Quesadilla Salad

If there was an official food of our family, it would be the quesadilla.

My mom got me a quesadilla maker for my birthday in high school, and proceeded to host weekly fiestas for all my friends, at least until I moved away for college. Whenever Aimee’s not available to cook her typical gourmet meals, her mom resorts to quesadilla dinners – every time. I still eat at least one quesadilla a week, when I cook for just myself. Often, I make this little “salad” on top of my quesadilla so that I can convince Wes that I ate a real meal. The idea has spread to Mai-yan, who worked it into a real recipe, and its even more delicious this way.

This post is a tribute to our quesadilla – loving moms. Quesadillas represent our family the same way that camping does – the most comforting parts of our lives, made more comfy by the moms. And they all happen to go perfectly together. This salad is similar to the trend of adding fresh greens on top of your pizza (which is a delicious trend, by the way). It adds freshness, crunch, and makes a basic quesadilla more meal-like and more “dirty gourmet.”

Happy Mother’s Day! What food defines your family? Or your mama?

Yield

1-2 servings

Prep Time / Cook Time

10 minutes / 5 minutes

Activity Guide

Bike Touring, Car Camping

Ingredients

2 large flour tortillas
1/2 cup cheese
1 cup lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup tomatoes, diced
1/2 avocado, cubed
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon Tapatio (or do you prefer Cholula?)
salt and pepper, to taste

Tools

Cutting board
Fork
Grater
Knife
Skillet
Spatula

Method

Place one tortilla on a skillet over medium-high heat. Top with cheese and second tortilla. Once bottom tortilla starts to brown, flip the quesadilla and cook until cheese is melted.
Build your salad directly on top of your quesadilla. Layer lettuce first, then tomatoes, and then avocado. Sprinkle lime zest and then squeeze the lime juice over the top of the salad, making sure to get it mostly on the avocado. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the salad lightly together.
Add a dollop of sour cream and a few dashes of your favorite Mexican hot sauce over the top.
This quesadilla salad combo should be eaten with a knife and fork.

Quesadilla Salad