5-Minute Broccoli Ham and Cheese Quesadilla

Thank you Idaho Spuds for sponsoring this post. VeggieMash mashed potatoes are a blend of 100% Idaho® grown potatoes and real vegetables for a new take on a family favorite!

This 5-minute broccoli ham and cheese quesadilla is an easy weeknight meal and a tasty way to get your kids to eat their vegetables!

I can't believe my kids go back to school tomorrow. This year I'll have two kids in college and two in middle school. How crazy is that?!

Although I'll have a couple less mouths to feed, I'm sure I'll find it a struggle (as usual) to get weeknight dinner on the table. Good thing I've found a way to make our favorite go-to "recipe" of cheese quesadillas healthier so I can feel less guilty about serving them once a week (or more).

Your typical broccoli ham and cheese quesadilla would probably take a solid 15 minutes or more to prep if you were going the traditional route of steaming the broccoli and dicing the ham. But I'm all about cutting down the prep time whenever and wherever I can.

I'm also all about simple ways to get my family to eat more veggies. Maybe that's why I'm thinking the new Idaho Spuds VeggieMash mashed potatoes, with their blend of 100% Idaho® grown potatoes and real vegetables, are a tasty hack for getting my family to eat their greens... and they hardly know it!

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You can find all kinds of ways to make recipes healthier. For example, I took my mom's classic tuna casserole recipe and gave it a healthy twist thanks to skim milk, low-sodium cream of mushroom soup, and low-fat cheddar cheese.

If you want a tasty way to work more veggies into breakfast, I'm all about green smoothies like this pineapple peach green smoothie. With the right ingredients—pineapple is my favorite—you can't even taste the spinach!

This 5-minute broccoli ham and cheese quesadilla recipe, or potato quesadilla for short, is easy to make and even easier to eat. Making healthy dinner choices has never been this easy! We're talking real veggies, real potatoes, really tasty quesadillas thanks to Idaho Spuds VeggieMash.

All Idaho Spuds products start with 100% Idaho® Potatoes, and their new VeggieMash is made using real vegetables. For these ham and cheese quesadillas, I used Idaho Spuds VeggieMash Mashed Potatoes with Broccoli & Cheddar.

Throw in some pre-cooked diced ham, a bit of sharp cheddar cheese (my fave), and a side of salsa and you have a quick and easy weeknight dinner that's also full of veggies!

While I am all about dipping broccoli ham and cheese quesadillas in salsa, my kids prefer sour cream, velveeta, and ranch. But you can dip these babies into whatever sauce or spread you'd like! Of course, if you're going for salsa, you for sure need to make either this fire roasted salsa or everyone's favorite copycat Chili's salsa.

Dude. That copycat Chili's salsa is crack. Just sayin'.

Speaking of making weeknight meals less painful, I have quite a few tips for easy weeknight meals. Here are three of my favorites:

• Plan ahead. The weeks when I've planned our weeknight meals have made that "what's for dinner?" question a lot less annoying. Whether you write it on a sticky note, magnetic notepad or use the calendar on your smartphone, your life will be a lot easier if you've planned your weeknight meals.
• Keep ingredients for your go-to recipes on hand. I've found our family has a handful of favorite recipes and thankfully most require ingredients I can easily keep on hand. When I make my grocery list, I check my pantry and refrigerator to make sure I have everything I need to make one of my family's favorite (and easy) recipes.
• Stock up on slow cooker freezer meals. I like to mix in one or two freezer meals a week (if I have them on hand). They're perfect for those days when you literally won't be home from sunup to sundown.

You can totally keep the ingredients for this broccoli ham and cheese quesadilla recipe on hand. That's what makes these quesadillas such a win! If you love quesadillas as a last-minute dinner idea, try these 3-minute cheesy chicken & rice quesadillas or low-carb grilled chicken and avocado quesadillas. Mmm...

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5-Minute Broccoli Ham and Cheese Quesadilla

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

This 5-minute broccoli ham and cheese quesadilla is an easy weeknight meal and a tasty way to get your kids to eat their vegetables!

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Ingredients

• 1 (3.74-oz) package Idaho Spuds VeggieMash Mashed Potatoes with Broccoli & Cheddar
• 1 (8-oz) package cooked, diced ham
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Instructions

1. Prepare Idaho Spuds VeggieMash in microwave according to package directions. Add enough water to desired consistency. Fold in diced ham.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place one tortilla in skillet. Spread a heaping ¼ cup of broccoli ham and cheese mix on tortilla and sprinkle with 2 T shredded cheese. Place second tortilla on top.
3. Cook quesadilla for 1 minute on each side until lightly toasted. Remove from skillet and cut into quarters. Serve with your favorite quesadilla toppings or dips (salsa, ranch, melted cheese, sour cream).

Notes

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 453Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 1715mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 23g