These smokey Quesadillas are a delicious, quick meal, and are ideal for using up your pantry staples to make a fabulous flavour-packed fix.
The sweet butternut balances perfectly against the chillies and smoked paprika whilst the black beans add heartiness. The star of the show, however, will be the Scamorza. The smoked mozzarella delivers the gooey, stretch from your quesadilla fueled dreams whilst bringing an additional smokey element that ensures you’ll be hard pushed to stop at just one.
Ingredients
QUESADILLAS
6 Large Flour Tortillas,
1 Butternut Squash, diced into 1cm cubes
1 400g tin of Black Beans, drained
200g Scamorza, broken into small pieces
100g Mature Cheddar, grated
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Jalapeno, finely diced
2 tsp. Hot Smoked Paprika,
1 tsp. Ground Cumin,
1 tsp. Ground Coriander,
1 tsp. Dried Oregano,
1 tsp. Dried Thyme,
Juice of 1 Lime,
Large Bunch of Coriander, roughly chopped
Generous Pinch of Salt & Pepper
TO COOK
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
TO SERVE
Guacamole,
Sour Cream
METHOD
MAKING THE FILLING
- Place a large pan over a medium heat with a lug of olive. Add the sliced onion into the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are just starting to colour. Add the garlic and diced jalapeno into the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Increase the heat to a medium-high and add the diced butternut squash into the pan along with the ground spices and dried herbs. Mix together and then cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and the butternut squash is just starting to colour. Add 150ml water to the pan and cover, leaving to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the butternut is cooked through but still holding its shape.
- Add the black beans to the pan and mix together, cover again and leave to cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the grated cheddar, mixing together to allow the cheese to melt. Add the chopped coriander, lime juice and season to taste. Set aside until needed.
TIP – This mixture will keep in the fridge for a few days so you can make this well in advance, or make the quesadillas in batches over a few days.
THE QUESADILLAS
- Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Lay out one of the flour tortillas and add ⅙ of the mixture to half of the tortilla, flattening-out so that it is distributed evenly. Add ⅙ f the Scamorza on top of the filling, dotting it evenly throughout the filling. Fold over the naked half of the tortilla and press down lightly.
- Carefully transfer the folded tortilla to the hot pan and leave undisturbed to cook for 2-3 minutes until golden. Flip the folded tortilla over and cook on the other side for a further 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and repeat the process until all the filling is used up.
- Once cooked, serve the butternut and bean quesadillas with guacamole and sour cream.