These smashed white bean and kale quesadillas served with a creamy BBQ dip are the perfect meatless meal for a light dinner.
I spent last week at my mother in law’s in Florida lamenting the fact that I have to drive 40 minutes to the closest Whole Foods while her kitchen was stocked with delicious fruits, vegetables, sustainable meats and the like from her store 5 minutes down the road.
Then yesterday, I finally made it to the newly opened 40 minute away store by me and pushed my cart around each aisle as 2 little voices carried away on my shoulder.
Voice #1: “Oooh, look! Black spaghetti. How cool!”
Voice #2: “Um, there’s 8.8oz of that stuff in the package and the price tag says $6.59. Get a grip, Gina.”
Voice #2 won out for the most part but I did somehow get suckered into some perfect looking red leaf kale, an assortment of pick your own mushrooms, mangos, local organic grass fed skirt steak, the kimchi bar and kombucha…for $71.
Ok, maybe there were a few other small items.
But $71?! There were 2 bags, but I’m pretty sure the cashier just did that to make me feel better because it easily could’ve all fit into 1.
So here’s my question, do people actually shop at Whole Foods regularly?
Like, “oh, we’re out of milk and eggs, let me just pop into Whole Foods real quick!”
Because I’m pretty sure we’d be bankrupt in about 2 months if that were the case.
So these white bean and kale quesadillas are brought to you by my little ghetto produce store’s tuscan kale ($1.39 vs. whole foods $3.49), a can of non-organic (ah, the horror!) cannellini beans (Goya $0.99), some seriously sharp Cabot cheddar cheese they so graciously sent me (free) and Trader Joe’s whole wheat tortillas ($2.69).
Because I’d rather have money left over for more vacations than eat exorbitantly priced (albeit cool) black spaghetti.
These quesadillas are great when you want to get a full meal out of them. But if you’re looking for something more basic (and kid friendly!) try this air fryer cheese quesadilla. Simplicity never disappoints!
More quesadilla recipes to try:
Love, love, love brisket quesadillas when I have leftover brisket. They’re mouthwateringly good!
Both this summer harvest cheddar quesadilla and this peach burrata bacon quesadilla are great options for the summer when produce is abundant and you’re looking for a quesadilla that’s got a little bit more polish to it.
Smashed White Bean and Kale Quesadillas with Creamy BBQ Dip
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 15 ounces canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- salt & pepper
- 5 leaves tuscan kale, stems removed and cut into thin strips
- 2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese
- 2 whole wheat 10 inch tortillas
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once hot, add the shallots, beans, salt & pepper and cook for about 5 minutes until the shallots are softened, stirring occasionally. Transfer mixture to a small bowl, mash with a fork or potato masher and set aside.
- Place the tortillas in a microwave with a damp towel on top and microwave for about 20 seconds to soften.
- Place one tortillas in the skillet, sprinkle the entire tortilla with cheese then spread the bean mixture on only one half of the tortilla. Top with half the kale, then sprinkle a bit more cheese on top of the kale. Fold the tortilla in half, press down and cook for about 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Transfer the tortilla to a cutting board and cut into four pieces.
- Repeat with the other tortilla and remaining ingredients.
- To make the dip, combine the yogurt and BBQ sauce in a bowl and stir together.
- Serve warm with the dip.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Totally making these for an uncommon Cinco de Mayo. And we shop at whole foods for almost everything. I did it when I was a poor grad student on a stipend too. Just go with a list, don’t buy prepared things, and don’t impulse buy. Even buying all organic my grocery bill is lower than my friends. It is possible!
Made these last night–easy and very delicious! Love your site, Gina!
Whoa, back it up! Did someone say KALE?
My husband and I affectionately refer to Whole Foods as Whole paycheck. Thank you for this tasty looking recipe
I agree! I always drive past Whole Foods and their equivalents to make it to a family-owned and operated “farmer’s market-like market” that focuses on local produce, meat and dairy. Everything is amazing, and it’s only a fraction of Whole Foods’ prices. Also, I have no shame in admitting that most of my pantry items come from Aldi’s. You’d be surprised with how many good quality products you can find when you are willing to separate quality from brand names, and you let the food speak for itself!
couldn’t agree more! I’ve been meaning to check out Aldi’s for some time now.
I say go for it! Many people don’t realize Aldi’s actually owns Trader Joe’s (not that TJ is fancy or anything) and the quality of their products are comparable. Pantry items are good (beans, canned veggies, tomatoes and tomato sauces, sugar, flour, pasta and oatmeal). Their non-fat plain yogurts (regular and Greek) are really good, as well as some cheeses. They actually have good beef (steaks, roasts and ground), but I don’t buy their other meats or cold cuts because they are either processed or have too much salt. Their cooking ware is pretty decent. Produce is hit or miss (more misses than hits), so I usually avoid it.
This post is so funny Gina. Believe it or not I have found bloggerss who say they shop at Whole Foods for most items. Guess they are rolling in the $$$$. Going to Whole Paycheck is a treat for me. I shop at our local HEB in Texas.
Quesadillas are one of my favorite lazy meal go-tos and these look delish! I might even sneak in some shredded chicken to make them no longer vegetarian.
What a fun take on a a quesadilla – love the combo of ingredients here. This will be great for a quick spring meal!!
pahhahaha! Love this! They do have an amazing hot foods bar… love to go there to get ideas and see what’s trendy.
Whole Foods is the closest store to my home, so I do shop there more than I would like. What I would like, however; is a whopping serving of these yummy quesadillas! Dude!