Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas

When I worked at Cheesecake Factory a zillion years ago, I tried every single item on their 40 page menu. And, yes, it was all delicious. 

One of my favorites, though, was their Roasted Vegetable Quesadilla. It's one of those dishes that messed with my head a little. I mean, it's a quesadilla, but then it has smoky gouda cheese and roasted vegetables. So, it's a little different. But then! You drizzle ancho-chile mayo and bbq sauce on the top and oh, man! It's a crazy combination of flavors. Trust me, I really don't even like mayonnaise. But here it just works. It does!

Roasted vegetable quesadillas are really, really good. And really, really easy to make at home. You should probably make them. No pressure or anything, but you probably should.

I don't remember where I originally found this recipe, and I'm pretty sure I changed it a little over the years, but it's very close to the quesadillas they used to serve at the ol' CCF. I hope you like them!

Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas

Quesadillas:

4 8-inch flour tortillas

4 oz can of diced green chiles

1 eggplant, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced  

1/2 red onion, diced (I skipped it on this one)

8 oz mushrooms, sliced (not in CCF's recipe at all - but really good)

8 oz Gouda cheese, grated

1 T olive oil

Toppings:

Ancho-chile sauce

BBQ sauce (any kind)

Garnishes:

Guacamole

Salsa

Sour Cream

Ancho-Chili Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T sour cream
1/2 ancho-chili, minced

1 t white vinegar

1 t granulated sugar

1 t paprika
1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder
Pinch salt

Combine in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

Make the quesadillas:

Arrange vegetables on a baking sheet (lined with foil for easy clean up). Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until tender.

Lay two tortillas on cutting board. Place an equal amount of cheese over each tortilla. Be sure to leave a 1/2-inch open border around the edge of the tortilla so the cheese doesn’t drip out while cooking.

Sprinkle equal amounts of chiles, eggplant, zucchini, roasted pepper, red onions, and mushrooms evenly over each tortilla.

Sprinkle on more Gouda, because, really, why wouldn't you?

mmm.... Goooouda...

Cover with a second tortilla and place onto a lightly oiled nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until the tortillas have turned a crispy golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Remove them from the skillet and place onto the cutting board. Cut in quarters.

Drizzle the ancho-chile sauce and bbq sauce over the quesadilla. I do mine in a spiral, because I think it's fannnnncy! Oh! You've probably heard this trick before, but just in case you haven't, pour the ancho-chile sauce in a ziplock, seal it, cut a little tiny corner off the bottom, and squeeze the sauce out through the hole. If you want it fancy. Or you can smear it all over the top with a spoon, whatever makes you happy.

Serve with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. 

Enjoy!