Let’s talk Mexican food. Why? Because Cinco de Mayo is coming up annnnnd all that means to me is we get to eat Mexican food. But let’s be real… Who’s throwing a fiesta on a Tuesday (don’t even sing it…)? It’s a school night. And like any other school night, it’s in everyone’s best interest if dinner gets on the table ASAP. Am I right or am I right?! And while my school days are behind me and we don’t yet have any little ones to put to bed, I’m all for a super delicious Mexican-inspired dinner that only takes 30 minutes to make. I think you’ll agree these shrimp quesadillas are a good idea.
I love this recipe because it’s super fast and can be adapted to use whatever you have on hand. We used a mix of brightly colored bell peppers and our “power green” mix of kale, spinach, and chard to pack in the nutrients. Seriously, this is like the only way Anthony can get me to eat kale voluntarily. Although, I did eat a little in my power green quiche. You just gotta sneak it in there…
To make this recipe go super fast, make sure you buy your shrimp already peeled and deveined. The packaged tortillas help out a lot here, too. I actually made our tortillas (more on that later) and they were smaller, so we used more of them. Totally doable, just takes more than 30 minutes ;). Buying them makes this a breeze on a weeknight, and you can even try whole wheat or spinach wraps to make them extra healthy!
And the secret to mango salsa you’ll love every time? Buy your favorite fresh salsa and add mango to it. 😀 Seriously… I’ve tried some mango salsas and they were waaaaay too sweet for me. We like a spicy, savory, all natural salsa… so we just got our favorite brand and added some fresh mango to it. Doesn’t get any better (or faster, or easier!) than that!
- ½ cup baby portobellos
- ½ cup diced assorted bell peppers
- ½ cup chopped power greens (kale, spinach, chard blend)
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ½ lb uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails off
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 4 10" flour tortillas (or more smaller ones)
- 1½-2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ¾ cup fresh all natural salsa (we recommend Garden Fresh Gourmet Cantina Style)
- 1 cup fresh mango, peeled, seeded and diced
- Turn the oven on warm and line a baking sheet with foil, then set aside.
- Preheat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil. Sautee the onion, peppers, garlic and mushrooms over medium-high heat until they begin to soften. Add the greens and season with salt, pepper, and spices. When the greens have wilted, taste the mixture and adjust seasonings as needed. Remove vegetables from the pan to a small bowl near the stove.
- Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Season with salt and black pepper and toss. Add the shrimp to the sautee pan you cooked the vegetables in and cook 1-2 minutes on each side until they're just pink throughout. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vegetables back in with the shrimp. Stir to combine and set aside, off the heat.
- Preheat a large (preferably cast iron) skillet wide enough to fit the tortillas. Place one tortilla in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle about ⅛ of the cheese over half of the tortilla. Top with the shrimp mixture and about an ⅛ more of the cheese. Fold the other half of the tortilla on top of the filling and cook until the tortilla begins to brown and the cheese on the bottom is melted, about 1 minute after you're done filling). Flip and cook on the other side, another 1-2 minutes.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas, storing cooked quesadillas on the baking sheet in the oven until all are ready.
- In a small bowl, toss the salsa ingredients together and serve alongside quesadillas.