Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas with a Parmesan Crust

While this spinach mushroom quesadilla doesn’t use traditional fillings or flavors, it’s a great vegetarian option and no less delicious. The slightly sweet, subtle Monterey Jack cheese compliments the stronger flavors of the filling and gives you the cheese-pull of your dreams while the more salty Parmesan is added for a flavorful outer crust.

Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas with a Parmesan Crust

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Monterey Jack – Monterey Jack is a mellow-flavored, semi-hard cheese that melts well, making it the perfect cheese in these quesadillas.
• Parmesan – Parmesan-Reggiano is definitely one of my favorite cheeses. It’s a hard cow’s milk cheese aged for different lengths of time. I’d recommend buying a roughly cut piece of wrapped cheese from the grocery store – it’s typically a higher quality cheese.
• Mushrooms – I typically use crimini also known as baby Bella mushrooms as well as shiitake and oyster mushrooms in this recipe. Any mix of mushrooms can be easily used in their place. They have a meatier, earthier mushroom flavor compared to white mushrooms. I recommend buying whole mushrooms and slicing them yourself so they are more evenly cut than pre-cut mushrooms. Use a damp paper towel to wipe away dirt before slicing the mushrooms.
• Spinach – Wilting spinach for this recipe is a great way to give a second life to spinach on it’s way out. The spinach can be substituted with other greens like kale in this recipe.

How to Make Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas with a Parmesan Crust

1. Melt butter. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and heat through then add 1 tablespoon of the butter and allow to melt.
2. Cook the mushrooms. Working in batches as to not overcrowd the pan, add half of the mushrooms and sauté, seasoning with salt and pepper, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside then return the pan to heat and repeat with the remaining oil, butter and mushrooms.
3. Add the spinach. Return all the mushrooms to the pan and add the garlic and spinach, cooking until the spinach has wilted, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside in a medium bowl.
4. Add the cheese. Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the tortilla to the pan and quickly flip it (this softens it for pliability). Spread ¼ cup of the Monterey Jack cheese onto one half of the tortilla and pile ¼ cup of the mushroom filling on top of that.
5. Fold the quesadilla. Pull the bare half of the tortilla over the top like a taco and press down with the back of a plastic spatula, cooking until the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about an additional 2 minutes.
6. Add the Parmesan crust. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese directly onto the pan and add the quesadilla on top if it. Cook until the cheese has melted and turns pale brown, about 2 minutes.
7. Repeat and serve. Remove from pan and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve hot with Greek yogurt for dipping.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

• Keep tortillas in your fridge or freezer to use whenever the craving hits!
• When cooking mushrooms it is important not to overcrowd the pan or else they won’t properly brown. When too many mushrooms are in the pan they will release a lot of water so they will need to cook over a higher temperature for longer so instead I opt to cook the mushrooms in batches.
• Wild mushrooms such as the shiitake and maitake mushrooms used in this recipe contain less water and are easier to sauté.
• Since there is a fair amount of oil and butter in the filling I opt to use a non-stick skillet to cook the quesadillas. That way it doesn’t stick to the pan but also doesn’t need any additional grease.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Korean Braised Pork and Kimchi Quesadilla
• Pulled Pork Quesadilla with Hatch Peppers
• Homemade Crunch Wrap Supreme

Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas with a Parmesan Crust

Print Pin

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Serves 4

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 10 ounces assorted mushrooms (I use crimini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms), sliced and stems discarded
• Kosher salt, as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 4 medium flour tortillas
• 8 ounces shredded Monterey jack
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Greek yogurt, for serving

Instructions:

• Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and heat through then add 1 tablespoon of the butter and allow to melt.
• Working in batches as to not overcrowd the pan, add half of the mushrooms and sauté, seasoning with salt and pepper, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside then return the pan to heat and repeat with the remaining oil, butter and mushrooms.
• Return all the mushrooms to the pan and add the garlic and spinach, cooking until the spinach has wilted, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside in a medium bowl.
• Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the tortilla to the pan and quickly flip it (this softens it for pliability). Spread ¼ cup of the Monterey Jack cheese onto one half of the tortilla and pile ¼ cup of the mushroom filling on top of that.
• Pull the bare half of the tortilla over the top like a taco and press down with the back of a plastic spatula, cooking until the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about an additional 2 minutes.
• Spread about 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese directly onto the pan and add the quesadilla on top if it. Cook until the cheese has melted and turns pale brown, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from pan and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve hot with Greek yogurt for dipping.

DID YOU MAKE THIS?

TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM TO BE FEATURED ON MY STORIES! @cookingwithcocktailrings