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Macaroni Salad with Lentil Quesadillas
40 min
Main
Servings
Total
40 minPrep
15 minCook
25 minContains
soy
Swap out
gluten
Free from
peanut
tree nut
sesame
Ingredients
Lentil quesadilla
-
1 cup (205 g)dry green lentils , rinsed
-
3 Tbsp (45 mL)canned crushed tomatoes (optional)
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2 Tbsp (18 g)burrito seasoning
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4large soft tortillas
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1 Tbsp (15 mL)vegetable oil
Macaroni salad
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1 cup (122 g)dry whole wheat macaroni
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1 cup (138 g)frozen green peas
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1carrot, shredded
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¾ cup (180 mL)unsweetened soy yogurt
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2 Tbsp (20 g)minced onion (optional)
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2 Tbsp (18 g)burrito seasoning
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½vegetable bouillon cube, crumbled
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1 pinchground black pepper, plus more to taste
Quick salsa
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1 cup (240 g)canned diced tomatoes
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¼medium onion, minced
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1garlic clove, crushed
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1 pinchsalt
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1 pinchground black pepper
Optional topping
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fresh cilantro
Directions
- Cook the lentils in a saucepan according to the package instruction.
- In a large pot, cook the macaroni according to the package instructions. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the green peas.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain and transfer to a large bowl.
- To the same bowl, add the carrot, yogurt, onion, burrito seasoning, bouillon, and pepper. Mix.
- To make the quesadillas, check to ensure the lentils are fully cooked. When they are soft through into the centre, drain well.
- Transfer the drained lentils to a large bowl, along with the crushed tomato, and burrito spice. Use a fork or potato masher to mash until roughly puréed.
- Spread the lentil mixture over each half of the tortilla wraps. Fold in half.
- Heat half of the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Place two of the quesadillas in the pan and cook for 1 - 2 minutes on each side, or until golden. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining quesadillas.
- To make the quick salsa, add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Mix.
- Cut the quesadillas into triangles and serve with the salsa and macaroni salad. Enjoy!
Storage
- Store the macaroni salad and quesadillas separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Let us know what you think
Watch it step-by-step!
Plate method
The Plate Method is a visual tool that helps us ensure our dietary needs are on track. Touch the image below to see how this recipe measures up.
Grains & Starches 40%
• large soft tortilla
• dry whole wheat macaroni
Proteins 40%
• dry green lentils
• frozen green peas
• unsweetened soy yogurt
Fruits & Veggies 20%
• canned crushed tomatoes
• carrot
• minced onion
• canned diced tomatoes
• medium onion
• garlic clove
Calcium
• unsweetened soy yogurt
Fat
• vegetable oil
Nutrition info
Focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. For specific nutrition needs due to a medical condition, consult a dietitian or physician. While we strive to provide accurate nutritional information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. See our disclaimer for details.
Leave a comment
Another top-notch recipe. I didn’t have crushed tomatoes, but did have salsa (used a bit more since salsa does not have the same intense tomato flavor). I love your app! I had tried another vegan app and found the recipes difficult and bland. But your recipes are easy and so flavorful.
Delish and filling. The quesadilla were awesome with vegan cheese!
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So tasty and filling! Definitely a keeper😉
This is my all time fave!
I liked it! The quesadillas could’ve used some vegan cheese though! 😏
Made it for myself and my non-vegan partner. After tasting his comment was: “are you paying for this app? Cause I’d be happy to do it!” 😜
I was positively surprised with this one, it is very good! I recommend adding a bit of sugar in the salsa to counter the sourness from the tomato
This is my go to (like many others) when I don't know what to cook or to easily make something to bring to a friend's house.
Thank you as always Sadia & co!
This was very easy and delicious. I used cooked brown lentils from a can and sprinkled some shredded vegan mozzarella on top of the mixture in the Quesadillas. Soooo yummy, my picky eater husband loved this recipe too. Next time I will try it with some guacamole.
Could you post a homemade recipe for the burrito mix? My store didn't have one, and I do prefer making my own spice mixes. I found one on The Tortilla Channel and it was an epic fail. I used one tablespoon and the lentils were so salty, we couldn't eat it. I liked the idea of using lentils instead of the usual red kidney beans and would like to try the recipe again. Also, I used one can of brown lentils (540 ml) and I'm wondering if the measurements were off as well.
This was a delicious, unique meal - thank you so much for sharing it 🤩 my partner Jake and I loved it very much and will make it again. After using the crushed tomatoes for the lentil mixture, I just used the rest of the can to make the salsa (instead of diced tomatoes) and it worked great too! We also added a sprinkle of vegan cheese in the quesadillas 🤫
One thing I will say is - I know it’s in the photo, but maybe adding cilantro to the ingredient list could help people know it’s an option to incorporate it. It’s something that I glossed over when preparing the grocery list, but luckily I have a plant that I could pick some from - I truly feel like it helps to add a crucial dimension to the salsa and unify the meal as a whole ❣️ Thank you again for this one!
Delicious! I added some corn to the salad and used chickpea pasta in rotini shapes. Works great for meal prep.
So good! I never used to be a fan of lentils, but since going plant-based, I've learned to enjoy them. This recipe might be my favorite way to eat lentils now.
The way you write your recipe, i like the writing content, thanks for the simplest details of storage and ending plus suggestions asked.
Such a simple and tasty meal :) will be soing this one again!
This is so easy to make! Tasty too! And great for using leftover products (I added olives).
First of all,so happy I stumbled upon you on YouTube! This app is amazing! Made this meal, and we both loved it. Pasta salad was flavorful and very comforting. Loved the lentil quesadillas. Easy to make and delicious. Love that there is leftovers.
I tried making this today for lunch and really liked it! I couldn't find any soy yogurt in my local supermarket so I just swapped it for an unsweetened vanilla almond milk yogurt I was skeptical at first with this substitution but it worked just fine! I will definitely be making this again 🤗
I had my doubts about this recipe and initially I was a bit disappointed by the lentil Quesadillas (I used half the fajita spice but they still remained quite flavourless for some reason, while the other half gave the salad QUITE the kick), but in the end the spice of the salad paired very well with the quesadillas. I also meal prepped this one and it just seemed to get tastier as the days went by! Became one of my favourite recipes and I can't wait to make it again :)
I have loved the recipes from the budget challenge that I have tried. For whatever reason, in my area, I have had a really hard time finding vegetable bouillon cubes. They either aren't available or are VERY expensive. Any suggestions on how to substitute or where to find? Thanks!
I have nothing but love for this salad and those quesadillas. I would never have thought to use burrito seasoning like this, but it works so well! It's delicious, easy to make and when I cook it for guests, they always love it and are impressed that it's so tasty. Thanks for giving me ideas and making me less stressed with original choices when cooking :)
Hi again! I don't have a whole carrot with me and am not able to buy one right now. In my freezer I have frozen peas and carrots that come is little squared cubes, is that ok to use instead?? Also can I use Greek yogurt instead of coconut yogurt, because I also can't buy that?? If not I do have coconut milk.
I made the quesadillas with black beans since we didn't have lentils... very tasty!
I was really excited about this recipe. However, 2 tbsp of burrito seasoning was simply too much for the Mac salad. I'm not sure what happened. Unfortunately, I had to rinse everything out in a strainer and start over with new yogurt, and I decided to do the regular mustard and different seasoning. However, the lentil quesadillas were a hit...my husband loved them! :)
Hi!! I am not able to but soy yogurt what other yogurt would you recommend I use or should I skip this step??
Super yummy! Served it my family and they loved it! Pasta salad was fresh and absolutely delicious. I served the lentil quesadillas with fresh salsa and just a mashed avocado on top ((:
The pasta was a bit odd tasting. But loved the lentil pockets!
Hi Sadia, hi PUL Team. I tried today both the macaroni salad and the lentil quesadillas (scaled the recipe down to 1 person), and I want to share my experience and ask some questions.
1. The macaroni salad was far too spicy, and I think I know the reason, I overdid it with the fajita spice mix. I cooked the macaroni, salted them and then put half a tbsp of the spice mix (not leveled). I thought it wouldn't make such a difference, but it did. And also I think my yogurt was too sour, which didn't improve it.
2. Then, I made the lentil quesadillas and I had two problems. Firstly, I didn't know if I should add salt to the lentils and secondly, even after cooking them for like 30 min, it was really hard to smash them. The result: the filling wasn't holding together and falling of the wraps. This time I used less of the spice mix, and they tasted delicious but didn't have enough salt 😐.
Since I am not a professional cook, can you tell me if I should salt the lentils and to what ratio? And how to cook them properly so that they become soft enough?
Best regards :)
We too are doing the five day meal plan, tonight will be meal three. I've made a large number of your recipes and they always turn out great. I saw someone comment from Melbourne, AU, about the local costs. I'm curious to know that too. We live in Wellington, NZ, and the shopping list as provide was $123NZD. Anyway, I really appreciate having PUL as a resource for reliable and interesting meal planning. Very healthy and helpful. Cheers.
So yummy and easy to prepare! Will take the recipe as a future staple.
The macaroni salad is so yummy!! Texture is so smooth and it is very refreshing
I echo Jordan below… the quesadillas were a huge hit! But the macaroni salad was a little weird for my family and me. I can’t put my finger on what was a little odd about it, but that’s okay. Wish I had something more constructive to offer! I’ll serve the quesadillas up next time with a yummy soup :)
The lentil quesadillas were good- my boyfriend and I both enjoyed them a lot! The macaroni salad was odd and I kept looking back at the recipe after tasting it to see if I'd missed something. It was pretty easy to make, but would probably only make the quesadillas again :)
I think I'll have to give this recipe another try! Macaroni salad came out delicious, I added sour cream instead of yogurt to use it up. As for lentil quesadillas, that's when I had a little trouble :) so I cooked lentils according to package instructions which said to cook them in salted water. Now according to the recipe, lentils are mixed with burrito spice mix OR Mexican seasoning later which also contains salt (at least my mix does), and so the quesadillas turned out way too salty :D Next time I'll cook the lentils without adding salt to the water and see how it goes. Oh, btw I used red lentils cause I already had some in and thought I'd use it up instead of buying another package.
P.S.: quick salsa sauce came out amazing!
Amazing! The Mexican style macaroni salad is so creative and fun! This recipe was awesome :)
Love the recipe
Absolutely loved this recipe! It was so simple to make and the lentil quesadillas were more delicious than I expected! Even had enough leftover for lunch the next day 😋
I will never get enough of this salad. I am blown away by how yummy this is. So simple and easy to make yet it rocked my world. Since I couldn't find soy yogurt and had bought coconut yogurt which hadn't worked well in another recipe, I substituted it for a vegan herbed mayonaise and just wow, so yummy. The bread was good too but not the hero for me. This will be a weekly meal for me moving forward.
Step 2. Is it in the last 2 minutes or the first two minutes that we had the peas ? I'm confused
This was sooo good! Especially the quesadillas 😍
My sister usually doesn't like lentils but she really enjoyed this.
Thank you for all your hard work and your great recipes!
This was super delicious 😋🥰 I love the freshness of the macaroni salad combined with the lentil quesadillas 👍🏼 I had one zucchini left, so I shredded it as well and cooked it along with the shredded carrots, because my body can digest the veggies better this way 😊 I also switched peas with edamame and seasoned it without the burrito spice mix, but with everything that is in the spice mix and some fresh garlic 🤩
You're absolutely right that this is perfect for picnics or to serve for guests 😌💚
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious meal!
Hi Sadia! Just made the macaroni salad. So quick and easy! Thinking of adding a teaspoon of ketchup to the sauce next time to add some sweetness and see how that goes. =)
Also made the burrito spice mix. Thought I'd let you know that when clicking on it in the macaroni salad recipe it opens a link to a sexual health book. Probably not the kind of spicy you were going for! ;D
Both of these recipes are wonderful and packed with flavor! The only thing I would say is after eating both dishes together, since they both used the same spice mix they had some taste similarities. I think for my leftovers I'll pair the macaroni salad with a sandwich or veggie burger to have a bit more of an eclectic flavor mix - but again, I was not disappointed by either dish - both were incredibly filling, delicious and wholesome!
Hi there! This looks like another amazing recipe of yours I would love! Unfortunately I can’t get the link to the burrito spice mix to work :/ Is there anything that I can substitute? Thanks!
Unfortunately, my lentil filling did not stay together well but I still really enjoyed this dish! The pasta salad complimented the tortillas really well with a certain freshness from the yoghurt :)
Awesome recipe! So delicious, tasty, flavourful, fast, easy, cheap! Nothing more to say. Will definately prep this salad in the future a few times!
This was really good and filling after a day hiking. Thanks!
Woow, just wooow
I'm really enjoying these recipes. The salad two days ago was great and this macaroni salad is very tasty too. I do however have a question. Where do you buy dry green lentils? The lentils I found need 8 to 12 hours of soaking time in water and 90 minutes of cooking time which seems like a lot. Had to swap the lentils in the patty recipe for a can of lentils cause I found out to late.
Love your recipes
I love how you are basically making three meal components all within budget and it all tastes so good! I had never tried making pasta salad with yogurt before and it is a sure fire winner. I found this recipe quick and easy to make which was another bonus!
Hello,
I made this recipe today as a lunch and it was so delicious, healthy and easy to make. Literally, I was smiling while eating this meal. So thank you for making my day even better!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, im excited to try it:) Do you think that vegan mayo would be a good substitute for the soy yogurt? I cant find a soy yogurt that is unsweetened
Just made this recipe and it is delicious! It’s different than anything I’ve made before and it turned out perfectly! I especially appreciate the budget friendly aspect!
I made this an hour ago and I didn’t expect it to exceed my expectations! Wow. All of it was amazing! This recipe was really packed with flavors!
Those Quesadillas probably were the best I ever ate. Even better than all the non vegan quesadillas I ate in my life.
I added 2 tablespoons of Salsa Verde and a tablespoon if flour to bind. I also made a quick guacamole as a side. I neither missed the meat nor the cheese.
The pasta salad was decent, a solid support cast to those awesome Quesadillas.
Just made the macaroni salade! Our family loves it :) we also added some pickles! Thanks again for these amazing recipes <3
My wife and I watched this video on the weekend and decided to basically make this our meal plan for this week. So far we had the roasted veggie salad which was delicious (even though my oven seems to be more powerful than yours) and the potato-lentil-pattie wraps, which also were really tasty.
Looking forward for the rest of the week. Hopefully the rest of the meals will also be candidates to join our "weeknightmeal rotation"
Just made this and we totally loved it! Thank you for the recipe! So simple and quick to prepare.
We just finished making and eating the quesadillas and they were delicious!! The salsa definitely brought it up a notch. My filling didn’t stay together that well, not sure if I needed to mash it more or add any more liquid, but the taste was still delicious. Thanks for another great and simple recipe!
I’m going to give this challenge a try. Very curious to see how much the ingredients cost here (Melbourne, Australia) although I know it will still be budget friendly. Thanks for the great recipes and inspo :0)