Healthy Turkey Quesadilla
This is one of my go-to dinner recipes when I’m in a hurry. The reasons that I love it are: 1) my family loves it 2) it’s easy to make and 3) it can be modified to your family’s liking.
If you are feeling like keeping it healthy for the family that night, use whole wheat tortillas, skip the butter, and cut back on the cheese. Do your kids hate green and red veggies? Either cut them teeny-tiny and try to sneak them in or skip them all together. Or you can just use good, ole’ flour tortillas, regular shredded cheese (the Kraft Philadelphia Shredded Cheese is the BEST!) and load up on the sour cream.
These quesadillas are a mix between tacos, quesadillas and fajitas but I actually like these better than all three. If you are looking to add to your family’s weekly meal schedule, this just might be the recipe!
Ingredients:
1 lb Lean Ground Turkey
Original Taco Seasoning Mix (you’ll only need 1/2 the package)
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 sm green pepper
1 sm red pepper
1/2 of an onion
1 pkg Shredded Cheese (I use Kraft Pepper Jack)
8 Tortilla Shells (100% Whole Wheat for healthy or flour for not-as-healthy)
Sour Cream (optional garnish)
2 Tbsp butter (optional)
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown the 1 lb of ground turkey in a large skillet for 5-7 minutes. You want to make sure the turkey is completely cooked.
2. When turkey is browned, add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 package of Taco seasoning. I only add 1/2 because a full package is just too much. Stir. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
3. While the turkey is browning, chop the onion into small pieces and slice the peppers into strips.
4. Transfer ground turkey from pan to plate. Set aside.
5. In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add onions and peppers and cook for 3 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add turkey meat back into the pan with the veggies. Stir and continue to heat for 2 more minutes.
6. You can use whatever type of tortilla shells that you like. My kids like the plain flour tortillas the best but sometimes I use the 100% whole wheat tortillas to keep it healthier. Lightly butter one side of the 8 tortillas. You can skip this step if you want a healthier quesadilla but it does give it a nice crisp flavor.
7. From here you can assemble the quesadillas in two ways: mexican pizza-style or fold over quesadilla-style.
Mexican Pizza Style –
Place one tortilla buttered side down on a baking sheet. Scoop 1/2 – 3/4 cup turkey/veggie meat onto tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese (more or less) over the turkey meat. Top with tortilla buttered side up. You should be able to make four full quesadillas this way.
Fold-Over-Style:
Place all tortillas buttered side down on a baking sheet in two rows. Scoop two spoon fulls turkey/veggie meat onto half of each tortilla. (You should be able to make 8 quesadillas this way.)
Sprinkle cheese over the turkey meat (about 2 tbsp). Fold over tortilla and lightly press down to make it stay. You can also secure it closed with a toothpick.
8. Whether you did the mexican pizza style or the fold over style, cooking the quesadillas is the same. Place the pan in the preheated oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Once the cheese is melted to brown the tops, change the oven to broil at 400 degrees and cook for additional 2 minutes. Watch the quesadillas carefully as not to burn them.
9. Remove from oven and cut quesadillas in half (fold-over style) or in quarters (mexican pizza style). Serve immediately. Garnish with guacamole and/or sour cream.
Healthy Turkey Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 1 lb Lean Ground Turkey
- Original Taco Seasoning Mix you’ll only need 1/2 the package
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 sm green pepper
- 1 sm red pepper
- 1/2 of an onion
- 1 pkg Shredded Cheese I use Kraft Pepper Jack
- 8 Tortilla Shells 100% Whole Wheat for healthy or flour for not-as-healthy
- Sour Cream optional garnish
- 2 Tbsp butter optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown the 1 lb of ground turkey in a large skillet for 5-7 minutes. You want to make sure the turkey is completely cooked.
- When turkey is browned, add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 package of Taco seasoning. I only add 1/2 because a full package is just too much. Stir. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
- While the turkey is browning, chop the onion into small pieces and slice the peppers into strips.
- Transfer ground turkey from pan to plate. Set aside.
- In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add onions and peppers and cook for 3 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add turkey meat back into the pan with the veggies. Stir and continue to heat for 2 more minutes.
- You can use whatever type of tortilla shells that you like. My kids like the plain flour tortillas the best but sometimes I use the 100% whole wheat tortillas to keep it healthier. Lightly butter one side of the 8 tortillas. You can skip this step if you want a healthier quesadilla but it does give it a nice crisp flavor.
- From here you can assemble the quesadillas in two ways: mexican pizza-style or fold over quesadilla-style.
- Mexican Pizza Style –
- Place one tortilla buttered side down on a baking sheet. Scoop 1/2 – 3/4 cup turkey/veggie meat onto tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese (more or less) over the turkey meat. Top with tortilla buttered side up. You should be able to make four full quesadillas this way.
- Fold-Over-Style:
- Place all tortillas buttered side down on a baking sheet in two rows. Scoop two spoon fulls turkey/veggie meat onto half of each tortilla.
- Sprinkle cheese over the turkey meat (about 2 tbsp). Fold over tortilla and lightly press down to make it stay. You can also secure it closed with a toothpick.
- Whether you did the mexican pizza style or the fold over style, cooking the quesadillas is the same. Place the pan in the preheated oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Once the cheese is melted to brown the tops, change the oven to broil at 400 degrees and cook for additional 2 minutes. Watch the quesadillas carefully as not to burn them.
- Remove from oven and cut quesdadillas in half (fold-over style) or in quarters (mexican pizza style). Serve immediately. Garnish with guacamole and/or sour cream.
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