Don’t you love freezer friendly meals? Especially when you don’t even need to remember to take them out of the freezer before you go to work! This Pulled Pork Carnitas Quesadillas recipe is part of a series where I show you How to Make 5 Mexican Freezer Friendly meals (for 4 people!) in 1 hour for $50 using one batch of Pork Carnitas.
“Quesadillas are great standby meals to have in the freezer because they thaw so quickly”
There is an art to making quesadillas. Learn from my mistakes:
1. Use 1 rather than 2 tortillas. Don’t sandwich your filling between 2 tortillas. I learnt this the hard way when I flipped a tortilla and most of the filling went flying. Use the “half moon” technique by putting the filling on one side then folding the tortilla over. When you flip, flip it over the folded edge which will ensure all the filling stays in.
2. Don’t overfill. It’s so tempting to overstuff it. But resist! Not only is it harder to flip but it’s also harder to eat because the filling falls out. As a general rule, stick to about 1/3 cup of filling in total per tortilla.
3. Don’t cook on high heat. The tortilla will burn before the cheese is melted. Patience will be rewarded. Turn down the heat to medium / medium high.
4. Don’t use corn tortillas. Because they’re less pliable, they don’t hold together well when you flip them.
5. Eat them fresh off the stove! They don’t reheat well – the crispy crust goes soggy.
Quesadillas are great for freezing! Because they’re quite thin, they defrost quickly which means you don’t even need to remember to take them out of the freezer before you leave for work. You can just take them out 30 minutes to an hour before dinner and they will defrost. If you are really pressed for time, just zap them in the microwave to thaw them. I’ve done this before and they still crisp up perfectly on the stove.
I’ve jazzed up these Pulled Pork Carnitas Quesadillas with caramelized onion which is a cost effective way of making a dish “gourmet”. Caramelized onions freeze well and can be stored in the fridge for up to a week so it’s a great idea to cook up a big batch while you’re at it!
These quesadillas are made using leftover Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork) because it is part of a series where I show you how you can make How to Make 5 Mexican Freezer Friendly meals (for 4 people!) in 1 hour for $50 using one batch of Pork Carnitas. But you can substitute with cooked chicken or beef (lamb might be a bit odd tasting…🤔).
In this series, each meal serves 4, so if you’re cooking for 2, then you’ll have 10 meals! Really truly, cross my heart. And it’s a super cost effective menu because there’s a lot of common ingredients, plus a little bit of Pork Carnitas goes a long way.
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Pulled Pork Carnitas Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 tortillas
- 1/2 cup corn kernels (frozen or canned)
- 1/2 cup diced red capsicum (bell pepper)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh parsley or coriander , finely chopped (optional garnish)
Caramelized Onions
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 2 brown onions , halved and finely sliced
- 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Caramelised Onions: Melt butter in a fry pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 7 minutes, stirring every now and then so they cook evenly. Add remaining Caramelized Onion ingredients and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until sticky and caramelised. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Brown Pork Carnitas (optional): Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a fry pan over high heat. Add Pork Carnitas and press down lightly with a spatula to help crisp up. When the Pork Carnitas are heated through and the underside is golden brown and crisp (about 1 to 1/2 minutes), remove from pan (do not flip).
- Lay out the tortillas. Divide the cheese between the tortillas, scattering evenly across half of each tortilla. Top with pork carnitas, corn, capsicum and Caramelised Onion. Season to taste with pepper and salt. (Note: Different cheeses have different levels of saltiness, so be careful not to over season.) Fold the tortillas in half.
- To freeze: Wrap each tortilla tightly in cling wrap and freeze until required. Defrost before cooking.
- To cook: Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add as many quesadillas as will fit in the pan. Cook until nicely browned on the underside (about 1 1/2 minutes), then flip over the folded edge. Cook the other side until browned, then remove from pan. Tip: Keep cooked quesadillas warm in a very low oven. Keep then in spread out in a single layer so they stay crisp.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This.
Was.
Delish!
🤤
Thankyou Nagi- another RecipeTinEats winner
Echo Sasha’s thankyou- your site has eased the cooking burden (&cost) in our household immensely.
Hi Nagi
This recipe turned out fab. I’m not a fan of pulled pork although the gents in my house (teen son & husband) love it. This changed all that.
I want to thank you as you’ve made cooking for my family without extortionate cost & after a full time job so much easier & achievable ❤️ thank you from the bottom of my heart because feeding my family goodness is important to me xxx
So much better and easier in the oven, soooo good! I used pulled pork and frozen peppers and onions, heated in a pan to get rid of some of the moisture. Added my homemade taco seasoning. Used reduced fat mexican cheese blend. Used spray oil on the tortillas and 1/3 cup filling as recommended. So crispy and delicious.
Is it enough to wrap in cling wrap or should I also wrap in freezer paper or foil? How long should I defrost these in the refrigerator before cooking them? Thank you for the series on 5 Mexican freezer meals. My Niece Just had a baby so I am trying to find some great freezer meals for her to have during this busy time.
Yum yum yum!!! Just made these for dinner using some leftover roast pork and tomatoes instead of peppers. Soooooo tasty!! Took longer than planned as I burnt the first lot of caramelised onions and had to start over 😂 also never thought to use one tortilla folded – genius!!! Thanks for another fantastic recipe 🤗
Can you bake these in the oven like you do for the oven baked chicken quesadillas?
Sure could Sarah! N x
Made this twice it’s a favourite now! Makes 4 batches for £20 pork in the UK. We are having this xmas day. Need to make the beef version now! Thank you for the amazing recipes xx
love your blog, it is inspirational ,,,I love onions but caramelized never works for mr so I sauté in butter then cover to steam they are really sweet and still have texture ,gonna make your recipe in about 10 min 4 launch
Enjoy Joseph, love to know what you think!
Used all your great tips and tricks to make the pork, and the subsequent quesadillas. They were absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for the work you’re sharing here!
Wahoo, that’s great Lorien!
These were the best quesadillas I have ever had. Delicious!!!
Wahoo! That’s so great to hear Cathy!
Hi Nagi. Do you think these could be made using your “Easy Soft Flat Breads”?
Hi Leon, the flatbread is super soft, you’d have to roll them out thin to get them to tortilla thickness, but definitely doable!
First time attempting caramelized onions. When they cooled, they turned crunchy and stuck together like candy. What did I do wrong?
I made the pork carnitas for tacos late last week, and made these quesadillas tonight with the leftovers! We loved them in our house, even our 1 year old gobbled it up! I have a feeling this will become a staple in our menu rotation! Delicious!!
That’s great to hear Allison! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
Hello Nagi. I was looking for a good Pulled Pork Quesadilla recipe and stumbled upon your site. Now; I’ve found a TON of other great ideas, and wanted to thank you. This meal came out great – the family was happy and it will become a mainstay.
The addition of the “special” caramelized onions really added the perfect touch. Thanks very much for sharing.
That’s great to hear SoFia! Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback! N x ❤️
Hi Nagi! I’m so excited to try a few of these recipes for a small dinner gathering this week! We are going to start with some tortilla soup and then give your pulled pork carnitas a try for quesadillas and tacos. Should be delish!
thanks!
That’s so awesome Riann!!! Oooh, I hope you enjoy it! I swear, the carnitas are one of my all time favourite recipes on my blog 🙂 I love it THAT MUCH!!!
I made the pork yesterday and these for the family for dinner tonight. My teenagers – who have been watching”Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure” way too much declared these MOST EXCELLENT – and we agree. Thanks for this and many other great recipes I have Pinned and am working my way through 🙂
Hi Liz – thank you so much for your kind comment! I am SO GLAD your “Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure” watching teenagers approved 🙂 But Bill and Ted’s….? They still watch that?? That was released when I was a teenager! Who ever would have guessed….
This looks insanely delicious! You’re so inspiring! Seriously, I don’t know how you come up with such incredible recipes everyday! It’s dinner-time here, and your quesadillas just made me go from slightly hungry to near ravenous!
No more creative than your recipes! That pulled pork you posted is Amaaazing with a serious capital A. Mine are much more simple! It’s just the food I eat on a day to day basis!