I feel like I’ve made this recipe before. Not for this blog or anything, but in general. I’m guessing that’s because I have – my whole life. I love quesadillas. Actually, I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love these things. After all, what’s not to love?
Compared to my regular recipe, this one shakes things up a bit. There’s the addition of some garlic and the small part of a very finely minced jalapeno pepper. I don’t normally add two different types of bell pepper like this recipe calls for, but for the rest, I was in my wheel house. Man, I always wanted to say that. Wheel house that is.
The Recipe
This quesadilla recipe is fast and easy. Once the veggies are prepped and sauteed, things will come together fast. Really, the best part of the entire process is that everything is baked in the oven until the cheese is melted. There’s no additional olive oil necessary to spread in a skillet and no mess with trying to flip each quesadilla over. I’ve never had any luck with doing that anyway, so in that regard, this recipe was somewhat of a learning experience.
Regarding flavor, it’s spot on. I really enjoy the hot pepper. I gave it a tiny nibble before I cooked it down and boy was it hot. After I minced it and sauteed it though, things smoothed out quite a bit. The Monterey jack cheese is nice as well. While the addition of mozzarella certainly wouldn’t have hurt anything, the Monterey jack is a great alternative. It’s also more firm when cooled, which makes eating less messy.
Lastly, I’d like to thank Paulette Mitchell and her book Vegetarian Sandwiches for this recipe. It’s as good as all the others.
Ingredients
Makes: 2 Quesadillas
1 Tablespoon Regular Olive Oil
1 Red Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Sweet Onion, Finely Chopped
1/2 Jalapeno Pepper, Finely Minced
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced
1/2 Cup Canned Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed
1 Large Roma Plum Tomato, Coarsely Chopped
10 Canned Black Olives, Sliced
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
Ground Black Pepper
Sea Salt
4 9-Inch Tortillas
2 Cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Shredded
Sour Cream
Step-by-Step Instructions
If you want to add to the flavor even more, try switching out the black olive for the more robust Kalamata. While black olives are smooth in flavor, the Kalamata really takes things up a notch. If you’ve never tried them, give them a shot.
Pre-Heat Oven
Go ahead and pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare the Filling
Add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet and warm it over medium heat. When it’s to temperature, add in both bell peppers, the onion, the Jalapeno pepper and the garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes to soften the vegetables.
After that, turn off the heat and add the black beans, the tomato, the olives, the red wine vinegar, the dried oregano and stir well. Then, season to taste with the salt and black pepper.
Assemble the Quesadillas
Arrange two of the tortillas on your counter top. Then, take about half the shredded cheese and divide it between the two. After that, divide the filling between the two tortillas on top of the cheese and then finish the cheese off by sprinkling it over the vegetables.
After that, place the remaining tortillas on top of each quesadilla and press down firmly.
Cook the Quesadillas
Carefully arrange both raw quesadillas on a large baking sheet and place it in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes or until you begin to see the tortillas brown on the bottom. The cheese melts rather quickly, so once the tortillas brown, you can be confident everything has cooked throughout. When finished, remove the baking sheet from the oven, allow the quesadillas to cool for about 10 minutes, cut into 4 pieces each and serve.
The Final Quesadilla
This is a very tasty quesadilla. It’s got enough moisture in it to chew just about perfectly. Enjoy!
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