Recipe: Pumpkin Quesadillas with Lime-Jalapeño Yogurt
We harvested so many sugar pumpkins at our farm this season that we had plenty left even after filling all of our CSA boxes, selling at farmers markets, and delivering to restaurants. I don’t mind one bit! I’ve spent my recent evenings roasting and pureeing as many pumpkins as I can.
Once I got tired of pumpkin soup, these cheesy pumpkin quesadillas made a nice change of pace for using up the puree!
If you happen to have a few sugar pumpkins lying around I highly recommend whipping these up. They make a great appetizer for a small crowd or a light dinner when served with a simple side salad. If you don’t have sugar pumpkins available you can simply substitute with your favorite winter squash or even canned puree.
Our little farm has finally settled down after eight long months of production. Not only is the farm tired but we are too! Thanks to simple meals like these festive quesadillas for keeping us full, happy and inspired in the kitchen!
Pumpkin Quesadillas with Lime-Jalapeño Yogurt
Serves 2 to 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 medium sugar pumpkin (roughly 1 pound), or substitute 1 cup pumpkin or squash puree
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil), divided
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 whole wheat flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup cilantro, minced
For the Lime-Jalapeno Yogurt:
- 1 cup plain full fat yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1
jalapeño, diced (remove seeds for less heat)
- Pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
Peel, seed, and cut the pumpkin into 1-inch cubes; you should have about 1 1/2 cups cubed squash. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pumpkin cubes and cook until pumpkin is fork tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Once pumpkin is cool enough to handle, place it in a blender or food processor along with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and process until smooth. You should have about 1 cup of puree. The puree can be prepared several days in advance.
Prepare the yogurt dip while the pumpkin is cooking. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Taste test and adjust seasonings if necessary. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, jalapeño, ground cumin. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.
Spread the pumpkin puree over 1/2 of each tortilla. Top with onion and pepper mixture followed by the cheese, divided evenly among all the tortillas. Fold each tortilla in half.
Wipe down the skillet and heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Cook the quesadillas for 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately with lime-jalapeño yogurt dip and plenty of minced cilantro.