High-protein breakfast quesadilla
25 min · 42 g protein · 396 cals / serving
Fluffy scrambled eggs, browned ham, peppers, onion and spinach folded into a tortilla with a little melted cheese and pressed in a hot pan until it crackles: a Denver omelet you can hold in one hand, with salsa and a cool spoonful of yogurt to dunk it in.
Ingredients
- a light mist cooking spray, divided
- 3 1/2 oz deli ham, thick-cut, diced
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 small onion, finely diced
- 3 big handfuls baby spinach
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup liquid egg white, or 6 egg whites
- a few grinds black pepper
- 2 (8-inch / 20 cm) low-carb protein wrap, high-protein, low-carb (or whole wheat)
- 1/2 cup reduced fat Mexican cheese blend, shredded
To serve
- 2/3 cup salsa
- 1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
Steps
- Mist a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. Cook the ham, bell pepper and onion, stirring now and then, for 4–5 minutes, until the ham is browned at the edges and the vegetables are soft. Add the spinach a handful at a time and stir until it wilts and the pan looks dry again, so no water ends up in the tortilla, then tip everything onto a plate.
- Wipe out the pan. Whisk the egg, egg whites and pepper (no salt needed; the ham and cheese bring plenty), pour into the pan over medium-low heat and stir slowly until softly set and they reach 160°F, about 2–3 minutes. Take them off while they still look a little glossy; they finish cooking inside the tortilla.
- Lay the tortillas flat. Over one half of each, scatter a quarter of the cheese, then half the eggs and half the ham mixture, then another quarter of the cheese. Fold the bare half over and press down.
- Mist the pan with cooking spray again and cook the quesadillas over medium heat for 2–3 minutes a side, pressing with a spatula, until crisp and golden and the cheese has melted. Cut into wedges and serve with the salsa and yogurt.
Good to know
Why cheese on both sides of the filling?
Melted cheese is the glue. With a layer against each side of the tortilla, the wedges hold together instead of the eggs sliding out when you cut it.
Can I make them ahead?
Yes. Assemble without cooking, wrap each one tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for a month. Cook from cold in the pan over medium-low heat, a couple of minutes longer a side, so the middle heats through before the outside burns.
Per
- Calories
- 96
- Protein
- (43%)
- 10 g
- Fat
- (34%)
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- (23%)
- 7 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 376 mg
More breakfast
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 793 kcal goes into the pot and 912 g of ingredients comes out as about 830 g of food: 96 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.