Pesto is one of my favorite sauces, and it’s so easy to make your own! This avocado & spinach pesto is perfect for dressing a chicken quesadilla. The avocado makes it so creamy and the spinach is a nice way to balance out the flavor and get in some extra nutrients! Homemade pesto keeps well for about 2 days so you can make it ahead and it has such a fresh taste!
This is a quick dinner to whip up during the week and is great for lunch the next day. It’s also a kid friendly meal, who doesn’t love a good chicken quesadilla?! I like to throw in some extra protein so black beans are my go to. My favorite is the Seeds of Change Organic Black Beans with corn and peppers. You can also just heat up canned black beans. Shredded mozzarella pairs nice with the basil in the pesto, however feel free to use your favorite quesadilla cheese! I always add some sriracha for kick, just omit to keep it kid friendly. When it comes to tortillas you can use whatever your family prefers, we like the Trader Joe’s carb smart whole wheat tortillas.
These chicken quesadillas also make a delicious appetizer. You can use the regular size tortillas and slice into wedges or use street taco tortillas to make mini quesadillas! If you want to make them ahead of time, just throw the fully cooked chicken quesadillas on a cookie sheet and warm in the oven at about 150°F for a few minutes.
Tips:
- Make the grilled chicken & pesto ahead of time, this way you can throw everything together in minutes!
- Don’t have a grill or the time? Use a rotisserie chicken to make things easy.
- Make a big batch of the quesadillas, slice them up and pack them for lunch the next day. They heat up great in the microwave.
- To make it vegetarian omit the chicken and add more black beans.
Take your Chicken Quesadilla's up a notch with Spinach & Avocado Pesto! This is such a quick and easy dinner for weeknights and it's so flavorful!
Ingredients
For the Pesto
- ½ cup fresh basil
- ½ cup fresh spinach
- ½ of a medium avocado
- ¼ cup pecorino romano cheese (or parmesan)
- 1 clove fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
For the Grilled Chicken
- 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, (2 at 4 oz each)
- salt & pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Quesadilla
- 8 whole wheat tortillas (I use Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Carb Balance)
- 1 cup + 4 tablespoons shredded low moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 8 tablespoons black beans
- Sriracha to taste
- Cooking oil for pan (I prefer Chosen Food's Avocado Oil)
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender add the basil, spinach, avocado, Pecorino Romano cheese, fresh garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth, set aside.
- Grill chicken breasts to 165°F. Slice into thin pieces and divide into 4 servings.
- Spray a non stick skillet with cooking oil and heat on high. Evenly spread 2 tablespoons of pesto between 2 tortillas and place 1 tortilla bare side down in the pan. Top the tortilla with 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon mozzarella, 2 oz grilled chicken, 1 tablespoon black beans & sriracha. Take the other tortilla and place it pesto side down onto the quesadilla. Press the quesadilla down with a pan lid. Once cheese begins to melt, spray the tortilla with a little more cooking oil and use a spatula to flip the quesadilla. It should take about 3 minutes total for the quesadilla to cook.
- Repeat the above process for the remaining 3 quesadillas. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into 4 wedges.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
Amount Per Serving: Serving Size, 1 Quesadilla Calories: 393 Total Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 984mg, Total Carbohydrate: 32g, Fiber: 19g, Sugars: 2g, Protein: 37g
