Spicy Chickpea Quesadillas

These Chickpea Quesadillas are made with cashew nacho cheese & chickpeas marinated in a buffalo sauce, and they are absolutely delicious! This is an easy and healthy vegan alternative that’s protein packed.

Vegan | Gluten-free | Soy-free

It seems like there’s a theme on the blog this week: chickpeas. Lol.

I used to loooove quesadillas, they were my go-to when I first went vegetarian. However, after going vegan I sort of generated a certain aversion towards cheese; yes, even to some vegan cheeses. I know that there are some amazing vegan cheeses out there (I certainly love a few), but I can only consume them in small quantities.

That’s why for the longest time, I stopped eating/making quesadillas. And somehow, my brain never came up with the idea of trying to make them with cashew cheese! So, recently I had an “Ah-Ha!” moment where I thought about using my nacho cheese recipe for quesadillas, and filling them up with a plant-based alternative, chickpeas!

These Spicy Chickpea Quesadillas will make you fall in love! Seriously, non-vegan sister & grandmother approved! This is an ideal appetizer or meal to share with your friends or family. For a complete meal serve with soup, roasted veggies, or salad! I hope you enjoy this protein-packed recipe as much we did; we certainly didn’t leave anything for anyone else.

Notes:

To keep this recipe gluten-free, use corn tortillas or any other gluten-free tortillas.
You can substitute the chickpeas for cannellini beans or any other type of white/yelloish beans.
Feel free to omit the spice in this recipe; just skip the whole buffalo sauce process.

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Rating: 5.0/5
( 1 voted )

Ingredients

Buffalo Chickpeas:

1 (15oz) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

¼ cup vegan butter

4 tbsp sriracha, or any other hot sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp parsley flakes

Salt & pepper, to taste

½ tbsp avocado or olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Optional: ½ red bell pepper, diced

¼ cup water, or vegetable broth

Other ingredients:

VeggieJeva’s Vegan Nacho Cheese

6-8 medium-sized corn or flour tortillas

Optional dipping sauces: vegan sour cream, guacamole, chipotle bitchin’ sauce, leftover nacho cheese, etc.

Procedure

Start off by preparing the VeggieJeva’s Nacho Cheese Sauce, according to instructions here.

Next, prepare the buffalo sauce by mixing in a bowl the melted butter, sriracha, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley flakes, and salt & pepper. Whisk until the hot sauce and butter are completely incorporated.

In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat and once the oil is sizzling, add the onion, garlic, and bell peppers (optional). Cook for 4 minutes or until translucent.

Then add in the chickpeas and vegetable stock. Allow to cook and soften. After 5 minutes or so, roughly mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher, leaving some beans intact.

To the chickpea mix, add the “buffalo” sauce and bring the mixture to a simmer for 2 minutes; then remove from the heat and place in a bowl.

Now, to assemble the quesadillas, heat up a bit of oil, non-stick spray or vegan butter in a pan (to medium heat). When hot, add one tortilla, then spread an even layer of the VeggieJeva’s Nacho Cheese and arrange about ½ cup of the chickpea mix on top. If you wish, you can drizzle a little bit more of the cheese sauce on top. Place another tortilla on top to cover; lightly press with a spatula, and then carefully flip. Give each side 2-3 minutes, for it to result in a nice crispy exterior.

Repeat this process with the remaining sauce, filling, and tortillas.

Serve with your favorite toppings, and ENJOY!

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