Summer Squash QuesaTaco (Quesadilla + Taco) w/Pineapple Salsa
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Jun 16, 2014, Updated Feb 16, 2025
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Sometimes I’m so hungry I feel like I might die. I know I’m being super melodramatic because people can go days and sometimes weeks without food but something happens where my blood sugar levels dictate my moodโฆand brain. I become angry, desperateโฆand then super creative.
I begin pairing ingredients that are strange and on the verge of not-so-pleasant. But a few weeks ago, I came across a freakin’ gem. I peered in my fridge, saw some tortillas, cheese and some leftover shredded chicken. That is when the first child from a quesadilla mother and taco father was born. QuesaTaco!
I’m an inventorโฆor so I thought. I googled it and realized some stoner kid on Reddit had already done it. SO, I didn’t exactly invent it but I still feel pretty proud of this recipe.
This recipe starts with a super quick cooking situation with diced summer squash, ancho chile powder and ground cumin. That’s the filling.
Then I made a bunch of quesadillas.
The quesadillas were then topped with all sorts of stuffโฆlike a taco!
Now, I love this recipe. I love the squash and all that, but feel free to take this idea and stuff it with whatever you like. Chicken tinga, pulled pork, asada, guacamole, etc. You get the idea.
QuesaTaco (quesadilla + taco). I can’t stake claim that I invented this, but it’s still exciting, nonetheless.
Summer Squash QuesaTaco (Quesadilla + Taco) w/Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
- 1/2 pineapple, peeled and diced
- 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- Salt
- Olive oil
- 2 zucchini or summer squash, ends trimmed diced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- Salt
- 3 to 4 squash blossoms, end trimmed and diced (optional)
- 1 cup shredded cheese, your choice, as long as it's melty - I used a Monterey Jack/Cheddar Cheese blend
- 16 small corn or flour tortillas
- Crumbled cotija cheese, for topping
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the pineapple, jalapeรฑo pepper, cilantro, red onion, juice from 1/2 lemon and a few pinches of salt. Set aside.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a medium sautรฉ pan, placed over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the zucchini or summer squash, ancho chile powder and a few pinches of salt. Mix until combined. Cook until the squash is bright in color and a teeny-bit translucent, about 3 minutes. Mix in the squash blossoms until slightly wilted. Turn the heat off and cover the pot so the mixture stays warm.
- Rub a fry pan or griddle with a 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and heat over medium-low heat. Assemble the quesadillas, you know how to do this, place a handful of cheese between two tortillas. Cooking them in batches, transfer them to the skillet or griddle and cover them with a lid to help melt the cheese. Place the quesadillas in a warm oven while you cook the rest of the quesadillas.
- To assemble, fold the quesadillas like a taco and fill them with a few spoonfuls of the zucchini mixture and top with pineapple salsa. Repeat with all of the quesadillas.
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Love the idea of the squash blossoms as a taco, quesadilla or quesataco filling!
I love that you utilized the squash blossoms in this recipe!!!!!
Totally sounds like something a stoner would invent…and totally sounds like something I need to try!
Wanting to jump into your photos and gobble up those QuesaTacos. Stat.
Something tells me the stoner kid on reddit didn’t do quite such a lovely job ๐