Greek Spinach & Feta Quesadillas with Tzatziki Sauce

Greetings from Lithuania! As I said in my previous post my mom lives here for her job and I’ve been here visiting her and my dog Fudge for about a week, and BOY IS IT COOOOOOLD. Cold weather, especially cold weather in Eastern Europe, definitely makes you want to eat really heavy foods like bread, potato pancakes, heavy meats, etc, but I’ve been trying to keep myself disciplined and eating lots of salads and fish. Speaking of healthier meal alternatives, I made these Greek Spinach & Feta Quesadillas with Tzatziki Sauce before I left, and I have to say they’re a much better choice than regular quesadillas with melted cheese and sour cream and other fatty/not so healthy ingredients. And even though they might not be quite as mouth-watering and indulgent as regular quesadillas, they still feel like a treat! So it’s almost like having your cake and eating it too! Although not literally. (BUT if you do want to have cake I suggest you try my Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Cheesecake with Almond-Pecan Crust which is delicious and gluten and sugar free. Great for this time of year around Halloween and Thanksgiving!)

I like these quesadillas because they’re easy to make and they make it easy to get some vegetables into your diet. Spinach has many health benefits for your eyes, your bones, and actually helps your digestion. What’s more is that cooked spinach actually delivers more than 3 times the nutrients of raw spinach because your body can’t fully break down and absorb the nutrients in raw spinach. And for those of us suffering in cold climates at the moment, you’ll be happy to know that eating spinach is really good for relieving dry and itchy skin. So all hail spinach!!! And I also like these quesadillas because personally, I’m a huge fan of sour cream and I LOVE Tex-Mex food where you can slather everything with cheese and sour cream. Butttt, I also know that this is super unhealthy. So I’m happy that a great and healthy alternative to sour cream is Greek yogurt, which is what you use to make the tzatzikisauce for these quesadillas. So I don’t have to feel as guilty about slathering it over everything (seriously – you can eat tzatziki with just about anything). I’d like to quickly point out that my Greek yogurt of choice is Fage Total Greek Yogurt because it’s true true Greek yogurt that’s super thick and packed with protein. I know a lot of people tend to buy other brands, but I think it’s best to stick to the real stuff, especially when making tzatziki.

Of course you don’t have to eat these with anything on the side. They make a great lunch or snack on their on and are portable for those who are on the go. These quesadillas are an easier to make alternative than Greek spanakopita, which is the traditional Greek spinach and feta pie. So for those of you that are big fans of spanakopita, you’re definitely going to want to give these a try! These also taste great without the feta for those of you who aren’t super fond of cheese. And last but not least I added an extra health-conscious step to this recipe by choosing to make these with low-carb tortillas. This isn’t necessary and you can use regular tortillas for this, but I know that personally I feel a bit better choosing the first option. Enjoy!

| Recipe adapted from Scrummy Lane |

Find my recipe for tzatziki sauce here.

Greek Spinach & Feta Quesadillas with Tzatziki Sauce

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

Greek Spinach & Feta Quesadillas with Tzatziki Sauce

Author: Natalia Alexander

Recipe type: Lunch

Cuisine: Greek

Serves: 2-3 quesadillas

Ingredients

• 12 oz spinach
• Olive oil
• 1 onion
• Bunch of scallions/green onions
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ to 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Low-carb or regular flour tortillas
• Paper towels
• Tzatziki sauce

Directions

1. Make your tzatziki sauce first and place it in the fridge
2. Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium sized pan
3. Chop up your onion and your spinach
4. Saute the onion until it looses its color (after about 5 minutes) and add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes
5. Add the spinach and 2 more tbsp of olive oil and cook until tender
6. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste (remember: not too much salt because the feta is salty)
7. Lay the spinach mixture flat on a plate
8. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes (this is just to cool the spinach down so it’s not too hot on your hands)
9. Press down on the spinach mixture with a few paper towels so absorb as much moisture as possible
10. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the feta cheese
11. Lay 1 tortilla on the same pan and fill with ⅓ to ½ the spinach mixture depending on how much filling you want
12. Press another tortilla down on top
13. Brown the quesadilla on each side (about 2-3 minutes on each side)
14. Cut each quesadilla into 4 and serve immediately with a side of tzatziki
15. Enjoy!

 

Natalia Alexander

The Greek Glutton