Sweet potato and kale quesadillas with coconut flour tortillas stack sweet, spicy, and savory into every golden fold. Mashed sweet potato mixes with chipotle peppers in adobo, cumin, and chili powder, then joins sautéed kale, green onions, and tomatoes. Pan-crisped until browned — this is quesadilla night, rebuilt.
Sweet Potato and Kale Quesadillas with Coconut Flour Tortillas
This combination of flavors is absolute perfection! This Paleo quesadilla recipe produces a dish that encompasses so many delectable flavors—sweet, spicy, savory—all of which are really revved-up with the fiery combination of cumin, chili powder, and some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. This recipe right here more than just pleases the palate, it is lip-smacking g-o-o-d!
Serves 4–6
3 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1⁄2"-thick slices
1⁄4 teaspoon (20 ml) salt, divided use
1⁄2 teaspoon (10 ml) cumin
1⁄2 teaspoon (10 ml) chili powder
1⁄4 teaspoon (20 ml) oregano
1–2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
1⁄2 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups (720 ml) chopped kale
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1–2 cups (480 ml) tomatoes, diced
8–10 large coconut flour tortillas (see Spicy Beef Tacos recipe)
- Add the potatoes to a large saucepan and add enough water until the potatoes are about covered, and bring water to a boil (over high heat). Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Drain, then pour into a large bowl. Mash the potatoes and add the salt, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and chipotle peppers. Mix until well combined.
- In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the kale and green onions. Cook until the kale is bright green and tender. Add the kale and onion mixture to the mashed sweet potatoes. Add in the tomatoes and mix until combined.
- Using a spatula, spread about 1⁄3–1⁄2 cup (480 ml) of the filling on half of a tortilla. Fold the empty half of the tortilla. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Cook the quesadillas in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned, flipping halfway through. Serve with fresh vegetables and a hot sauce/salsa of your choice.
Pro Tips
- Simmer the sweet potato slices about 15 minutes until tender, then mash while warm so the spices bloom into the sweet flesh.
- Cook the kale until it's just bright green and tender — overcooked kale turns army-green and loses its bite against the sweet potato.
- Spread 1/3–1/2 cup filling on half of each tortilla and fold; overfilling makes the quesadillas impossible to flip cleanly.
- Cook over medium-high heat until properly browned on both sides — that crisp coconut-flour shell is half the pleasure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How spicy are these quesadillas?
The chipotle peppers in adobo give a smoky heat that builds — use one pepper for warmth or two for a proper kick.
Can I use a different tortilla?
The coconut flour tortillas are the paleo base here, but any sturdy grain-free tortilla that crisps in the pan will work.
Can I make the filling ahead?
Yes — the sweet potato and kale filling keeps 3 days in the fridge. Assemble and crisp the quesadillas fresh when you're ready to eat.
What should I serve with them?
Fresh vegetables and a hot sauce or salsa of your choice — the cool crunch plays beautifully against the chipotle warmth.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Add the potatoes to a large saucepan and add enough water until the potatoes are about covered, and bring water to a boil (over high heat).
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- Drain, then pour into a large bowl. Mash the potatoes and add the salt, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and chipotle peppers.
- Mix until well combined.
- In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add in the kale and green onions.
- Cook until the kale is bright green and tender.
- Add the kale and onion mixture to the mashed sweet potatoes.
- Add in the tomatoes and mix until combined.
- Using a spatula, spread about 1⁄3–1⁄2 cup of the filling on half of a tortilla.
- Fold the empty half of the tortilla.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Cook the quesadillas in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned, flipping halfway through.
- Serve with fresh vegetables and a hot sauce/salsa of your choice.
