Pizza Quesadilla with vegetables

Your child won’t eat vegetables? Try this healthy pizza quesadilla that’s super EASY to whip up. 15 minutes to make, perfect for lunch or dinner, and suitable for babies and kids.

It’s time to upgrade one of the most beloved kid-friendly foods – the cheese quesadilla. As you can see, this is a very veggie forward version. Before you shake your head and say your child will never eat this, stay with me!

Perhaps you’ve been trying to get your baby or toddler to eat their broccoli and spinach for what feels like an eternity. And you’ve even tried adding cheese to them with no success.

BUT combine with pizza sauce and tortillas, your child just might decide to give it a lick and then proceed to chow down! I’m rooting for ya!

You may also like: English Muffin Baby Pizza with veggies

Ingredients

Baby spinach – you don’t have to be exact with the measurements here, just like for these spinach sweet potato muffins. Two large handfuls will do but you can certainly add less or more (but not too much more)

Broccoli – be sure to cook first. Here’s a super in-depth post on how to cook broccoli for babies!

Cannellini beans – you can also use great northern or chickpeas. This is a great way to add an iron-rich source. Will also make the filling creamier.

Pizza sauce – you can use store-bought (make sure it’s thick) or homemade. Be sure to give my sugar free pizza sauce recipe a try! It’s super easy to make. Perfectly thick and bold-flavored.

Tortilla – I encourage you to opt for whole wheat for that boost of fiber and nutrition. Whatever your choice, be sure to get a soft one so you can fold over.

Best Iron-rich Foods For Babies and Toddlers

Making quesadilla with toddlers

If your child won’t eat veggies, instead of pressuring, which does NOT work, get them involved in the cooking process!

This is so easy to assemble.

1. Have your child measure and add spinach, broccoli, beans to a food processor/blender and blend.
2. Spread pizza sauce on half of the tortilla
3. Spread the vegetable mixture
4. Add cheese and fold over
5. Cook in a pan with some butter

How could this not be good?

Expert tips (don’t skip this part!)

• Be sure to use a thick sauce. You can use marinara but if it’s on the thin side then try thickening with some tomato paste. Or better yet, make my pizza sauce with no added salt and sugar. This will ensure that you don’t end up with a soggy quesadilla. Not cool.
• Use a soft wholegrain flour tortilla. This way you’ll be able to fold over without it breaking. However, if you want to use corn tortilla, instead of folding, add filling to the entire tortilla and then top with another piece.
• This recipe yields 2 quesadilla but feel free to double or triple the recipe to feed your entire family.
• You have full control over how much of the vegetable mixture and cheese to add. If your child is really reluctant with the veggies, then you can start with a small amount and gradually increase in the future.
• Use a medium to large skillet. You want the quesadilla to fit lengthwise so it can get perfectly toasted.
• Cook over medium heat. This way the cheese will melt slowly and the tortilla will crisp up without getting burnt.
• Be sure to cool before slicing. I personally am an over-stuffer. If you divide the veggie mixture between two tortillas as the recipe suggests, the filling will likely spill out once you slice into 3 or 4 triangle pieces. In that case, just smoosh it back in. Again, you can decide how much filling you want to add to each tortilla.
• They taste great at room temperature or warmed up. Great for picnics and lunchboxes.

How to serve pizza quesadilla to baby and toddler?

First, be sure your baby is developmentally ready to start solids! if you’re unsure, be sure to grab my FREE handout by signing up below

For 6-8 months old:

Mix pizza sauce and vegetable mixture and spread on top of toasted bread cut into strips the width of about two adult fingers pressed together

For 9-12 months:

Same as above except you can spread onto a toasted tortilla. You can also cut into bite-sized pieces once their pincer grasp develops, but I personally encourage you to keep offering large pieces so your child can learn to tear and take bites. This is especially effective if you have a shoveler.

Related post: Help! My child shoves too much food

For 12+ months:

Start by making a regular quesadilla and cut into strips or triangles. You have full control over how much cheese to add. I would start off with a small amount and gradually increase as your child grows older.

This is also the time when your child may start to become more picky. If your toddler refuses to eat a certain vegetable(s), it’s ok to add them into foods they do enjoy. At the same time, DON’T stop offering in its whole form.

Just one piece can go a long way!

Frequently asked questions

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