Bacon, Avocado and Red Pepper Quesadillas | Family Economics

By Erin

BLTs.

There’s just something about the flavor combination of the famous BLT: the salty bacon, the juicy tomato and the slight crunch from the lettuce.

Combined with some delicious mayo (or Parmesan Mayo) on toasted bread and you’ve got a real winner of a sandwich.

But what about a BLT Quesadilla?

I decided to get a little creative with some ingredients that I had on hand in the fridge recently. I’m not at all a fan of warm lettuce, so adding it to a quesadilla seemed like an unappetizing idea. But I had some avocado, which is the perfect substitute for lettuce in a quesadilla.

Here is my “BLT” quesadilla that used red peppers instead of tomatoes…because I wanted a little extra crunch and the sweet flavor from the red pepper. A tomato could certainly be used to substitute the red pepper or added right along with it.

Bacon, Avocado & Red Pepper Quesadillas

6 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
1 avocado, seeded and diced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
8 soft taco-size whole wheat tortillas
3 to 4 cups shredded Mexican or quesadilla blend cheese

Sour cream and salsa for dipping.

Directions

Place four of the tortillas flat on a baking sheet or clean kitchen counter. Add the crumbled bacon, diced avocado, diced red pepper evenly between the tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Then add the other four tortillas on top of each of the ones with the toppings.

Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes and then take them out. Flip them over and bake for another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.  

Use a pizza cutter to cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges.

Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Makes four large quesadillas for dinner servings, or 16 appetizer servings.

Other quesadilla cooking methods include: panini press or foreman grill or skillet.

Are you a BLT fan? What other fun and creative ways do you create a BLT combination?