Easy Cinco de Mayo Recipe: Quesadillas!
Let’s celebrate; it’s Cinco de Mayo!
Not that you really need a reason to chow down on a protein- and/or veggie-filled quesadilla, but if you are of a mind to commemorate Mexico’s 1862 victory against France, here are a couple of easy Cinco de Mayo recipe ideas.
Quesadillas can be made in the oven or on the stovetop with a variety of ingredients — sautéed mushrooms and spinach, corn and black beans, asparagus and goat cheese, cooked cubed potato and chorizo — basically whatever you’ve got in the fridge will work. Both cooking methods use relatively little fat and their size makes portion control a no-brainer.
Serve ‘em up with fresh salsa and Greek yogurt; pour yourself a margarita and celebrate Cinco de Mayo tonight!
A store-bought rotisserie chicken makes this Cinco de Mayo recipe a cinch.
Baked Quesadilla Recipe
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place two 8-inch flour tortillas on a baking sheet and top each with ½ cup shredded roasted chicken breast, three minced sun-dried tomato halves, ½ cup mozzarella, ¼ teaspoon dried basil and 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
Drizzle one teaspoon olive oil over each and top with a second tortilla. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden. Cut into wedges.
The following award-winning Spicy Zucchini Quesadilla recipe, courtesy of Linda Taylor from Lenexa, Kansas, uses summer squash, bell pepper and pepper jack cheese to create a hearty vegetarian option. Swap out the traditional flour tortilla for a whole-wheat or multi-grain option and sneak a whole-grain serving into your diet as well.
- 1 large onion
- ½ cup chopped sweet red pepper
- 1 teaspoon butter, plus additional for spreading on tortillas
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 8 flour tortillas (8 inch)
- 8 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
- Lightly spread each tortilla on one side with butter and set aside.
- Saute onion and red pepper in one teaspoon butter.
- Add shredded zucchini and taco seasoning to pan and continue to cook for 3 minutes, until zucchini is tender. Remove from heat.
- Spread ¼ cup vegetable filling and ¼ cup cheese over ½ of each tortilla (unbuttered side) and fold in half.
- Heat a large frying pan or griddle to medium and place tortilla on hot pan.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until cheese is melted and tortilla is golden brown.
Did you know that May 5th is not Mexico’s Independence Day? Cinco de Mayo is a relatively minor holiday in most of Mexico. They celebrate their independence from Spain on September 16. —Karen