Crispy Buttered Quesadillas with Warm Salsa
Tasty Memories of An Iconic Chicagoland Restaurant
Crispy Buttered Quesadillas with Warm Salsa evoke a food memory that lives for eternity in my mind. Crispy, buttered, and fried cheese quesadillas served with a warm and flavorful salsa that has been simmered with cumin, onions, and garlic makes an easy dinner that everyone in your family will love.
Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant is a small chain I grew up with in Chicago. The Pepe’s I most often visited was on Archer Avenue near Harlem.
My cousins and I would go when we wanted to treat ourselves. Kim is my cousin that has the pickiest palette and she always ordered Crispy Buttered Quesadillas with Warm Salsa.
It was so flavorful, comforting and delicious. I like to think of it as the Pepe’s Mexican version of grilled cheese and tomato soup.
The beauty of this recipe is that you can make the salsa ahead of time and reheat when ready to eat. I make a big batch of this to serve with quesadillas or nachos whenever I feel the urge for good food and nostalgia.
Recipe Card, Plus Some Helpful Information
There is a recipe card at the end of every one of my posts that has the ingredients and the steps. You can save the recipe, print the recipe, pin the recipe, or use the hands free button to keep the recipe up on your device.
Prior to every recipe card I like to include pictures, links, and descriptions for those who may need some clarification on steps or the ingredients I use.
None of the ingredients I list are sponsored, they are just pantry staples I keep on hand that I use most often. I know that many of my followers have made them a part of their pantry too!
Goya Sazon
This Goya Sazon with Tomato and Cilantro is one I have on hand at all times. I also use this in my Chicken Noodle Soup recipe.
These little packets come in a box of varying amounts. I have found it in most stores.
It adds flavor and color to your dishes. If you purchase this, you can scroll the recipes on my site that I use it in.
Adobo All Purpose Seasoning
This Adobo All Purpose Seasoning may also be a new one to many of you. This is also at most stores I have shopped at and I use it in my Grilled Steak Tacos.
It can be used as an all purpose seasoning in any recipe you wish. I like the variety with the pepper (con pimiento) but they make a few other variations that are really great.
Warm Salsa = Bites Of Heaven
If you have never experienced a warm salsa before, this is going to blow your mind. I love the flavors and textures of this salsa.
This salsa is not spicy but it has spice. I had mentioned earlier in the post that this is the Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant equivalent of grilled cheese and tomato soup and, in fact, I have made grilled cheese to dunk in this delightful dish.
I do happen to have an actual tomato soup recipe here on The Tipsy Housewife that you will also enjoy. Some call it the World’s Best Tomato Soup!
Buttery Goodness
Some butter haters will say “butter AND cheese?!” in horror and we do not need that kind of negativity in our lives. Brushing the tortillas with this butter and then adding them to the pan brings so much more richness and flavor to this simple dish.
You will also see how much better the tortillas are when you add this swipe of buttery goodness. I use the flour tortillas but you can also use corn.
If you are feeling frisky and you have some extra tortillas left at the end of cooking, brush them with butter, fry them in the skillet, and add a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar for a delicious dessert.
To Strain or Not To Strain
I serve this salsa straight from the pan, meaning the chunks of garlic and onions are in the salsa. You may also get a tomato or two.
If your family does not like chunky salsa, you can strain this salsa using a mesh strainer or you can use an immersion blender to blend it all up. The choice is yours.
Crispy Buttered Quesadillas with Warm Salsa Recipe
If you grew up in the Chicagoland area you probably ate at Pepe's Mexican Restaurant once or twice in your life. This warm salsa and crispy quesadilla recipe is a copycat of one of my favorite dishes at this iconic restaurant. Cheesy goodness dunked in a warm salsa with lots of garlic and onion flavors. A simple and divine dish.
Ingredients
- 1 large Yellow Onion
- 6 tablespoons of Butter *divided
- 3 cloves of Garlic
- 1 large can of Crushed Tomatoes (28 ounces)
- 14 ounces of Water
- 1/2 tablespoon of BetterThan Bouillon *savory onion variety
- 1 packet of Goya Sazon seasoning *pictured in post
- 1/2 tablespoon of Goya Adobo All Purpose Seasoning *pictured in post
- 2 teaspoons of Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon of Cumin *or to taste
- 3 cups of shredded Chihuahua Cheese *pictured in post
- 12 to 15 small "street style" Flour Tortillas *pictured in post
Instructions
- In a skillet melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Finely dice the yellow onion and add it to the skillet. Allow the onions to slowly cook for 15 minutes or so. Cover the skillet and occasionally stir the onions.
- When the onions have cooked for 15 minutes, peel the garlic cloves and smash them with your knife. Add them to the onions and sauté for ten minutes.
- Add the Adobo seasoning and the Sazon seasoning to the skillet and mix into the onions, then add the black pepper and the cumin. Sauté for five minutes.
- Add the Better than Bouillon and sauté again for a minute or two.
- Add the entire can of the crushed tomatoes and then add the water to the can and use it to remove the rest of the crushed tomatoes and add this to the pan as well.
- Bring this all to a simmer and reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You will serve this warm, so keep it warm when you are making your quesadillas.
- Working in batches melt the remaining butter. Heat a skillet on medium heat and brush both sides of your tortillas with the butter, and add to skillet. Let the bottom side get toasty brown, flip, and add the cheese to the toasted side. Let this sit for a minute or two and then flip the tortilla over. Toast a little more on both sides, remove from pan, and add to a plate that you can keep these warm on in the oven until they are all done.
- To serve the salsa you can serve as is or you can also use an immersion blender to blend any remaining chunks of tomato, onions and garlic, or you can strain the salsa. Serve warm with the quesadillas.
**My post prior to the recipe card always includes pictures and information anyone may need for clarification.