Joybee, What's for Dinner? : Spanakopita Quesadilla

A fusion of Mexican and Greek cuisines. Spinach, feta, and mozzarella packed into a whole wheat tortilla and fried.

I'm sure I've mentioned how much I love cheese. Cheese is a food group for me. I believe I eat some every day. So, to get my cheese fix, I've been making quesadillas lately for a quick lunch. Quesadillas are a grilled cheese sandwich on a tortilla. I even found some good whole wheat tortillas (that are made locally) and one tortilla has 3 grams of fiber. That's a great way to add a little more fiber to my diet.

#Quesadilla a #grilledcheesesandwich on tortilla [Tweet this]

Since I love cheese I tend to have plenty in the house. I had made some other dishes that left me with leftover shredded mozzarella and some feta crumbles so I wanted to use them in a quesadilla. I also had some baby spinach so I came up with this idea. It turned out fantastic and I like to think it's healthy too.

#Spinachandwholewheat make a #healthy quesadilla. [Tweet this]

Spanakopita is a spinach pie of spinach and feta wrapped in phyllo pastry. They are absolutely delicious. A great way to eat your spinach. So when I had the spinach and feta I knew they would be great together. Feta doesn't melt well so I knew it alone would not be able to hold a quesadilla together. I need a good melting cheese to act like a glue and keep everything from falling out when I flipped and ate this quesadilla. That's what the mozzarella does. It melts really well and it has a very mild flavor so the feta and spinach flavors stand out and the quesadilla stays closed. I added garlic just because (you can omit it if you want but I am a garlic addict and add it to everything...I think it make the spinach and feta even better).

Spanakopita Quesadilla a great way to #eatyourspinach. [Tweet this]

Spanakopita Quesadilla

Prep and cook time: under 10 minutes
Servings: 1

Ingredients:

1 10 or 12-inch whole wheat tortilla
2-3 Tbsp mozzarella (or any mild flavored melting cheese)
2 hand fulls of baby spinach, torn
garlic powder (optional)
2 Tbsp feta crumbles
sprinkle of Parmesan (optional)

Place the tortilla flat into a 10-12 inch frying pan (I use a non-stick pan so no need for oil). Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the entire tortilla.

Then, top half of the tortilla with the spinach tearing it into bite-sized pieces (pack as much and/or more spinach in as you can it will shrink when cooked). Sprinkle some garlic powder (as much as you like), the feta, and Parmesan (if using) over the spinach and place the frying pan over medium heat.

Once the mozzarella starts to melt, fold the tortilla in half so the mozzarella cheese is on top of the spinach too. Keep cooking until the spinach starts to wilt a little and the bottom of the quesadilla begins to brown. Then carefully flip the quesadilla and cook on the other side until the spinach is tender and both sides of the quesadilla are browned.

Remove to a plate and allow to cool slightly before eating.

Enjoy.