Chipotle Sweet Potato Quesadilla with Cilantro Gremolata
01.13.15
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I realized the other day that this site had a severe lack of sweet potato recipes happening this winter. In years past, I'd easily post a dozen or more recipes that would featured these vibrant tubers but this year, nada. I think my craving of regular potatoes is most likely to blame but at any rate, I felt like it was time to spotlight one of my favorite vegetables again.
This quesadilla recipe stems from one of the most popular recipes (and still a favorite of mine) on the site: Chipotle Sweet Potato and Guac tacos. The sweet potatoes are cooked in a mixture of chipotles, lime juice, and honey which makes it the perfect spicy/sweet combination. While I might serve these quesadillas with a side of guacamole, I kept the filling simple with a cilantro gremolata. A gremolata is traditionally parsley, garlic, and lime zest but the cilantro/lime twist is a nice companion for the smokey sweet potatoes!
Mince the cilantro leaves and place in a bowl. Using a microplane, grate the garlic on to the cilantro, followed by the lime zest. Toss together and set side.
Heat olive oil over medium heat in skillet. Add onions and let cook until onions begin to soften, 3-4 minutes. Next, stir in sweet potatoes and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes.
In a mortar and pestle, combine the chipotle, adobo sauce, honey, and lime juice. Break apart the chipotle into small pieces (alternatively, you can cut up the chipotle.) Pour into the pan with the sweet potatoes and reduce the heat to medium-low.Cook until sweet potatoes have softened, 10-15 minutes.
When ready to make quesadillas, preheat grill or skillet over medium-low. Brush one side of the quesadilla with olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 ounce of cheese, followed by half the sweet potato mixture, a hefty sprinkle of the gremolata, and finish with 1/2 to 1 ounce of cheese. Place another quesadilla on top and brush with olive oil.
Place quesadilla in the skillet and cook on each side until crisp and cheese is melting, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from heat and continue with remaining quesadilla.
26 comments on “Chipotle Sweet Potato Quesadilla with Cilantro Gremolata”
Love this idea! We really love sweet potatoes, too, and I've been known to turn basically anything into a quesadilla or taco, so this is right up my alley. 😉
I haven't even had breakfast yet and now I'm way too hungry for one of these. Sweet potatoes in a quesadilla sounds unbelievably good and I love that fancy (and green!) gremolata topper. So balanced!
These look delish!!! I cannot wait to try them....along with about a million of your other websites. I just stumbled upon your website and love everything about it!!! Quick question on this recipe....what is your go to "brand" or type of tortilla. There are so many options ....that I don't know which one to choose.
Hi Brooke, so I either try and make my own or I'm a big sucker for Trader Joe's flour tortillas (if you're near a TJ's). They are actually some of the most delicious store-bought ones I've had! If not, I always look for the ones in the cooler sections of stores (and not ones in the aisles). They tend to be a bit more fresh.
I love all of the color that is happening! Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite winter vegetables. I suddenly want them in all of the foods. These quesadillas would make a great weeknight dinner. They are so healthy and the leftovers would make a great lunch option!
These are such a great idea. I love sweet potatoes in unexpected places... I personally always get stuck pureeing them in soup or just roasting them to a crisp with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Hi Erin, looking forward to this recipe as my sweet potato fix! Curious, should I be sautéing, roasting, or boiling the sweet potatoes while making the chipotle mix? If you said it and I didn't see it, apologies--wee hours morning brain!
I love to roast sweet potato cubes--with diced onion, bell pepper, poblano pepper, and garlic. I'm going to try a little chipotle instead of the poblano as recommended in this recipe and have yet another use for my leftovers--I usually stick them in enchiladas or add some to taco meat of any sort (my fave taco filling is sliced grilled chicken--with the sweet potatoes, onion, etc). YUM!! LOVE sweet potatoes
yes, sweet potato recipes, thank you for this one, really nice flavors with the lime-garlic, the Gremolata?, nice and new to me, all in a lovely quesadilla, thank you
What a delicious quesadilla! I love this combo and is going into our weekly rotation. I might try to find a way to grind the lime zest as I don't like the chewiness of it in the quesadilla. Also, I boiled the sweet potato just enough so it started to soften then put in on the stovetop and it turned out great. When i cook sweet potato on the stovetop its never soft enough, or at least not the texture I want.
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Love this idea! We really love sweet potatoes, too, and I've been known to turn basically anything into a quesadilla or taco, so this is right up my alley. 😉
Love this - I'll have 7 please and thank you! 😉
Rxx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Oooh this looks amazing! Love the idea of using the gremolata instead of plain coriander 🙂
Rejoice! I have all of the ingredients to make this at some point this week! Looks lovely, and I really dig the sound of cilantro germinata, fab!
These quesadillas sounds great! And I bet the sweet potatoes alone would be excellent as a side to a bigger Mexican feast too.
Sweet potato tacos are where it's at. Full of veggies and bright with colour! Love these!
these look amazing! i also have a deep, unwavering love of sweet potatoes - especially with mexican flavors.
Sweet potatoes. Yum. Love this. I can hardly wait to make this.
Chipotle and sweet potatoes is one of my favorite flavor combinations and these quesadillas look seriously good. Beautiful photos too!
I love the spicy, sweet combo. What a great, comforting, mid-winter dish!
I haven't even had breakfast yet and now I'm way too hungry for one of these. Sweet potatoes in a quesadilla sounds unbelievably good and I love that fancy (and green!) gremolata topper. So balanced!
These look delish!!! I cannot wait to try them....along with about a million of your other websites. I just stumbled upon your website and love everything about it!!! Quick question on this recipe....what is your go to "brand" or type of tortilla. There are so many options ....that I don't know which one to choose.
Thank you!!!!
Hi Brooke, so I either try and make my own or I'm a big sucker for Trader Joe's flour tortillas (if you're near a TJ's). They are actually some of the most delicious store-bought ones I've had! If not, I always look for the ones in the cooler sections of stores (and not ones in the aisles). They tend to be a bit more fresh.
I love all of the color that is happening! Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite winter vegetables. I suddenly want them in all of the foods. These quesadillas would make a great weeknight dinner. They are so healthy and the leftovers would make a great lunch option!
As fantastic as these would be in quesadilla form, I am really tempted to make them as a sweet potato salad. Love the gremolata!
Oh my gosh, I am getting so hungry looking at these quesadillas. The hubs would love them. I seriously can't get enough sweet potatoes this season!
OOOHHH gosh I need to try these! It's a fantastic idea, I'm seriously salivating right now!
Marianne xx
Goodness! What a knock-out recipe. Those bits of sweet potatoes... Yum. Thank you for sharing!
These are such a great idea. I love sweet potatoes in unexpected places... I personally always get stuck pureeing them in soup or just roasting them to a crisp with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Hi Erin, looking forward to this recipe as my sweet potato fix! Curious, should I be sautéing, roasting, or boiling the sweet potatoes while making the chipotle mix? If you said it and I didn't see it, apologies--wee hours morning brain!
You should be sautéing (it's the second step!)
I love to roast sweet potato cubes--with diced onion, bell pepper, poblano pepper, and garlic. I'm going to try a little chipotle instead of the poblano as recommended in this recipe and have yet another use for my leftovers--I usually stick them in enchiladas or add some to taco meat of any sort (my fave taco filling is sliced grilled chicken--with the sweet potatoes, onion, etc). YUM!! LOVE sweet potatoes
Do you think these would keep well in the freezing for a few days? (I meal prep for the week on Saturdays and Sundays)
Hi Laura, SO sorry for the delay- I think you would probably be alright freezing before heating. I've never tried, so I'm not 100% sure!
yes, sweet potato recipes, thank you for this one, really nice flavors with the lime-garlic, the Gremolata?, nice and new to me, all in a lovely quesadilla, thank you
What a delicious quesadilla! I love this combo and is going into our weekly rotation. I might try to find a way to grind the lime zest as I don't like the chewiness of it in the quesadilla. Also, I boiled the sweet potato just enough so it started to soften then put in on the stovetop and it turned out great. When i cook sweet potato on the stovetop its never soft enough, or at least not the texture I want.