Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Whenever I lose track of the day and realize I need to get supper on the table in less than an hour, my favorite go-to option is sweet potato quesadillas.

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The Story

I first had sweet potato quesadillas when my sister introduced them to me. She at the time was living in what they called, “Casa Como”. Near Lake Como in St. Paul there is a tiny side street where, instead of the fancier homes you find around the lake, there are a handful of ramshackle old houses right next to the railroad tracks.

It was just post her college years and my sister lived there with a steadily rotating roster of friends from college. As is the usual with that time in life, everyone was living on a shoestring budget. The house was decorated with random bits from each resident, and the thermostat was always way down.

Meals were economy style too, which is where sweet potato quesadillas come in. These are easy to make with just a few ingredients. They are filling, and not too terrible for you to boot. My husband and toddler love them.

Even years after Casa Como, I can’t make these without thinking of that old gray house and the kind, cheery bunch of post grads who lived there.

What is a sweet potato?

Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable. One way they differ from regular potatoes is they are not tubers. They also tend to be sweet and humongous comparatively.

They are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, potassium, and manganese. Source

Are sweet potatoes and yams the same thing?

Nope! Yams have a sort of tough looking exterior, almost like bark. Yams have a pretty bland flavor, closer to a regular potato.

Most grocery stores don’t actually even carry yams, they are carrying different types of sweet potato but call them yams.

Sweet potatoes with harder white flesh often get mislabeled as yams.

The potatoes you want for this recipe should have fairly smooth skin and be a golden/orange color. This variety will cook up softer and more delicious. Depending on your grocery store it might be called a yam, or it might be called a sweet potato.

Gluten Free/Vegetarian Sweet Potato Quesadillas

You can easily make this recipe gluten free by using corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. Every other ingredient is gluten free.

The black beans in the recipe add a nice protein boost so this recipe also works as a vegetarian dish.

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Quesadillas

The great thing about this recipe is you can make it fancier if you want or just go bare bones. Salsa, avocadoes, cilantro, it always turns out delicious.

• 2-3 Large Sweet Potatoes (orange flesh)
• 1 Can of Black Beans
• Tortillas
• Butter or other oil such as olive or coconut
• Shredded cheese (Whatever you have on hand, though we like good ol’ cheddar)
• Chili Powder
• Cumin
• Garlic Salt
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Cayenne (optional)
• Sour Cream for Serving (optional)
• Hot Sauce for Serving (optional)

Equipment for Making Quesadillas

Nothing too fancy here.

• Frying Pan
• Spatula
• Large Saucepot
• Potato Masher
• Vegetable Peeler
• Cutting Board
• Butter Knife
• Strainer

How to make Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Cook the Potatoes

Peel all the sweet potatoes and slice them into large chunks of roughly the same size.

Place the potatoes in the stock pot and fill with water to just cover. Add one tablespoon of salt. Set on the burner and bring to a gentle boil.

Prep other Ingredients

While the potatoes are cooking, mix together all the spices. Combining 1 1/2 Tablespoons of chili powder, 1 Tablespoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 Teaspoon of black pepper.

I love combining spices. It’s always so beautiful and feels like magic somehow.

Open and drain a can of black beans. Rinse them in a strainer, then pour in another bowl and set aside.

Shred the cheese if need be. I use about 1/4 cup per quesadilla.

Assemble Quesadillas

Check the potatoes with a fork. I like to pull one out and smoosh it on a plate. If it mashes easily they are ready.

Drain the potatoes in the strainer. That water can be kept to feed pigs or chickens. Good nutrients in there!

Return the potatoes to the stock pot and add in the black beans and spices.

Start to preheat your frying pan now.

Going back to the sweet potatoes, mash everything up until there are no more potato chunks.

Scoop about 1/2 cup onto a tortilla and spread it evenly. Don’t go too thick with the mash, these are darn filling.

Sprinkle a layer of cheese on top. Then sandwich the other layer of tortilla on top of that.

Fry the Quesadillas

Spread a thin layer of butter over the top of the tortilla.

Place it butter side down in the frying pan. Butter the tortilla that is now facing up.

Check on the bottom after about thirty seconds. You want it crispy and firm but not burned. I speak from plenty of experience.

When ready, flip the whole thing over and cook the other side.

If flipping makes you nervous, you can always slide it off the pan onto a plate, place the frying pan on top (careful, it’s hot remember) and flip it that way.

OR watch this video of Julia Child and have courage to flip that quesadilla.

Slice up the quesadilla however you like, serve with sour cream. We like to mix hot sauce in directly to the sour cream and serve it that way.

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