🧀The Best Fried Quesadillas🧀 (Empanada Stuffed with Pepper & Onion) and Homemade Salsa & Guacamole

cheese

🥗Healthier: low-fat cheese

💰Cheaper: processed cheese

Low-fat cheese reduces calories while maintaining flavor.

cooked chicken

🥗Healthier: tofu

💰Cheaper: canned chicken

Tofu is a plant-based option, while canned chicken is more affordable.

sour cream

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: plain yogurt

Greek yogurt offers similar creaminess with fewer calories.

jalapeños

🥗Healthier: bell peppers

💰Cheaper: banana peppers

Bell peppers provide crunch without the heat.

Add 1 cup of maseca into a bowl with 1 tsp of flour, ½ tsp of baking powder, and ½ tsp of salt, and mix evenly.

Pour in ½ tbsp of oil and slowly mix in warm water until a smooth dough forms.

Form the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to hydrate for at least a half-hour.

Blend together ⅛ of an onion, 1 large garlic clove, and 3 small roma tomatoes until fairly smooth, adding salt to taste and 1 small red serrano pepper.

Mix in 2 tbsp each of chopped cilantro and onion, and add about ½ cup of water for smoother salsa. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Mash 3 small avocados in a bowl, then mix in 3 tbsp of chopped cilantro, ⅛ of an onion, a diced tomato, and ½ minced jalapeño, finishing with 1 tbsp of lime juice and salt to taste.

Slice 3 large jalapeños in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut into thin slices, then slice ½ onion.

In a preheated and oiled pan, cook the sliced onion on medium-low for about 3 minutes, then add the jalapeños and some salt, cooking covered until softened for 20-25 minutes.

Split the hydrated masa into 8 balls, press each ball into a tortilla using a tortilla press.

On one half of the tortilla, add chihuahua cheese and some of the pepper and onion filling, ensuring a clean edge to seal.

Fold the tortilla over and press the edges to seal, then heat ½" of oil in a pan and fry the quesadillas one at a time until golden on both sides.

Set the fried quesadillas in a paper towel lined bowl to catch excess oil and serve with shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens