The bold flavors of chorizo paired with sweet caramelized onions make one tantalizing quesadilla - experiment with different cheeses to take this Chorizo Quesadilla to an even higher level of awesome!
One of the keys to making an amazing quesadilla is to mindfully choose your fillings - as you'll see with this Chorizo Quesadilla recipe. This means quality ingredients and choosing just a few of them. While some people may find this limiting, I think it’s only limiting if you let it be. Ingredients can be manipulated to extract different flavors, thereby providing more tasty options.
Let’s take today’s recipe for a Chorizo Quesadilla, which I've decided to pair with caramelized onion. Onion is an ingredient I often include in quesadillas, typically after a quick pan fry in butter so they are still tender-crisp but not as sharp in flavor as raw onions. Against the bold flavors of chorizo, caramelized onions bring a sweet complexity that raw or quickly pan-fried onions lack.
Chorizo and caramelized onions. It’s a bomb combination. Let’s start by caramelizing those onions.
By the way, this heaty quesadilla is great paired with a fresh Watermelon Water.
Jump to:
- How to Make Caramelized Onions
- How to Make Chorizo Quesadillas - Ingredients
- Chorizo Quesadilla Recommended Substitutions
- Chorizo Quesadilla Variations
- How to Make Chorizo Quesadillas - Directions
- Top Tip
- What to Serve with Chorizo Quesadillas
- Storing leftover quesadillas
- Reheating quesadillas
- Recent Recipes on Midwexican
- Chorizo Quesadilla
How to Make Caramelized Onions
I followed Bon Appetit’s instructions on caramelizing onions. But here’s an abridged version of what I did.
- Thinly slice your onion.
- Add two tablespoons of butter or bacon grease to a pan over medium heat. Once melted and sizzling, add the onions.
- Stir well for 30 seconds or so, until the onions are coated in butter/bacon grease.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. I stopped here (step 6 of Bon Appetit’s instructions) because I was hungry. Even at this stage, the onions will take on a lovely sweet, roasted quality.
- For truly caramelized onions, you’ll want to keep cooking for an additional 15-20 minutes or beyond, depending on how dark you want your onions. Go ahead and cook them to your desired doneness for this recipe.
How to Make Chorizo Quesadillas - Ingredients
To make this Chorizo Quesadilla recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- extra-large tortillas
- chorizo
- yellow onion
- pepper jack cheese
- salsa of your choosing for serving OR try this smoky Quesadilla Sauce
Chorizo Quesadilla Recommended Substitutions
You can easily make this Chorizo Quesadilla recipe your own! Try these suggestions.
- Chorizo - you can use either pork or beef chorizo here. Trader Joe's also makes a product called soyrizo if you'd like a vegetarian option.
- Caramelized onion - give it a quick saute if you're in a hurry. Or leave it out if you don't like onion.
- Cheese - I used pepper jack but you can use any good melting cheese you like such as Oaxaca, mild cheddar, or Colby jack.
Chorizo Quesadilla Variations
You can easily make this Chorizo Quesadilla recipe your own! Try these suggestions.
- Spicy Chorizo Quesadilla - Kick that heat up! Add in sliced jalapenos (either fresh or pickled) or another hot pepper of your choosing. Or add some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to your chorizo as it cooks. Or pair it with a spicy condiment, like Spicy Pico de Gallo.
- Ultimate Chorizo Quesadilla - Like a loaded baked potato, feel free to add any ingredient you wish! I recommend considering fresh charred corn, black or pinto beans, or shredded chicken or shrimp. If you really want to go all out, break out multiple complementary quesadilla condiments, like this Avocado Lime Crema or this Roasted Garlic Guacamole.
How to Make Chorizo Quesadillas - Directions
Caramelize the yellow onions (see instructions above). I followed Bon Appetit’s instructions on caramelizing onions. But here’s an abridged version of what I did.
Thinly slice your onion.
Add two tablespoons of butter or bacon grease to a pan over medium heat. Once melted and sizzling, add the onions.
Stir well for 30 seconds or so, until the onions are coated in butter/bacon grease.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. I stopped here (step 6 of Bon Appetit’s instructions) because I was hungry. Even at this stage, the onions will take on a lovely sweet, roasted quality.
For truly caramelized onions, you’ll want to keep cooking for an additional 15-20 minutes or beyond, depending on how dark you want your onions. Go ahead and cook them to your desired doneness for this recipe.
Bring a large skillet or griddle to medium heat.
Assemble a quesadilla on a cutting board. Divide the three cups of shredded pepper jack cheese into four even portions.
Sprinkle one pile of shredded cheese over half of one tortilla. Add half of the cooked chorizo, followed by half of the caramelized onions, distributing them each evenly. Top with another of the piles of shredded cheese.
Fold the naked half of the tortilla over the top of the side with fillings. Repeat step above with the second quesadilla.
Place quesadillas into a large pan or put on a griddle (you may need to cook one at a time, depending on your cooking surface).
Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until crisp and toasty looking.
Remove from heat and cut into four slices. Serve with your favorite salsa.
Top Tip
I LOVE when some of that cheese peeks out the side of a quesadilla while it cooks. The result is crispy cheesy awesomeness! Just take a closer look at those crispy cheese pieces! I encourage you to sprinkle shredded cheese close to the edges of your quesadilla so you can achieve cheesy, crispy perfection.
What to Serve with Chorizo Quesadillas
Try these awesome accompaniments, perfect for dipping!
- Roasted Garlic Chimichurri - a fresh and herbaceous dipping sauce
- Citrus Jalapeno Salsa - fresh, acidic, punctuated with pleasant hits of heat
- Creamy Green Sauce - bold, thanks to fresh jalapeno and spring onion
Try these awesome side dishes, perfect for serving alongside Chorizo Quesadillas, which includes this recipe for Easy Seasoned Refried Beans and Instant Pot Spanish Rice.
Storing leftover quesadillas
Store leftover quesadillas in a sealed container in the refrigerator. I would plan on doing this for no longer than 24 hours as the quality degrades pretty quickly.
Reheating quesadillas
Reheating a quesadilla to its former glory is pretty much impossible, let’s just get that out of the way. Now that your expectations are set to “good enough”, I will tell you that the best way to reheat a quesadilla in an attempt to mimic its fresh-made gloriousness as closely as possible is in the air fryer. But reheating in the oven or slowly reheating on the stovetop or on a griddle works as well.
Recent Recipes on Midwexican
Chorizo Quesadilla
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 extra large flour tortillas
- ½ pound chorizo cooked and strained on paper towels
- 1 large yellow onion, caramelized (see cooking instructions above)
- 3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- salsa of your choosing
Instructions
Caramelize the onions.
- Caramelize the yellow onions. I followed Bon Appetit’s instructions on caramelizing onions. But here’s an abridged version of what I did. Thinly slice your onion.Add two tablespoons of butter or bacon grease to a pan over medium heat. Once melted and sizzling, add the onions.Stir well for 30 seconds or so, until the onions are coated in butter/bacon grease.Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. I stopped here (step 6 of Bon Appetit’s instructions) because I was hungry. Even at this stage, the onions will take on a lovely sweet, roasted quality. For truly caramelized onions, you’ll want to keep cooking for an additional 15-20 minutes or beyond, depending on how dark you want your onions. Go ahead and cook them to your desired doneness for this recipe.
Assemble and cook the chorizo quesadillas.
- Bring a large skillet or griddle to medium heat. Assemble a quesadilla on a cutting board. Divide the three cups of shredded pepper jack cheese into four even portions.
- Sprinkle one pile of shredded cheese over half of one tortilla. Add half of the cooked chorizo, followed by half of the caramelized onions, distributing them each evenly. Top with another of the piles of shredded cheese.
- Fold the naked half of the tortilla over the top of the side with fillings. Repeat step above with the second quesadilla.
- Place quesadillas into a large pan or put on a griddle (you may need to cook one at a time, depending on your cooking surface).
- Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until crisp and toasty looking.
- Remove from heat and cut into four slices. Serve with your favorite salsa.
The Gourmet Country Girl
This is a great recipe to make when fast, easy and delicious are all on the menu! I made these last night when I realized I didn't have anything already made that I could pull out of the freezer before I had to head out the door. These quesadillas came together very quickly but tasted as good as any home cooked meal that may have taken a lot longer to pull off. The pairing of sweeter caramelized yellow onion with the rich spiciness of chorizo works very well. A wonderful balance of flavors with the minimal amount of ingredients - perfect for busy weeknights!