Zucchini Quesadillas

Last week, my husband called me to say he was at the Lloyd Farmers Market and did I need anything? I needed a zucchini, so I asked him to buy 1 medium-sized zucchini. I wish I had taken a picture, because he came home with 3 large zucchini. They weren’t as big as the huge zucchini, so he thought they were small, so he got 3!

I used the one I needed that night, then needed to find uses for the others. This is not a terrible problem to have, there is always a use for zucchini.

I had recently seen a post in Smitten Kitchen for zucchini quesadillas and thought they could be interesting. So I made some adjustments for our tastes and gave it a try – they were delicious, a hands down success! Here is my version…

Zucchini Quesadillas

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for frying quesadillas

2 to 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 large onion or 1 small-medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 pounds zucchini, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

1 lime, halved

6 ounces grated monterey jack cheese

Thinly sliced fresh or pickled jalapeno peppers

8 6-inch corn tortillas

Salsa (we used habanero-peach)

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil once it is hot. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add zucchini and onion, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and red pepper flakes and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, turning over occasionally, until zucchini becomes soft and starts to break down, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat slightly and cook 7 to 10 minutes more, at which point the zucchini will be jammy and very tender. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Add the juice of half your lime and scrape mixture into a wide bowl. Let cool slightly.

Add the cheese to the zucchini mixture and mix.

Lay out 4 of your tortillas and divide the filling between them, going almost to the edges – the filling will spread out to the edges once you place the remaining tortillas on top. If you are using jalapenos, layer a few slices on top of the filling.

Place the remaining tortillas on top.

Heat the skillet of your choice (I like cast iron, but I only have non-stick while we are renting the condo) over medium and add a couple teaspoons of oil. Transfer your assembled quesadillas to the skillet, you will likely need to cook them singly or in batches. Cook until deeply golden and crisp underneath. Flip quesadilla(s) and repeat on second side.