A big indicator that fall is on the way can be marked by the arrival of apples. Apples become cheaper at the grocery store, there is more of them, and they are huge because they are in season. I love apples. Raw or just warm please, I do not like cooked apples. And yes that means I don’t like apple pie. My favorite combination is peanut butter with an apple. Can be a tart or sweet apple, I’m not picky. I used to not care for the tart apples much but have since gotten over that and now will gladly eat whatever apple comes my way.
I recently saw Paula Deen make this grilled apple sandwich and it had me intrigued. I have recently started mixing fruit in with savory dishes. I didn’t use to be a big fan of that but having apples with cheese fondue converted me. The sweet crispness of the apple combined with salty garlicy cheese sent me to the moon. I loved it! And it caused me to start experimenting by combining fruits with other things I normally would have avoided.
One thing I used to avoid was mixing apples with onions. I know it’s a classic combination but as I mentioned above, I don’t like cooked apples. And most apple and onion dishes involve cooking the apple. Paula’s sandwich was heated enough to make everything toasty warm without cooking the apple. This sold me on the concept. I wanted to take the main ingredients and see if I could come up with a lighter version that would still be full on flavor. Apple Cheddar Quesadillas were born.
Andrea’s Apple Cheddar Quesadillas
- 2 flour burrito sized tortillas
- 1 granny smith apple, thinly sliced
- 12 1/4 inch slices of good sharp cheddar
- 1/4 of a small to medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp of unsalted butter or spreadable butter
- Nonstick cooking spray
Heat up a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Spread 1 tsp of butter on one side of each tortilla. Spray the skillet with cooking spray (just to make sure there will be no sticking). Lay one tortilla, butter side down in the skillet. On half of the tortilla, layer it with some sliced onion, then four slices of cheddar, and then a handful of the apple. Then two more slices of cheddar on top of the apple. Fold the remaining half of the tortilla over the side with the fillings. Cook for about 4 minutes. Carefully flip the quesadilla over and cook the other side for 4 minutes or until the cheese is all melted and the tortilla is brown and crispy. Cut into thirds and eat!
I had a block of my favorite cheddar on hand (Helluva Good Extra Extra Sharp Cheddar) so I used that. But you can use whatever cheddar you like or have on hand at the time. I did have leftover apple, which we ate with our dinner, but it could be used to make a third quesadilla. Just slice a little more onion and cheese to stretch the recipe.
Both Scott and I loved this quesadilla. It had really nice flavor combination to it without the onions overpowering everything. The apples gave the quesadilla a nice crunch and were just warmed through perfectly. It made for a perfect light meal. We were left full and satisfied, without being overfull or weighted down by a heavy main dish.
This is definitely something that will move into rotation here at OHC HQ. This is a nice light dish that I can feel good about eating and serving. This would also make a great appetizer or as part of a tapas bar for a party. Make a bunch, cut them up into smaller pieces and keep them warm in your oven or toaster oven.
Enjoy guys! And remember, always play with your food!
Interesting. I would have never thought of doing that. If you wanted to add some more protein you could add some cooked pork maybe (apples and pork) – not a lot just a bit. Not that it needs it – just a thought.
I just checked the original recipe. Ah bacon – yes I see. Although it *does* look good. LOL
I thought about adding some turkey bacon but then I thought it would overpower all the other flavors, since it’s a very strong smoky taste. So I skipped it, but I might try it in the future when I make these again.
Yummmmmmmm that looks soooooooo good.
I’d eat the hell out of that.
I made this today and it was FANTASTIC. Seriously. I added bacon and it didn’t overpower it – it just added the salty bacon (mmmm) taste to the appley-cheesey taste. This is going into my regular rotation. It would be amazing with a soup too. mmmmm nummy. Thumbs up Andie.
Hoooray!!! How many slices of bacon did you put on it?
Hrm… I’m wondering if I should start a flickr account and then if people try the recipes they can post pics of it. Does that sound like a good idea?
Two. Chopped into half. Just the right amount. It was an 8″ tortilla.
I’m actually going to have it again today with a butternut squash soup (which I’ve made before so I think I’ll be ok LOL) and I might put prosciutto in it instead of the bacon in the quesa I mean.
wow, those look delicious. i love apples with sharp cheddar, but never thought of a quesadilla. im going to have to try these.
Kelly Turner
http://www.groundedfitness.com
Thanks Kelly and welcome to OHC!
Interesting! I wouldn’t have ever thought of trying it. I’m not a type that usually puts fruit in savories, myself. But not long ago, I had lunch at a Swedish winery and tried Swedish meatballs with loganberries, and it was great!
Hi! I love making savory dishes with apple and I don’t even like apple pie. Thanks for the idea!
Heather
Hi Andrea!
How do you pronounce your name? I’m ann-dree-uh.
Thanks for checking out our blog and we have this apple recipe on our list! I just wanted to give you kudos for feeding your dog a real diet. I’ve done it in the past for my boys, but I just don’t have the time anymore. I do supplement their kibble with real food – not table scraps! There is a difference, but most people tend to lump it all together.
Great blog, looking forward to reading!
Hey Andrea! I pronounce mine the same way. I call it the simple way. :p And thank you! Rocks loves it and I’m working on getting his section up and running. And I made it to the list, woo!
I am really craving these tonight!
Did you have any?
OK, apparently there wasn’t much catching up to do!
I’m going to make this over the weekend for BJ. I think he’ll love it!
Do you have one of those toss and chop things? I thought of it while reading some of your recipes. If you don’t- go out and buy one this weekend. I use mine all the time.
We’ve just discovered the greatness of organic farming in our own backyard, I have to say potato soup is our favourite of the month. I found a website dedicated to just potato soup recipes, can you believe it?!. There’s a website for anything nowadays it appears!
I am getting a fatal error when i attempt to add a brand new page on WP. I believe it has something to do with the new WP update. Is anybody else having a related issue? Know how it could be fixed??? Cheers.
I came across your blog site on the search engines and look several of the earlier blogposts. Keep up great work. Looking for forward to reading through added of your stuff afterwards!.