Cubano Inspired Quesadilla

Turned a Cuban sandwich into a quesadilla filled with roast pork (pernil), sweet ham, meaty Swiss and mozzarella cheese, charred green peppers and onions! Perfect for a quick lunch and a great way to use leftover roasted pork. Now, this is not a recipe, i’m just giving you an idea for your next meal. Could be lunch, could be dinner…shoot, add an egg and you got yourself a cubano inspired breakfast quesadilla.

I know most won’t have leftover Pernil (Roasted Pork) but you can use pulled pork for this quesadilla—most grocery stores have ready made pulled pork on hand so ill include a way to season it to get a cuban/Caribbean flavor.

Here are the step by step details:

Let’s start off with the Pork. I know some of you may not have leftover pernil on hand, but not to worry, get yourself some pulled pork (unseasoned) from the store.

So to give it somewhat of a cuban/Caribbean flavor, you’re going to make a mojo type of marinade/sauce and mix it with the pulled pork before adding it to the quesadilla.

For the marinade/sauce you’ll need garlic, cilantro, sour orange (or you can sub 1 orange to 1 lemon to 1 lime), cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. —blend the ingredients until it comes together and you have a marinade!

To cook the Pulled Pork, drizzle a bit of olive oil in a pan (medium-high heat), add the Pork, cook for 2 minutes then place the heat down to medium-low. Mix in the marinade a few tablespoons at a time until you get your desired taste. If something seems off, add some salt :). Once the pulled pork is done, remove it from the pan and place it aside.

If you already have leftover puerco asado/ pernil use that!

To Assemble the Quesadilla:

When you read my instructions on how I assembled the quesadilla, you guys are probably going to think its too complicated and you’re absolutely right. I assembled the quesadilla the hard way but of course there is an easier way!

you’re going to start by setting a large skillet or griddle pan over medium heat. Once hot, drizzle with olive oil then add the sliced peppers and onions, cook those until the onions are semi translucent and there’s a slight char on the veggies. Remove them from the pan then add just a small amount of olive oil again (enough to coat the pan).

Place a tortilla on the skillet for about 30 seconds-1 minute then flip it over and spread with 1 tablespoon of mustard, I chose to not use mustard but a traditional cubano has mustard so use it if you’d like to!

Add the sliced Swiss on top of the whole tortilla and sprinkle cilantro all over as well. Then on one side add a bit of the pulled pork, the ham, the peppers and onions, the pickle (if using) and sprinkle the mozzarella all over. Season with salt and pepper.

Carefully fold over the cheese and cilantro only part and cook the quesadilla, flipping over a few times, until browned and the cheese has melted, about 3-5 minutes.

After you finished one, continue to the next one!

Enjoy it with some lime and Avocado!

If you make this recipe , be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys and of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

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Cubano Inspired Quesadilla

Yield: 2-4

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min

Ingredients

Seasoned Pulled Pork

• 1lb pulled pork
• 6 cloves garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 sour orange, if not available sub 1 lime, 1 orange,1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• cilantro, less than a handful
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Quesadilla

• 1 lb leftover pork roast or pulled pork
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
• 1/2 green pepper, sliced
• 2 large burrito sized tortillas
• 1 pickle, sliced in half, optional
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 4 tablespoons mustard, optional
• 4-5 slices sweet ham
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss or 4-6 slices
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella

Instructions

Pulled Pork

1. Add the garlic, cilantro, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, sour orange (or the substitution) into a blender and blend until it comes together.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pulled pork then mix in few tablespoons of the seasoning at a time.
3. When you get the desired taste, turn off the heat and move on to assembling the quesadilla.

Quesadilla

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat.
2. Add the sliced bell peppers and onions then season with salt and pepper. Cook the onions and peppers just till the onions become semi translucent and you get a slight char. Remove from the pan and place aside.
3. On the same pan, add a little more olive oil while on medium heat (just enough to coat the pan if there wasn't any leftover from cooking the pepper). Place a Tortilla on the pan then add mozzarella on top.
4. When the cheese starts to melt, add the sliced ham, then the pork, then the cilantro then the green peppers and onions, the pickle (If using) then the Swiss cheese slices.
5. Spread the mustard on the other tortilla then place it on top of the Swiss cheese.
6. Now, get a place the fits on top of the tortilla, place the plate on top of the tortilla and flip it then slide the quesadilla back into the pan and let it cook for another 3-5 minutes or until all the cheese has melted.
7. Remove from the pan on top of a cutting board and slice it in however many pieces you'd like.
8. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

3658.79

Fat (grams)

178.50

Sat. Fat (grams)

66.59

Carbs (grams)

278.20

Fiber (grams)

33.15

Net carbs

245.05

Sugar (grams)

83.77

Protein (grams)

240.57

Sodium (milligrams)

19626.46

Cholesterol (grams)

679.80

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