Have any of you eaten or ordered the Quesadilla Burger at Applebee’s?  Well, there are SO many people that love it so I thought I would attempt a little makeover on that entree.  Here’s what I came up with and I have to say, I am pretty darn pleased with the results!  Man, this thing is packed with Southwestern flavors that make it far from boring. You add chunky pico de gallo and cheddar cheese to it, along with the fact that the tortilla is nice and crispy, and it makes you wonder if this is really a legal and healthy thing to be eating because it is SOOOOO yummy!

I actually used Beach Salsa on my quesadilla because I had that on hand (the Beach Salsa adds a few extra calories than regular pico because of the corns/beans), but it was so deeeeeelish!  However, regular ol’ pico will work super well and that’s what I actually used to count the nutritional information for the recipe.

So, now you have an excuse to have a restaurant-worthy meal right at home.  This was sooooo easy and good that it will probably make my weekly dinner menu.  That’s right, weekly!  It’s one of my new go-to meals.

Turkey Cheeseburger Quesadilla
Mimi Original (Inspired by Applebee’s)

1 lb. ground turkey burger
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup pico de gallo
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
8 small whole wheat flour tortillas (Mission Life)
spray oil

Mix taco seasoning, salt, and pepper into ground turkey.  Form 4 flat patties (I make them more oval/flat to fit close to the size of half a tortilla).  Heat a skillet pan or indoor grill to medium-high heat; when hot, lightly spray the pan with oil and add the burgers. Cook burgers about 2 minutes on each side or to your liking (I cooked mine for 4 minutes on my Goerge Foreman Grill). Set aside.

Clean the pan and return to medium heat.  Lightly coat your large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat.  (See tip below for optional cooking directions.) Place a tortilla in the skillet (if your skillet is big enough you can do more than one at the same time) and place 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese on each tortilla, then 2 tablespoons pico de gallo, top with turkey burger, then an additional 2 tablespoons of pico and 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese.  Fold tortilla over the filling and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.  Turn and brown the other side and cook until the cheese melts.  Removed from skillet and set aside.

Repeat with remaining tortillas, turkey burgers, cheese, and pico.

Serves 4.

Optional Cooking Tip:  I often cook these on my indoor grill (aka George Foreman).  It makes it SUPER handy so that I don’t have to actually flip the tortilla over in a skillet (which sometimes can be disastrous with the filling falling out all over the place. . . not that I would know!).  I can also cook at least two at a time (one for me and one for the hubby) in record time.

Nutritional Information (Per Quesadilla – with a 4-oz. Burger)
Calories:  331.4
Protein:  31.2g
Carbs:  22.4g
Fat:  14g (4.9g = Sat.)
Fiber:  3g
Sugars:  1g