Italian Roasted Veggie Quesadilla

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May 2021: With grilled veggie season, and almost basil season, upon us, I’ve started making this quesadilla a lot again!

It’s an easy and delicious way to use extra grilled or roasted veggies and once you start making the pesto, you’ll be finding all sorts of uses for it all summer long!

You can see a cooking video of the basil pesto, on the Pesto Penne recipe page.

Hope you love this Roasted Veggie Quesadilla as much as we do!

Orginial post: This Italian Roasted (or Grilled) Veggie Quesadilla is a new favorite this Summer, but I see it being a favorite all year round!

Roasted eggplant, zucchini and red pepper with fresh BASIL PESTO and mozzarella… cooked up between two perfectly crispy gluten-free tortillas….

I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

If you’ve followed me a while, you know we loooove a good quesadilla!

It’s an easy go-to lunch, snack (if you’re a teen boy!) or simple dinner.

For other favorite quesadillas try our Mushroom and Swiss Chard Quesadillas,  Spanakopita Quesadilla or our Red Pepper Hummus + Salsa Quesadilla or our Veggie Black Bean Quesadilla and our New! Black Bean and Corn Quesadilla!

Back to this Italian Roasted (or Grilled) Veggie Quesadilla…

We are always playing around with different filling ideas and this is one came about a few weeks ago because we had a lot grilled and roasted veggies I was trying to use up.

You might notice that I use grilled and roasted veggies interchangeably…. They are obviously two different methods of cooking, but for purposes of this quesadilla, either work well!

If you roasted or grilled veggies already, this quesadilla is particularly simple!

If you don’t, I provide simple grilling and roasting instructions below.

Same goes for the pesto… you can use store bought.  But if you have lots of basil, like we do, I share a simple recipe.

Let’s start with the veggies!

For detailed instructions on roasting or grilling just about any veggie, click here. But let me show you how to quickly roast eggplant, zucchini and peppers!

Let’s start with roasted peppers.

I often roast several peppers at a time and leave some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest — they freeze really well!

I like to blacken at a very high temperature so the skin peels off easily.

I actually use my grandmother’s way of making them which is to broil them, turning once to make sure they are blackened on both sides. Then place them in a paper bag for 15-20 minutes, then the skin just peels right off!

Now for the eggplant and zucchini…

You can purchase the veggies pre-cut or cut them yourself (This time of year, they are so fresh and tasty,  recommend cutting them yourself)…. then place them on the baking sheet with some oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and let them bake!

A few tips for getting them perfectly tender and crispy every time!

• Make sure the veggies are well dried after rinsing and scrubbing off any dirt
• Cut them as evenly as possible so that they cook evenly
• Make sure they are coated but not dripping in oil (  I like use a cooking brush)
• Place them on the baking sheet so that they are not touching and with enough space in between each vegetable so that they can get crispy.
• Roast them at 400 degrees, for 30 minutes.

And they can be roasted at the same time!

For the basil pesto, our favorite simple recipe is below (as well as a link to our favorite vegan nut-free pesto) or you can use a store bought one.

The basil pesto recipe shown here is made with 8 ingredients:

fresh basil

freshly grated Parmesan reggiano

extra virgin olive oil

raw unsalted almonds

garlic cloves

rice wine vinegar

salt and pepper.

And it couldn’t be easier!

Using a food processor (we’ve had a basic Cuisanart – Amazon affiliate link forever and it’s great for this!), pulse the basil, garlic and almonds a few seconds to get them break down a bit.

It will smell amazing immediately!

And the almonds give it a little texture which is so satisfying!

Then add the salt and pepper and pulse again. Next, add in the Parmesan cheese and with the food processor running stream in the oil.

Pulse in the rice wine vinegar (just a touch but adds a nice brightness!) and your done!

Pro tip: Scrape down the sides to make sure it’s all blended well.

The veggies and pesto can all be made ahead of time.

Now, let’s make those quesadillas!

All you do is heat up a tortilla in a saute pan.

Spread some basil pesto on the tortilla, then top with eggplant slices, then zucchini slices, then red pepper slices.

Sprinkle with mozzarella to taste and top with another tortilla and cook both sides 1-2 minutes,  until both sides golden and just crisp.

It will seem quite full but as the veggies cook, it flattens a lot.

How good does this look?

Hope you love it as much as we do!

If you’re interested in the Easy Balsamic Dressing, it’s super simple and our go to everyday dressing.

It’s just as it sounds –EASY!

It’s just

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

balsamic vinegar

Dijon mustard

and a pinch of salt and garlic powder whisked together!

To try our Mushroom and Swiss Chard Quesadilla, click here.

To try our Spanakopita Quesadilla, click here.

To try our Red Pepper Hummus + Salsa Quesadilla, click here.

To try our Veggie Black Bean Quesadilla, click here.

To try our Black Bean and Corn Quesadilla, click here.

PIN it!

Scroll down to see the recipe and leave a comment/rating if you try.