For An Easy Vegan Meal, Try Hummus Quesadillas

Looking for a quick and easy vegan meal that won't leave you hungry? Hummus quesadillas have got you covered. If you've ever toasted up some pita bread and dipped chunks into a tub of hummus, a hummus quesadilla isn't too far removed and it feels a little fancier. Even in its most basic form, this meal is the perfect comfort food. 

A crisp outer shell of tortilla with a warm hummus filling makes for a delicious lunch and with some twists can be a great dinner too. Of course, if you want to go all out on your hummus quesadillas, you can make a more complicated version. There's nothing to stop you from pulling out a delicious hummus recipe or even making your own homemade tortillas from scratch. But the pure beauty of this is that you can just grab a tub of hummus and a bag of tortillas and you're good to go.

The true wonder of the hummus quesadilla is that its simplicity means that while it's good by itself, it's also a versatile receptacle for all that your culinary mind can imagine. Making a plain hummus quesadilla is simple. Start by spreading a quarter to a third of a cup of hummus onto one tortilla, then either fold it in half or top it with another tortilla. Then fry it in a pan for a few minutes until it's warmed through and toasted and crispy on each side.

You can always keep the quesadilla simple and serve it with a salad, but if you want to add some intrigue, pause before folding the tortilla over. At this point, you can add any other ingredients you like. Toss in a mix of onions, tomatoes, black beans, avocado, or fresh greens to give it more body and textural interest. Once you have your basic favorites, switch it up more. Throw in some nuts, like toasted almonds or pecan to give an extra crunch and boost the protein levels. The final, greatest trick for a superb quesadilla is to pick up flavored hummus from the selection at your grocery store so you can explore even more options.

So does a vegan version of this meal need vegan cheese? No, not really. However, if you want to experiment with it, you'd want to pick your preferred vegan cheese that melts well. But the hummus quesadilla can truly stand on its own without it. The hummus is already replacing it and some of your favorite vegan cheese brands might already come from the same base ingredient — chickpeas.

The only reason to include some sort of cheese in a hummus quesadilla would not be one of nomenclature rather than culinary concerns. Quesadillas do, by definition, contain cheese (queso, traditionally). So is a hummus quesadilla actually a quesadilla? Well, no. Probably not. But once you try one, that won't really seem important anymore.