Mushroom quesadillas with goat cheese and greens

"What makes these taste so good?" my husband Ted asked, after the first bite of these mushroom quesadillas with goat cheese and greens went dribbling down his chin. I started to explain about the gooey, melty goat cheese and how it holds the greens together while they wilt from the heat, but he didn't care. He was halfway through the quesadilla by then, bite after oozy bite.

Nontraditional though they are, these quesadillas bundle the texture of mushrooms (sautéed to remove most of their excess liquid) with smooth goat cheese and a hint of dark leafy greens (use your favorite, spinach or kale or chard). I like to keep the theme going with spinach tortillas, though you can use whatever type of tortilla you like. One quesadilla per person is plenty for a hearty meatless lunch.

Mushroom quesadillas with goat cheese and greens {vegetarian}

From the pantry, you'll need: extra virgin olive oil, thyme, kosher salt, fresh black pepper, tortillas, goat cheese.

Serves 4; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

24 oz sliced mushrooms (I use a mix of baby bella, shiitake, and white button mushrooms)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh thyme leaf)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
4 large (10 inch) tortillas, any type (I like spinach tortillas)
5 oz log goat cheese, at room temperature
4 cups baby kale or spinach, or a mix
1 tsp neutral oil (vegetable, canola, rice bran, etc.)

Directions

In a very large frying pan over medium heat, sauté all of the mushrooms together in the olive oil. Stir frequently. After a couple of minutes, the mushrooms will begin to give off some of their liquid. Sprinkle on the thyme, salt and black pepper. [The salt will draw out even more of the liquid, which is what you want to happen.] Continue to cook for 5 minutes. The mushrooms will be soft, and most of the liquid evaporated. Remove the pan from heat.

To assemble the quesadillas, set out the tortillas on the countertop. Spread each one with goat cheese, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around.

Divide the greens among the tortillas. Gently press the greens onto one half of the tortilla; the cheese will help hold the greens in place.

Top the greens with one fourth of the mushrooms, and fold the tortillas in half. Again, press gently so the cheese will help hold the contents.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan (you can clean with a paper towel the same pan in which you cooked the mushrooms) over low-medium heat. Add the neutral oil, and gently fry each quesadilla until each side is lightly browned. Remove to a cutting board, and let the quesadillas sit for a minute before cutting with a serrated knife.

Serve warm.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More quesadillas with dark leafy greens:
Turkey, kale and cheese quesadillas, from The Perfect Pantry
Green quesadillas, from Love and Lemons
Butternut squash and kale quesadillas, from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Hominy-kale quesadilla, from Three Many Cooks

Mushroom quesadillas with goat cheese and greens {vegetarian}

From the pantry, you'll need: extra virgin olive oil, thyme, kosher salt, fresh black pepper, tortillas, goat cheese.

Serves 4; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

24 oz sliced mushrooms (I use a mix of baby bella, shiitake, and white button mushrooms)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh thyme leaf)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
4 large (10 inch) tortillas, any type (I like spinach tortillas)
5 oz log goat cheese, at room temperature
4 cups baby kale or spinach, or a mix
1 tsp neutral oil (vegetable, canola, rice bran, etc.)

Directions

In a very large frying pan over medium heat, sauté all of the mushrooms together in the olive oil. Stir frequently. After a couple of minutes, the mushrooms will begin to give off some of their liquid. Sprinkle on the thyme, salt and black pepper. [The salt will draw out even more of the liquid, which is what you want to happen.] Continue to cook for 5 minutes. The mushrooms will be soft, and most of the liquid evaporated. Remove the pan from heat.

To assemble the quesadillas, set out the tortillas on the countertop. Spread each one with goat cheese, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around.

Divide the greens among the tortillas. Gently press the greens onto one half of the tortilla; the cheese will help hold the greens in place.

Top the greens with one fourth of the mushrooms, and fold the tortillas in half. Again, press gently so the cheese will help hold the contents.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan (you can clean with a paper towel the same pan in which you cooked the mushrooms) over low-medium heat. Add the neutral oil, and gently fry each quesadilla until each side is lightly browned. Remove to a cutting board, and let the quesadillas sit for a minute before cutting with a serrated knife.

Serve warm.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More quesadillas with dark leafy greens:
Turkey, kale and cheese quesadillas, from The Perfect Pantry
Green quesadillas, from Love and Lemons
Butternut squash and kale quesadillas, from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Hominy-kale quesadilla, from Three Many Cooks

Comments

I love the idea of goat cheese in quesadillas, and now I'm wondering why I never thought of it! This is definitely a perfect combination of flavors.

Kalyn, I love how the goat cheese acts like "glue" to hold the kale in place. I often make these with Trader Joe's habanero tortillas, too, for an extra kick.

I have all these ingredients, including some kale still growing in my garden if you can believe that, so may even make these for lunch today! Awesome... my kind of recipe. :)

Janice, you still have kale in the garden? I'm coming over!

When are you coming?! The kale is, admittedly, a bit tired but we can make it work. :)
I finally made this recipe last night when a couple of friends came for a late dinner after a meeting and everyone was wild about it. Perfect!

Oh my, were these ever great! Had the ingredients and used the spinach and habanero tortillas. Very messy but so delicious. Thank you Lydia!

Mmmm this would be great with arugula or replacing the goat cheese (which I love!) with feta, the possibilities are endless! And delicious!

Judy, I'm so glad you liked them. I try to keep the habanero tortillas in the house, and they would be a perfect substitute here.

Jamie, how about adding some feta to the goat cheese? The feta doesn't melt in the same way, and it's the melting cheese that holds the greens in place. I think the flavor of the two cheeses combined would be divine.