Quesadilla Bar with Fresh Pico de Gallo

Sometimes it’s the simplest of recipe concepts that create the biggest buzz.  I think it’s because they tend to be a spin on foods that we are comfortable with and have come to love.  Make your own quesadilla night at our house is something that I NEVER get complaints about.  Not only is it a family favorite but it’s fun to change it up each time with different ingredients.  One thing that is always included is homemade pico de gallo, quesadilla night is just not an option if pico is not on the table.

If you have 5 minutes then you have enough time to make pico, and you will be so happy you did. It’s simply a mixture of chopped tomatoes, jalapeño, red onion, cilantro and fresh lime juice.  You can make this ahead of time which is even better because it gives the flavors time to marinate together.

As far as the quesadilla ingredients, that’s entirely up to you!  On this night we chose to go meatless and fill our quesadillas with roasted vegetables.  I used baby bell peppers, zucchini and a couple of ears of corn and it was a winning combination.

There are so many ingredient options to choose from, we also  like grilled chicken with sautéed mushrooms or black beans with sweet potatoes, just to name a few. If you are roasting vegetables, you can roast the vegetables ahead  as well so they are ready to go at dinnertime.  Now all this talk about quesadillas is making me hungry, I think it’s time to plan another quesadilla night STAT!

Quesadilla Bar with Fresh Pico de Gallo

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Author: Good Thyme Kitchen

Serves: Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Pico de Gallo:

• 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• ½ jalapeno, seeded and chopped - use more if you like it spicy
• ⅓ C chopped red onion
• ⅓ C chopped cilantro
• ½ lime, juiced
• pinch of kosher salt

For the Roasted Vegetables:

• 2 zucchinis, cut into 1 inch strips
• 12 (or so) mini bell peppers, seeded with membranes removed and cut into strips
• 2 ears corn, shucked
• 2 Tbsp good quality olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt

For the Quesadilla:

• 8 flour tortillas
• 1½ cups grated jack cheese (pepper jack, mozzarella, cheddar and gouda work well too)

Instructions

For the Pico de Gallo:

1. Mix all ingredients together and serve or make up to one day in advanced and store in the refrigerator.

For the Roasted Vegetables:

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Toss peppers and zucchini in a bowl with 1 1/12 Tbsp olive oil
3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and lay vegetables out on baking sheet. Rub remaining olive oil on corn and place on baking sheet as well. Sprinkle vegetables and corn with salt. Roast for approximately 30 minutes until vegetables are tender and slightly brown around the edges.
4. Remove corn from cob and place vegetables on a platter or in individual serving bowls.

For the Quesadilla:

1. Create your own quesadillas by placing cheese on one side of a tortilla and piling your favorite ingredients on the cheese. Top with another tortilla and cook over medium-high heat in a skillet until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes). With a spatula flip the quesadilla over and cook the other side. Remove from heat and cut into sections like a pizza. Serve with pico de gallo.

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