Summer Squash QuesaTaco (Quesadilla + Taco) w/Pineapple Salsa
17
Jun 16, 2014, Updated Dec 22, 2018
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase.
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 mood…and brain. I become angry, desperate…and 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 inventor…or 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 stuff…like 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, jalapeño 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 sauté 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.
Same thing happened to me on what I thought was an epiphany. But if you think of it on your own, you own it! Besides, I know that stoner didn’t come close to your lovely quesatacos. I’m trying them tomorrow. Thanks!
Pineapple salsa sounds SO GOOD to me right now…! Might have to make this sometime this week.
This is a fab idea! Recipe bookmarked and I’ll be having a go 🙂
Sophie
http://what-sophie-said.blogspot.co.uk/
xxx
This looks sooo good. I’m always thinking I’ve “invented” things only to find out that it’s not only been invented, but everyone and their mother knows about it. Oh well. I say it’s completely legit for you to take the credit for this one. Bravo!
That sounds amazing! The town that I’m in has an amazing food truck (that is now a permanent thing) that does Mexican food with an Asian twist. Their tacos are unreal! They also have something called a gringa, which is kind of like what you made. It’s a tortilla folded in half and put on the griddle – sort of like a calzone. They filled it with whatever meat you want, cheese, and this amazing sauce. The pork and kimchi one is to die for. I went yesterday and I might just go again today.
My brother likes to get the Quesorito at Chipotle–that way it will fill up his ravenous, whippet-thin 16 year old body for dinner, but this looks like a much better, more delicious way to enjoy a quesadilla with some toppings in a more manageable portion! I love quesadillas on corn tortillas and this reminds me that I should make them more often!
Girl you should be proud, this is brilliant!!
Two of my favorite things combined! These look delicious.
I want all the quesatacos!
Great recipe, it is just so different to all the other taco variations that I have seen so far. I love the pineapple salsa. In combination with the summer squash this must taste really yummy.
http://blackwhitevivid.com