Easy, Cheesy Quesadilla Enchiladas

Sometimes you come across a recipe that combines two of your favorite things into one and you’re able to satisfy all your cravings at once. These instances don’t happen very often in my life, but when they have it’s been glorious. For instance, Mini Pizza Pancakes, Ice Cream Wafflewiches and now, these Easy Quesadilla Enchiladas. While I love the crispy edges of quesadillas, I also love the comfort of saucy enchiladas. This recipe brings the two together for a marriage of cheesy, saucy, crispy, melty goodness, all baked in one pan.

The ingredients you need are simple and adaptable, able to flex to whatever you’re in the mood for and whatever you have on hand. For the base recipe, I kept my quesadilla fillings simple with cheese and Old El Paso Chopped Green Chiles, but you could most definitely pump up the protein by stuffing them with Make-Ahead Mexican Ground Beef, Make-Ahead Shredded Chicken or Make-Ahead Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork. (On the vegetarian end, Simple Oven Roasted Vegetables would be yummy, as would Old El Paso Vegetarian Refried Beans.)

Once you’ve nailed down your quesadilla fillings, assemble them and quickly fry them up. I know it’s an extra step, and yes, you’ll need to wash the skillet, but the crispy browned tortillas are critical for this mash-up meal to work. In the meantime, spoon a few tablespoons of Old El Paso Mild Enchilada Sauce in the bottom of 9-inch pie plate and set aside.

Once the quesadillas are cooked, shingle them into the pie plate, overlapping each a bit and then spoon remaining enchilada sauce over quesadillas, letting it seep between each quesadilla.

Finish the dish off with a scatter of additional cheese and then pop it in the oven for quick bake, about 20 minutes or until edges begin to brown and sauce and cheese are bubbling. Pull it out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle some cilantro over the top for a bit of freshness and serve with fresh pico de gallo, a little shredded lettuce and a dollop of tangy sour cream on the side. (Black olives and fresh or pickled jalapeños would also be tasty toppers!)