Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Quesadilla

The bold flavors of chorizo paired with sweet caramelized onions make one tantalizing quesadilla – experiment with different cheeses to take this Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Quesadilla to an even higher level of awesome!

One of the keys to making an amazing quesadilla is to mindfully choose your fillings. This means choose quality ingredients and choose 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 Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Quesadillas, specifically the 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. Had I took it further and caramelized the onions, I would have onions with a sweet complexity that raw or quickly pan-fried onions lack.

One ingredient, three very different flavors depending upon preparation. I chose to go the caramelized onion route because I wanted those sweet notes from the onion to stand out from the bold flavors of the chorizo. It’s a bomb combination. Let’s start by caramelizing those onions.

How do you make Caramelized Onions?

I followed Bon Appetit’s instructions on caramelizing onions. But here’s an abridged version of what I did. 

1. Thinly slice your onion.
2. Add two tablespoons of butter or bacon grease to a pan over medium heat. Once melted and sizzling, add the onions.
3. Stir well for 30 seconds or so, until the onions are coating in butter/bacon grease.
4. 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. 
5. 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 do you make Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Quesadillas?

To make Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Quesadillas you will need the following ingredients (to make two servings):

• 2 extra-large tortillas
• 1/2 pound chorizo, cooked and strained on paper towels
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3 cups pepper jack cheese
• Salsa of your choosing 

Instructions

1. Caramelize the onions (see instructions above). 
2. Bring a large skillet or griddle to medium heat. 
3. Assemble a quesadilla on a cutting board. Divide the three cups of shredded pepper jack cheese into four even portions. 
4. 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. 
5. Fold the naked half of the tortilla over the top of the side with fillings. Repeat step above with the second quesadilla.
6. 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).
7. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until crisp and toasty looking. 
8. Remove from heat and cut into four slices. Serve with your favorite salsa.

What do you pair with chorizo quesadillas?

Try these awesome accompaniments!

Roasted Garlic Chimichurri – a fresh and herbaceous dipping sauce

Roasted Garlic Guacamole – an unique take on traditional guacamole

Spicy Pico de Gallo – fiery and irresistibly fresh

Citrus Jalapeno Salsa – fresh, acidic, punctuated with pleasant hits of heat

What do you do with 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 heating on a griddle works as well.  

If you like this, you will love:

• Jalapeno Cucumber Sandwiches
• Easy Seasoned Refried Beans
• Salsa Ranch Pinwheels
• Black Olive and Jalapeno Tapenade

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