Cubano Quesadillas are a fun way to use up leftover ham and/or pork. Melty, tangy, and utterly delicious!
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We always seem to have some form of leftover pork in this house. Phil loves to smoke pork butts during the summer.
This is great because we freeze batches of the leftovers to pull out when it's cold outside.
I also make a lot of pork tenderloins for easy midweek meals (like One-Skillet Mustard-Herb Crusted Roast Pork Tenderloin).
We've also lately taken to buying half hams from our local wholesale club.
We cut it into quarters, 3 of which we freeze immediately. We thinly slice the other quarter with Phil's favorite gadget, his new meat slicer.
This ham is great for standard sandwiches, but it's also perfect, of course, in Cubano quesadillas.
Cubano Quesadillas: an easy midweek meal
Even though they are crazy fast to make, we usually eat our Cubano quesadillas on the weekends.
This is because Cubano quesadillas are a wee bit on the decadent side.
Phil and I decided a long time ago to be relatively healthy during the workweek and "let it all hang out" on the weekend. So these are weekend treats for us.
But Cubano Quesadillas would totally make a fun, easy weeknight meal, so I won't judge.
Preparing the quesadillas
To make the process as easy as possible, prep all of the ingredients in advance.
Shred the cheese, chop and dry the pickles, and slice the meat.
We assemble the Cubano quesadillas right in the skillet (see preparation collage below), so cooking is a simple matter of browning up the tortilla and melting the cheese.
To facilitate melting, we like to lid the skillet.
This generates steam that helps the cheese melt more quickly. When the bottom half of the tortilla is golden brown, we flip the quesadilla.
The layers of cheese, pickles, and meat make the quesadillas fairly thick.
We flatten them out by pressing down with a saucepan (being careful not to squeeze out the filling!).
Then we cut the Cubano quesadillas into wedges—and away we go!
![Preparing Cubano Quesadillas. 1. The ingredients (mustard, mayonnaise, pulled pork, ham, chopped dill pickle, shredded Swiss cheese, burrito-size [large] flour tortilla); 2. Set a flour tortilla into a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Load one half with cheese, mustard, and pickles. 3. Add a layer of pulled pork. 4. Add a layer of ham. 5. Sprinkle on more cheese. Smear the other half of the tortilla with mayonnaise. 6. Fold the tortilla over the filling and lid the skillet. Let cook 2–3 minutes, until the cheese is beginning to melt and the bottom half of the tortilla is turning golden-brown. 7. Flip the quesadilla with a silicone spatula. 8. Press down on the quesadilla with a saucepan to flatten. 9. Set the finished quesadilla on a cutting board. 10. Cut the quesadilla into 3 approximately equal wedges.](https://www.flippedoutfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/cubano-quesadillas-preparation-collage.jpg)
Making 2 Cubano Quesadillas at a time
We make our Cubano quesadillas one at a time in a ~12" non-stick skillet.
To keep the first quesadilla warm, we put it in the oven on the lowest setting.
If you need to make 2 at a time, you can use a larger skillet and assemble the quesadillas before adding them (carefully) to the pan.
When it comes time to flatten the quesadillas, set a Dutch oven on top.
Final notes
Two Cubano quesadillas make a great lunch for two. With a side dish like Easy Zippy Coleslaw (make it ahead of time!), they'd be filling enough for dinner. They'd also be enough for 6 as an "outside-the-box" appetizer.
That's it! With a bit of meal-prep, you'll have lunch or dinner in no time. I hope you love ooey-gooey, tangy Cubano quesadillas!
—xoxo Michelle
P.S. If you need more inspiration for using up leftover food, pop over and read my article, Using up Leftovers!
Recipe
Cubano Quesadillas
Cubano Quesadillas are a fun way to use up leftover pork and/or ham. They're melty, tangy, and utterly delicious! Each quesadilla serves one for lunch (add a side dish to make a dinner of it!). The quesadillas also make a fun appetizer for up to 6.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 2 flour tortillas, (large, a.k.a. "burrito size")
- 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
- ½ cup dill pickle, thinly sliced and chopped; dried with paper toweling
- 1 cup pork, pulled or thinly sliced
- ½ cup ham, (smoked or boiled; thinly sliced and chopped)
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170º (or the lowest setting your oven has). Spread ½ tablespoon butter on one side of a flour tortilla. Turn the tortilla buttered-side-down and set into a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Working quickly, spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise on one half of the tortilla. Then, load the other half (leaving ~½" around the edge) with ¼ cup of cheese, 1 tablespoon mustard (or to taste), and ¼ pickles. Add a layer of ½ cup of pulled pork and then a layer of ¼ cup of ham. Sprinkle on ¼ cup more cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and lid the skillet.
- Let cook 2–3 minutes, checking occasionally to be sure that the tortilla doesn't burn, until the cheese is beginning to melt and the bottom half of the tortilla is golden-brown.
- Flip the quesadilla with a silicone spatula. Use a saucepan to press down on the quesadilla to flatten, being careful not to squeeze out the filling. Hold for 30 seconds. Let the quesadilla continue cooking until the second side is golden brown, about 2 additional minutes (check at 1 minute to make sure that it doesn't go too far). Set the finished quesadilla on a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.
- Repeat for the remaining quesadilla. Set finished quesadillas onto a cutting board and cut each into 3 approximately equal wedges. Serve.
Notes
- To make the two Cubano quesadillas at the same time, assemble the quesadillas on a cutting board (through folding the other half of the tortilla over the filling). Carefully transfer the quesadillas to a large, non-stick skillet and proceed with the cooking instructions. Use a Dutch oven for the flattening step.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
Can I come and live with you?! I love how you seem to have an abundance of pork! These look so delicious and the perfect weekend treat.
Michelle says
Come on over, Cat! 😉 Yes, pork is our favorite meat, based on the amount of it we eat!
Corina Blum says
These sound super super tasty! We often make quesadillas with leftover chicken or pork as they are such an easy meal and a great way to use up the leftovers. I like the fact yours have ham and pork in! Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Michelle says
Thanks, Corina! They are. We've eaten them 3 weekends in a row! 😛 Yes, quesadillas are such a great way to use up leftover EVERYTHING!