Tuesday, April 7: Buffalo Cauliflower, White Bean, and Cheese Quesadillas

This is one of our new favorite meals ever! If you like buffalo sauce, you will love this. Cheesy, spicy, and healthy with a mixture of cauliflower and white beans. Use whatever cheese you like best — I’ve made them with pepper jack and medium cheddar, and both were amazing. Our favorite buffalo sauce is Wing-Time (Medium), and we always serve with a side of ranch dressing for dipping.

Note: My favorite method for making quesadillas is to spoon the filling onto half of a large tortilla and fold in half to create a half moon. Much easier to flip this way without having any filling spilling out. (One time I made these and only had small tortillas so had to do the stacking method — totally doable, but frustrating!) I also suggest mixing the cheese in with the rest of the filling ingredients (rather than just sprinkling a layer on the tortilla) — this will help it incorporate more and melt more evenly, and will act more as a glue to hold the tortilla together.

First, roast the cauliflower and white beans. Preheat oven to 425. Chop one head of cauliflower into very small florets (remember, these are going into a quesadilla so you don’t want them too big!). Spread out on a sheet pan in one even layer, toss with a TB or two of olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt. On a separate sheet pan (a smaller quarter sheet pan is fine), toss 1 can of white beans (drained, rinsed, and patted dry) with a TB of olive oil and pinch of salt; spread out in an even layer. Place both sheets in the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes, tossing halfway to ensure even browning, until cauliflower is tender and slightly charred and beans are crisp. Let cauliflower and beans cool slightly, about 5-10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, beans, about 1/4-1/2 cup of buffalo sauce (or more, to taste), and 1-2 cups of grated pepper jack, cheddar, or montery jack cheese. Give a stir and check to see if you have enough cheese — this will depend on how large the head of cauliflower was. At this point, I could easily eat the filling with a spoon and often do sneak a few bites, but it’s time to make the quesadillas!

If using larger tortillas, spoon about 1/2 cup of the filling onto one half, then fold over into a half moon. Place in a large non-stick skillet (no oil needed, but you can add some if desired) and cook over medium, flipping once or twice, until browned and crispy on both sides. If using small tortillas, place one in the pan, top with a layer of filling, then place a second tortilla on top; cook over medium, carefully flipping once or twice, until browned and crispy on both sides. Place quesadillas onto a cutting board and slice into quarters or sixths — my favorite way to do this is with a pizza cutter. Serve with a side of ranch for dipping!