Trust me when I say that I absolutely enjoy cooking. Every single week I meal plan, grocery shop with my list of needed ingredients, and cook meals about five to six nights out of the week (thank goodness for leftovers on those other nights!). I truly find that cooking – and being creative with cooking – is a fun and stress-relieving experience for me. Even still, I, like most other people, have my fair share of nights where I just simply do not feel like cooking or like putting a lot of effort into my meal for dinner. Back on March 6th, it was absolutely one of those “lazy” kind of nights. I had some leftover barbecue sauce in my fridge from making BBQ Pulled Tofu Sandwiches with Spicy Sriracha Cole Slaw, so I decided to incorporate it into a quick and easy sweet and savory quesadilla.
BBQ “Sausage” and Apple Quesadillas
Servings: Makes 2 quesadilla “halves” (I ate both in one sitting)
Ingredients
EVOO cooking spray
water, for cooking
1/4 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 (large) to 3/4 (medium) apple, chopped (I used a Gala apple)
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 vegan “sausage” link, sliced (I used Field Roast brand’s Smoked Apple Sage flavor)
2 large tortillas
1/2 cup fat-free or part skim shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Directions
1. Line a medium skillet with a thin layer of water and heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Once hot, lower the heat to medium and add onions, garlic, and apples to the pan. Cook for approximately 6-8 minutes, or until softened. Add additional water, as necessary, to prevent sticking and burning.
2. Add sliced “sausage” and continue cooking an additional 3 minutes, or until the “sausage” is warm.
3. Lower the heat to medium-low and add BBQ sauce. Simmer for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce is warm.
4. Spray a large skillet with EVOO cooking spray and warm it over medium heat.
5. Add two tortillas to the skillet. Fill each tortilla with half of the BBQ mixture.
6. Top the BBQ mixture with half of the cheese.
7. Fold each of the tortillas in half. Cook the first side for approximately 5 to 6 minutes, or until the bottom half of the tortilla has browned. Carefully flip the quesadillas and cook an additional 5 to 6 minutes on the second side, or until golden brown.
Now that is a perfectly golden-brown quesadilla!
You can eat each quesadilla whole, or cut them in half, as I did.
I piled my four quesadilla quarters onto a plate and dug right in! Trust me, when something looks that tempting and tasty, it is nearly impossible to eat it in a “polite” way ;).
At first, it may sound like an odd combination. But trust me…the sweetness of the apples and BBQ sauce combined with the savoriness of the “sausage” and cheese was phenomenal. If you are anything like me and live for a sweet and savory food combination, then this is definitely a quesadilla for you! I also really enjoyed the added crunchy factor from the onions and apples. I tend to have a thing about textures, but this was a texture combination that I loved!
The versatility of these quesadillas is fabulous, too! When using vegan cheese (like Daiya), these quesadillas can be completely vegan. Or, if you are a meat-eater, you could certainly use turkey or chicken sausage when compiling these tasty treats. This really is a quesadilla recipe for everyone!
Now go make these babies and eat them for a meal or as an easy, flavorful snack! It is a flavor combination that you may not expect to “go together,” but you are bound to be pleasantly surprised! 🙂
