Pulled Pork Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a fun food to eat.  Cut into small wedges, they can become an appetizer, or serve them for a lunch, or a light supper.  These were made using the remains of my Country Style Pork Ribs.  The meat was so easy to shred because it just fell apart.  I also had a little rice left from that meal, so I included it as part of the filling in the quesadillas.

Basically you can fill these with any variety of foods, just make sure to include the pork, and cheese is an essential ingredient also.  In addition to the pulled pork and rice, mine included refried beans, green onions, 4-cheese Mexican Blend grated cheese, and a small amount of BBQ sauce to help hold it all together.  Flour tortillas provided the top and bottom to this filling.  Brown lightly in a skillet until the cheese melts, cut into wedges and serve warm.

Makes a thickly filled quesadilla for a light lunch or supper.

One thing to keep in mind is the size of tortilla you use.  Most people use a 6-inch tortilla for tacos, but they can be used for tortillas as well.  If you upsize to an 8-inch tortilla, you nearly double the surface area, meaning it will take twice as much filling.  Suddenly your light lunch or snack becomes a real heavy-weight.  If you use the smaller size tortilla, you can pile on lean meats, veggies and cheese.  Crisp it in a hot skillet with cooking spray instead of butter or oil, and save even more calories from fat.

Here’s the real deal on these quesadillas…..

PULLED PORK QUESADILLAS

Yield:  Makes 2 (6-inch) quesadillas

Ingredients:

Spread refried beans over flour tortilla.

• 1 – 1  1/2 cups pulled pork
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup refried beans
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I like the 4-cheese Mexican Blend)
• 1-2 Tablespoons your favorite BBQ sauce
• 4  6-inch flour tortillas
• cooking spray

Directions:

1.  On a flat surface lay out 2 of the tortillas.  With an off-set spatulas or knife, spread 1/4 cup refried beans on each one.

2.  In a mixing bowl, stir together the pork, rice, green onions, cheese and BBQ sauce.  Divide this mixture between the two tortillas, and spread out evenly.   Top with the remaining two tortillas.

Layer on the filling mixture.

3.  Lightly spray a skillet with cooking spray.  Bring to medium heat and place tortillas in the skillet. ( You may need to cook them separately.)   Cook on one side until nicely browned, then flip over and brown the second side.  Keep the heat on low to medium so the filling will get heated and the cheese will melt while the outside browns, but doesn’t burn.

4.  Cut into wedges and serve warm with sour cream, guacamole, sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce if desired.

SOURCE:   Carolyn’s Originals