Spicy Pork Quesadillas
A quick, easy, packed-full-of-flavor entree like these Spicy Pork Quesadillas, is certain to thrill the whole family. You won’t even break a sweat getting dinner on the table.
Once you learn How to Make Quesadillas, they’ll be on your menu frequently. They can be served for any meal of the day, and often made with leftover ingredients in your refrigerator!
Why You Must Make
We are huge pork fans at our house, but I’d yet to make a quesadilla featuring pork. Quesadillas are such an easy meal, and always a hit.
- Pile on your favorite Tex-Mex ingredients like pickled jalapenos, Monterrey Jack cheese, sautéed onions, and bell peppers, fresh cilantro as well as sliced or shredded leftover pork.
- Cook on a grill pan and your spicy pork quesadillas dinner is ready in a matter of minutes!
- They’re easy to customize with ingredients already in your refrigerator. Swap out the cheese or meat with what you have on hand.
How to Make Quesadillas
- Prep your filling ingredients.
- Add a touch of oil or butter to your skillet and heat the pan.
- Place a tortilla in the skillet.
- Add your filling ingredients to the tortilla. The amount will vary depending on whether you fold the single tortilla in half or top with a second tortilla. Use less if planning to fold.
- When the cheese starts to melt, either fold your tortilla in half or add another tortilla to the top and flip.
- Continue cooking until the quesadilla is lightly browned and the filling is hot.
- Cut into wedges and serve.
- Repeat after wiping the pan as needed.
Expert Tips
- Quesadillas are easily adaptable. As long as you have tortillas and cheese, you can invent your own depending upon what is in your kitchen.
- Besides dinner, quesadilla wedges are great for snacks and appetizers.
- They’re also wonderful on game day when the family is parked in front of the TV.
- Use your favorite tortillas. Flour tortillas are the most pliable, but corn and whole wheat will work, too.
- Don’t overfill or the fillings may fall out when flipping.
- Make sure you don’t scrimp on the cheese as it’s the glue that keeps the quesadillas together.
- Cook over medium heat. If the heat is too high, the exterior will burn before the cheese melts.
- Lightly grease the cooking surface. That will encourage browning.
Tex Mex recipes make some of the quickest dinner recipes. My family loves tacos and fajitas. If you are a chicken lover, these Cheesy Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas are marvelous, too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Quesadillas are a snack, appetizer, or main dish made of flour or corn tortillas filled with a savory mixture of meat, cheese, beans, and/or vegetables, folded in half and toasted.
The Mexican term for quesadillas is Sincronizadas, which translates to synchronized in English.
The fillings will determine whether a quesadilla is healthy or unhealthy. To make a healthier quesadilla, go light on the cheese and load it up with vegetables instead of meat.
The options are endless. Make breakfast quesadillas with scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, and cheese. Use leftover dinner ingredients plus cheese to invent your own versions. Just make sure to add a melty cheese to help seal your quesadilla.
Make your quesadillas in a skillet or on a grill pan, on a grill, or on a sheet pan in the oven. The goal is to gently brown, heat the fillings, and melt the cheese.
You May Also Like:
- Easy Garlic Ginger Glazed Spicy Pork from Foodie with Family
- Smothered Pork Chops Recipe from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
- Ciabatta Cubano Sandwich
- Apple Topped Pork Medallions
- Pork Chop Dijonnaise
- More Entree Recipes
Spicy Pork Quesadillas
An easy quesadilla recipe using grilled pork, Monterey Jack, onions, and peppers.
Ingredients
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- 1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced or pickled jalapenos
- 1.5-2 pounds seasoned pork tenderloins.
- 12 flour tortillas
Instructions
- Grill, or roast, your pork to 150º. Allow to rest, then slice into very thin, bite-sized pieces. You will use only about half the loin. Set aside.
- Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add onion and bell pepper, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cook until tender. Set aside.
- To make quesadillas, brush the skillet or grill pan with olive oil. Heat the pan, then add one tortilla, ¼ cup of cheese, some of the onions and peppers, a few slices of jalapeno, and slices of the grilled pork.
- Top with another tortilla and cook till the bottom is browned and the cheese is melted. Flip and cook until the second side is browned.
- Cut quesadillas into quarters and serve.
Notes
May use any leftover griled or roasted pork, too.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 quesadillaAmount Per Serving: Calories: 675Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 889mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 38g
9 Comments on “Spicy Pork Quesadillas”
Looks like really delicous quesadillas. Pre-marinated meats scare me but these sounds really good!
this looks like dinner tonight!
These quesadillas look so easy to make!! My husband would be all over this Liz!
Pork is one of my favorite meats! Maybe my favorite — it’s so versatile. LIke in this dish — love what you’ve done here. Very creative. And flavorful, I’ll bet. Thanks!
Easy peasy and delicious too!
This looks like a must try recipe! Love how easy it is to make. 🙂