Whether prepared inside on the stovetop or al fresco on the grill, these smoky shrimp and bacon quesadillas deliver on a favorite perennial standard. And, they rarely disappoint. They are perfect for a super easy weeknight meal or served as an appetizer at a BBQ or football watch party -- or even when the kid's have a sleepover.
Crisp bacon, along with warming cumin and smoky spicy chipotles contribute a smoky flavor. Sweet roasted red peppers deliver a touch of "sweet" with a citrus zing when finished with a squeeze of lime. (Consider adding a few sprinkles of Tajin to the filling!)
Outside of the phenomenal flavor, there is a lot more to like about these quesadillas. They are prepared using "one pan". What's not to like about that? And these are spot on for entertaining. The filling can be made in advance and assembled and cooked shortly before guests arrive. Or perfect for an easy weeknight meal that kids will want in the regular rotation!
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Ingredients
- bacon
- yellow onion
- chipotle chili in adobo
- ground cumin
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- small shrimp
- roasted red pepper
- Monterey Jack or quesadilla cheese
- cilantro
- flour tortillas
- olive oil
- cooking spray
See recipe card for quantities.
Jump to RecipeInstructions
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the bacon is crispy.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
Pour off all but one tablespoon of the bacon drippings. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until softened.
Add the chipotle pepper, cumin, salt and pepper, stirring until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the shrimp and continue cooking, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through.
Squeeze half a lime over the shrimp.
Stir in the roasted red peppers.
Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes. Add the cheese, reserved bacon and cilantro.
Stir until combined.
Divide and spread the filling mixture across one half of each of the four flour tortillas. Fold tortilla over the filling, pressing firmly.
Brush the top of the quesadillas with olive oil.
Place quesadillas oil side down on a grill or in a skillet. (Use cooking spray if using a skillet.) Grill or heat over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Brush the tops with olive oil and turn the quesadillas over
Grill or cook for 3 to 5 minutes more, or until lightly golden.
Cut into wedges and serve with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and lime wedges.
Hint: If you are using a skillet to prepare the quesadillas, either use a non-stick skillet, or in addition to brushing the tortillas with olive oil, use cooking spray. I found that the "bubbles" on the tortillas wanted to stick to the skillet even when using a non-stick skillet. Using cooking spray alleviated this.
Substitutions & Variations
- Shrimp - Small shrimp come 51 to 60 shrimp per pound. Use medium or large shrimp instead and simply cut them into thirds prior to cooking.
- Smaller tortillas - Instead of 10" tortillas, use eight 6" flour tortillas, sandwiching the filling between the two tortillas. (Just be careful when flipping the quesadillas over to make sure that the filling doesn't all out.)
- Chorizo - Chorizo sausage (bulk) would be fantastic in these quesadillas instead of bacon. Simply crumble 8 oz. of chorizo sausage in the skillet and brown. Drain sausage on a paper towel. Add a few teaspoons of olive oil to the oil remaining from the chorizo before sautéing the onions.
- Bell Pepper - Dice a poblano pepper and saute it with the onions instead of the roasted red peppers. Or use a small fresh diced red bell pepper and saute it with the onions.
- Tajin - For extra citrus zing, add a teaspoon of Tajin when adding the cumin.
- Make it Spicy - Mince a seeded jalapeño and saute with the onions. Or add a teaspoon of adobo sauce along with the chipotle peppers in adobo.
- Shrimp, Chorizo and Cheddar Jack -- Follow instructions in "Substitutions" for substituting chorizo. Use Cheddar Jack and add a ½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika when adding the cumin.
- Kid friendly - These are pretty kid friendly already, but think about replacing half the Jack cheese with American cheese and leaving out the chipotle pepper.
Equipment
- large non-stick skillet, grill or grill pan
Storage & Reheating
Store quesadillas covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat on the stovetop: In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, brush quesadillas lightly with olive oil and cook for a few minutes on each side until reheated and tortilla has re-crisped.
To reheat in the oven: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place quesadillas on the baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
🍽️ Recipe
Smoky Shrimp and Bacon Quesadillas
Equipment
- large skillet or grill or grill pan
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 small chipotle chili in adobo sauce minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound small peeled, and deveined shrimp (about 1 ¼ pounds shrimp with their shells)
- 1 large roasted red pepper chopped
- 4 cups about 1 pound shredded Monterey Jack or quesadilla
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- 4 10- inch flour tortillas
- olive oil and cooking spray
- Accompaniments: Guacamole salsa, sour cream and limes
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the bacon is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
- Pour off all but one tablespoon of the bacon drippings. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the chipotle pepper, cumin, salt and pepper, stirring until fragrant, about a minute. Add the shrimp and continue cooking, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through. Stir in the roasted red peppers
- Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes. Add the cheese, reserved bacon and cilantro and stir until combined
- Divide and spread the filling mixture across one half of each of the four flour tortillas. Fold tortilla over the filling, pressing firmly. Brush the top of the quesadillas with olive oil.
- Place quesadillas oil side down on a grill or in a skillet. (Use cooking spray if using a skillet.) Grill or heat over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Brush the tops with olive oil and flip the quesadillas over. Grill or cook for 3 to 5 minutes more, or until lightly golden.
- Cut into wedges and serve with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and lime wedges.
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