla

Add about ½ cup of the spinach mushroom mixture to each tortilla, spreading it out over one side, then folding it closed.

Toasted quesadillas in a skillet

Toast the quesadillas in a skillet over medium heat until they are golden brown and crispy on the outsides and melty on the insides. I don’t use any butter or oil in the skillet, but you can if you prefer a more fried texture to the tortilla.

spinach and mushroom quesadillas cut in half

Slice the quesadillas in half and serve!

A stack of spinach and mushroom quesadillas on a wooden cutting board

Try These Other Quesadilla Flavors

The post Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas appeared first on Budget Bytes.

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