Cranberry-Jalapeño Sauce Gives This Quesadilla Something Extra
Gussy up your quesadilla with a sweet-tart-spicy moment
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Look, we love a quesadilla, no matter how humble. But there’s nothing wrong with gussying one up from time to time, too. Here we went for a zippy cranberry-jalapeño sauce for a bit of sweet-tangy-spicy to cut through the cheese and crema. If you find yourself with extra sauce, try it on a breakfast biscuit sandwich – or really on anything at all. The recipe calls for cheddar cheese, but of course you could use your favorite dairy or non-dairy variety.
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Quesadilla with Cranberry-Jalapeño Sauce
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 tsp avocado oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 10-oz. bag cranberries (thawed if frozen)
- 1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 tsp lime zest + 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 green apple, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup raw honey
Quesadillas
- 6 7- to 8-inch tortillas
- 2 2/3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp avocado oil, divided
- optional toppings: sour cream, cilantro, sliced avocado
Preparation
1. Prepare sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil on medium. Add shallot and sauté until soft, 2 minutes. Add cranberries, jalapeño, lime zest, lime juice, cumin and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst and sauce thickens, about 6 minutes. Stir in apple and honey and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes (sauce will thicken as it cools).
2. Prepare quesadillas: Spread one-third of the sauce over 1 tortilla. Sprinkle with about one-third of cheese and top with a second tortilla to make 1 quesadilla. Repeat to assemble a total of 3 quesadillas.
3. Preheat oven to 200ºF. Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Brush 1 tsp oil over skillet. Place 1 quesadilla in skillet. Cook until golden, about 2 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until golden on the other side, 1 to 2 minutes. Place on baking sheet in oven to keep warm; repeat for remaining quesadillas. Cut quesadillas into quarters and serve with toppings, if desired.
To amp up your presentation, reserve 1 tbsp of the cranberry sauce and lightly combine with sour cream to create marbleized designs that look and taste amazing.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size ¼ of recipe
- Calories 701
- Carbohydrate Content 72 g
- Cholesterol Content 75 mg
- Fat Content 35 g
- Fiber Content 12 g
- Protein Content 27 g
- Saturated Fat Content 16 g
- Sodium Content 769 mg
- Sugar Content 25 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 13 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 3 g