Sweet Potato, Red Onion and Lentil Quesadillas

Back to uni now means back to cooking for myself on the reg which, I have to say, I’m excited about. It was great to have a break from the obligatory cooking over the summer to regain some brain space for new recipes. I do enjoy the relaxing nature of coming back from lectures and being able to linger around in the kitchen, sipping on tea, listening to a podcast and cooking something delicious.

Given that I should be cooking dinner right now (I have to get some butternut squash into the oven, pronto) I’ll keep this post short and sweet! Quesadillas are always a crowd pleaser and are an easy thing to make for dinner when you need something comfort-foody and filling – cos who doesn’t want a pimped up cheese toastie for dinner eh?

Sweet Potato, Red Onion and Lentil Quesadillas

5 from 1 vote

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Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes , ~500g total, peeled
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red onions , sliced 5mm thick
• salt
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 400 g can green lentils , drained
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp chilli flakes , or more/less if you want
• juice of ½ a lemon
• large handful of coriander , roughly chopped
• 200 g cheddar cheese , grated
• 4 large wholemeal tortillas
• Greek yogurt , to serve

Instructions

• Bring a medium pot of water to the boil. Cut the sweet potatoes into medium chunks and add to the pot. Bring back up to the boil then leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Once cooked, drain and return to the pot. 
• Meanwhile cook the onions: heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the sliced onions to the frying pan of hot oil, season with salt and turn the heat down to low. Cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes until the onions have softened. Splash in ~60ml of water and keep cooking and stirring until that water has evaporated. Repeat with ~60ml of water again. Once the water has cooked off, stir in the balsamic vinegar and cook until evaporated. Remove the onions to a small bowl. Wipe out the frying pan as you’ll use it for frying the quesadillas soon. 
• Add the drained lentils to the pot with the cooked sweet potato. Add generous pinch of salt, the ground cumin, chilli flakes, lemon juice and chopped coriander. Roughly mash and stir together to get a slightly chunky mixture. 
• Take one tortilla, spread some of the lentil/sweet potato mixture over one half of the tortilla. Top with some of the caramelised onions and some of the grated cheese. Fold in half and place into the dry frying pan set over a high heat. Cook until golden underneath then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown. Remove from the pan and cut into 3 wedges. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Serve hot with yogurt for dipping, if desired. 

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it went! Mention @izyhossack or tag #topwithcinnamon!

(recipe made for a collaboration with Waitrose on instagram but I thought I’d share the recipe on here too for anyone who wanted it!)