Makes 5 Servings

The Manic Mommies Escape in Napa was amazing!  Whether you were there in person or in spirit, we thought you’d enjoy the recipe we demonstrated on Sunday afternoon. This fast & easy dish includes two veggies — a finely diced bell pepper and corn kernels — and is jam packed with kid-friendly flavors. It’s also packed with high-quality protein, thanks to the Coleman sausage and is loaded with bone-building calcium from the reduced-fat Cabot cheese. In case you’re wondering how much protein kids need each day (a question that came up at the Escape), the average 4 – 6 year old needs about 25 grams.

quesadilla ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 medium orange, yellow or red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 Coleman Organic Apple Chicken Sausages (6 ounces), casings removed and sausages coarsely chopped
1 cup Cabot 50% Reduced-Fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 tablespoons all-natural barbecue sauce
Five 8-inch flour tortillas

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the bell pepper, stirring frequently, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.  Add the sausage, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until heated through, an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

2. In a bowl, stir together the cooked bell pepper and sausage, cheese, corn kernels, and barbecue sauce. Spread the mixture evenly over half of each tortilla. Fold over, press down gently, and set aside.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat (you may want to wipe out the skillet first). Add two of the quesadillas and cook, pressing down occasionally with a spatula, until the tortillas become crisp and golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip the tortillas and cook an additional 2 minutes.

4. Repeat with the remaining oil and quesadillas. Cut into halves or quarters and serve.

quesadillas up close

Nutrition Information per Serving: 360 calories, 16g fat (3.5g saturated, 0.4g omega-3), 750mg sodium, 34g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 27g protein, 30% vitamin A, 80% vitamin C, 15% calcium, 10% iron

Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RD and Liz Weiss, MS, RD are The Meal Makeover Moms, and together, they’re on a mission to help busy families eat better. For more recipes, check out their blog, Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen or listen to their weekly podcast, Cooking with the Moms.

©MealMakeoverMoms.com

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4 Responses to Recipe of the Week: Quick Apple Sausage Quesadillas

  1. Ginger Wanko says:

    These were SO yummy – I had two at the Escape! The Meal Makeover Moms were great presenters – quite a sense of humor. Thanks again for all of your hard work organizing such a fun & fantastic weekend Erin & Kristin!

  2. Carissa says:

    This was great!! I also added a cup or so of black beans and some Just Carrots! The whole family loved it- I was hoping to take a couple pieces to work tomorrow- but it was gone! :) Thanks!

  3. Lisa Stein says:

    I tried to comment on this the other day, but the site was down or not available so I posted on fb.

    I can’t seem to get to your site right now to comment, but I saw the recipe the other day by the Makeover Moms and I made it! The chicken sausage quesadillas. They were delicious. I printed out the recipe to remind myself, and grabbed it to get ingredients I didn’t have (I happened to have chicken mango sausages from Trader Joe’s that were about to expire!). It looked so good, I ordered the book!

    Meanwhile cooked it tonite, got corn instead of flour tortillas by mistake and didn’t have the bbq sauce, but they were delicious! And dearest baby daddy wouldn’t touch it, nor would 6 year old, esp after daddy turned up his nose, but more for me! Oh well. I’m goin with more good recipes, and they can eat it or eat leftovers (like they did tonite).

    The book came from Amazon in 1 day! Looks great! Can’t wait to try out more stuff, and the mommies are on our side! Good nutritious delicious food, I can look forward to eating.

  4. Laurie says:

    I made these last week for my three kids (11, 4 and 18 months)and they LOVED them! I forgot the barbecue sauce but they were still very good. I used whole wheat tortillas and they tasted great!

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