Spinach and Corn Quesadilla

By Dana Jacobi

A Californian served this New Yorker her first truly great quesadilla. Until that time, the Mexican food scene in New York was dominated by overstuffed and mediocre burritos, fajitas, and quesadillas oozing more cheese than a slice of fast-food pizza.

Then friends in Los Angeles insisted I try the corn and spinach quesadilla at a now defunct eatery in Santa Monica. The chef was utterly devoted to making his Mexican offerings deliciously interesting and sensible. This meant using just the right amount of creamy Jack cheese to hold together lightly sautéed spinach, fresh corn kernels and grilled onion, all neatly sandwiched between two tortillas.

The result was a light quesadilla with a satisfying succession of warm crunch, rich cheese and tender vegetables.

Fresh spinach 

Californians are veggie-mad, so the fresh spinach in this quesadilla came as no surprise.  The thick, firm slices of onion, seared in a dry pan until golden and caramelized, were more unusual. But the corn was a show-stopper: fresh kernels sliced from an ear picked that morning so they were sugar-sweet and oozing their milk.

Most of the year, few of us have access to such fresh produce or the kind of time it takes to grill onions carefully and keep them from charring.  But try your hand at it now, while locally grown corn and spinach, and possibly the onions, are available, and you’ll eat like a prince, or at least a pampered Californian. 

And even after summer’s over, you can make this quesadilla with frozen corn – white, if you can get it, please – and sautéed onions, and it’ll still be pretty darn good. Cut it into 8 wedges for a great hors d’oeuvre.

Spinach and Corn Quesadilla

Dana Jacobi is author of the 12 Best Foods Cookbook, other healthy eating cookbooks, and contributor to the American Institute for Cancer Research’s New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life. This recipe comes courtesy of Jacobi's "Something Different" column.

Nubella News, a division of Marketing Technology Solutions, Inc., offers content intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We encourage our readers to seek prompt medical care for health issues and consult their physicians before starting a new diet, fitness regimen, or medical treatment.