Fresh Pumpkin Quesadillas: Football Foodie Snacks
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Recipe type: snack, entree
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 5-7
 
Fresh pumpkin makes for a light, tasty quesadilla.
Ingredients
  • 1 small sugar pumpkin, about 2-2.5 pounds
  • 1 package of 10 flour tortillas
  • ½ a medium onion
  • 8-10 ounces of queso fresco, or other mild cheese such queso blanco, queso quesadilla or jack
  • 1-2 jalapenos, to taste
  • 1-2 4 oz cans of diced roasted chiles, to taste
  • 2-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil, divided
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided (to taste)
  • ½-1 teaspoon ground pepper (to taste)
  • 2 limes, ½ of one for cooking, the remaining sliced into wedges for serving
Instructions
  1. Cut the pumpkin in half. Remove the seeds and slice in quarters. Cut off the the skin with a sharp knife as if you were removing the rind from a melon. (Softer skinned pumpkins can be cleaned with a vegetable peeler.) Roughly dice.
  2. Dice half an onion. Remove the seeds and dice jalapenos. Drain chiles.
  3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
  4. Saute onions until they start to become soft and translucent.
  5. Add the chopped pumpkin with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and cover.
  6. Cook the pumpkin until softened, stirring occasionally. Should take about 5-7 minutes.
  7. Once softened, remove the cover and add the diced jalapeno, chiles, cumin, ground pepper and a pinch more salt.
  8. Cook a couple more minutes until the peppers starts to soften.
  9. Taste for seasoning and stir in the juice of ½ of a lime, and remove from heat.
  10. Lightly oil a skillet or flat-top grill plan and heat the pan over a medium flame.
  11. Working quesadilla at a time, put a tortilla in the pan.
  12. Crumble a small amount of the cheese on the tortilla, then add an even layer of the pumpkin mixture, then a small amount more of cheese. Be sure to leave about an inch from the edge of the tortilla as they will shrink when heated.
  13. Once the cheese has started to melt and the bottom of the tortilla is starting to toast, add another tortilla on the top.
  14. Press down gently so it sticks to the melting cheese and flip to toast the top tortilla.
  15. Once cooked through, remove from the skillet.
  16. Keep warm on an ovenproof plate or cookie sheet in a 250º oven while making the rest of the quesadillas.
  17. Repeat until all the quesadillas are made.
  18. Cut into wedges.
  19. Serve with lime, salsa and crema or sour cream
Notes
Can be made with 1 14 ounce can of canned pureed pumpkin in place of fresh chopped pumpkin.
Recipe by sarah sprague at https://sarahsprague.com/2011/11/04/fresh-pumpkin-quesadillas-football-foodie-snacks/