Vegetarian Minestrone and Quesadillas
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MazolaHeartHealth #CollectiveBias Give this quick and easy Vegetarian Minestrone and Quesadillas Recipe a try! It is a delicious, hearty meal loaded with fresh vegetables and perfect for Heart Health Month in February! I love using Mazola® Corn Oil in this family favorite dish because "A clinical study showed Mazola Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, visit Mazola.com." 
My family has been so busy over the past month! The hockey season is coming to a close for my son, which means extra practices leading up to the playoffs. My daughter is in the thick of her gymnastics competition season, so there has been a lot of traveling on the weekends. With all of this, it makes weeknights pretty hectic. However, I have been making my best effort to prepare a healthy family dinner on most nights. With crazy evening schedules most meals are things that can easily be reheated like this Vegetarian Minestrone and Quesadillas Recipe.
Vegetarian Minestrone and Quesadillas
I made a few ingredient swaps here to make this minestrone a healthier version of my original recipe. Instead of using chicken broth, I used vegetable broth. I also used Mazola Corn Oil instead of butter and cooking spray to sauté the vegetables and prepare the quesadillas. One other thing I did was add extra greens with the kale and spinach to give this soup a nutritional boost.
Why use Mazola Corn Oil?
Mazola Corn Oil has more heart-blocking plant sterols than other cooking oils. In fact, it has a whopping 4 times more than olive oil and 1 ½ times more than canola oil. Clinical studies show that plant sterols can reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the gut when consumed as part of a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Mazola Corn Oil also has a high smoke point of 450 degrees making it great to use in a variety of different cooking methods. Mazola Corn Oil is an all-purpose, cholesterol free cooking oil that is a smart heart-healthy* choice for your family. *See Mazola.com for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health. It has a variety of uses include baking, grilling, sautéing, stir frying, or mixing up a marinade or dressing.
What ingredients are in the Vegetarian Minestrone?
There are a little over a dozen ingredients in this delicious, healthy soup recipe, which include:
- Mazola Corn Oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Vegetable Broth
- Potatoes
- Green Beans
- Carrots
- Butternut Squash
- Oregano
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cannellini Beans
- Kale
- Spinach
How do I Make the Vegetarian Minestrone?
This nutrient dense meal is quick and easy to make. Start off by heating the Mazola Corn Oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. 
Toss in the diced onion and sauté until softened. Next, add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Then, put the vegetable broth, potatoes, green beans, carrots, oregano, salt and pepper into the large pot and bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, add the butternut squash and orzo. Cook with pot uncovered until orzo and veggies are tender (approximately 10-12 minutes). Reduce heat to simmer, then add in the cannelilni beans, kale and spinach and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve warm with Quesadillas and enjoy! 
What do I Need for the Quesadillas?
There are just five ingredients that you will need for these tasty quesadillas.
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- Mazola Corn Oil
- Refried Beans
- Roasted Red Bell Peppers
- Mexican Blend Cheese
- Tortillas
How do I Make the Quesadillas?
Start off by placing an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Then, preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread ⅓ cup of refried beans on a flour tortilla. Then place ¼ cup of chopped roasted red bell peppers on top of beans and sprinkle ¼ cup of Mexican blend cheese on top. 
Place another tortilla on top and press down lightly. Then, brush the top of the quesadilla with Mazola Corn Oil using a basting brush. Place the prepared quesadilla on a cookie sheet that has been lightly coated with Mazola Corn Oil. Repeat steps with the remaining tortillas. Depending on size of cookie sheet, this may need to be done in batches. 
Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for approximately 4 minutes or until tortilla starts to lightly brown on top. Then, using a large spatula carefully flip the quesadillas and bake for 4 more minutes or until it begins to lightly brown. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Then, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife and cut quesadilla into 6 triangular wedges. Serve warm with minestrone and enjoy! 
Ingredients
Vegetarian Minestrone
- 2 tablespoon Mazola Corn Oil
- 1 large Onion diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 8 cups Vegetable Broth
- 2 large Potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 cup Green Beans trimmed and cut ont 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup Carrots peeled and diced
- 2 ½ cups Butternut Squash cut into 1 inch chunks
- 2 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 15 ½ ounce can Cannellini Beans
- ⅔ cup Orzo Rice Shaped Pasta
- 4 cups Kale chopped with center vein removed
- 2 cups Baby Spinach
Quesadillas
- 8 Flour Tortillas
- 1 15 ½ ounce can Refried Beans
- 8 ounce jar Roasted Red Bell Peppers
- 1 cup Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
- 4 tablespoon Mazola Corn Oil
Instructions
Vegetarian Minestrone
- Toss in the diced onion and sauté until softened.
- Next, add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Then, put the vegetable broth, potatoes, green beans, carrots, butternut squash oregano, salt and pepper into the large pot and bring soup to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the butternut squash and orzo.
- Cook with pot uncovered until orzo and veggies are tender (approximately 10-12 minutes).
- Reduce heat to simmer, then add in the cannelilni beans, kale and spinach and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve warm with Quesadillas and enjoy!
Quesadillas
- Start off by placing an oven rack in the upper third of the oven.
- Then, preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread ⅓ cup of refried beans on a flour tortilla.
- Then place ¼ cup of chopped roasted red bell peppers on top of beans and sprinkle ¼ cup of Mexican blend cheese on top.
- Place another tortilla on top and press down lightly.
- Place the prepared quesadilla on a cookie sheet that has been lightly coated with Mazola Corn Oil. Repeat steps with the remaining tortillas. Depending on size of cookie sheet, this may need to be done in batches.
- Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for approximately 4 minutes or until tortilla starts to lightly brown on top.
- Then, using a large spatula carefully flip the quesadillas and bake for 4 more minutes or until it begins to lightly brown.
- Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
- Then, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife and cut quesadilla into 6 triangular wedges.
- Serve warm with minestrone and enjoy!
So Tell Me...
Did you know February is Heart Health Month? Were you aware of all of the great benefits of using Mazola Corn Oil? Check out more recipes here. Thank you so much for stopping by. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Have a great week!
