Roasted Corn And Squash Quesadillas With Hot Honey Dipping Sauce Recipe

Roasted corn and squash with chipotle hot honey is the flavor combination you didn't know you needed inside of a gooey, cheesy tortilla. Recipe developer Leah Maroney uses corn tortillas to boost both the flavor and the texture here. "Corn tortillas add another dimension to the texture profile of these delicious quesadillas," Maroney says. We like to use traditional quesadilla cheese, which can be found in many larger grocery stores or in Latin grocery stores. It has a gorgeous cheese pull and a subtle, salty flavor. However, you can use Monterey Jack cheese if you can't find the quesadilla cheese. 

The chipotle and honey sauce only requires two ingredients, but it packs a killer punch. The smokiness of the chipotle and the sweetness of the honey complement the roasted vegetables perfectly. You can use the hot honey as a drizzle on top or as a dip on the side. These quesadillas are best served immediately out of the oven. Just let them cool slightly. You can reheat the quesadillas in the air fryer. Just heat at 425 F for 10 minutes; this makes them extra crispy and almost taco-like.

To start, you'll need a honeynut squash, which is tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Onions and garlic are added to the squash, and it's all baked until the veggies are softened. Then, the corn is added to the baking sheet. We use frozen corn to make life easier, but you can use fresh corn or charred corn on the cob from the grill if you're feeling fancy. Once everything is nicely browned, the quesadillas are assembled. Corn tortillas are coated in butter and stuffed with quesadilla cheese and the roasted vegetables. They're put back in the oven, browned, and then topped with the honey and chipotle sauce. Finally, cilantro and lime are sprinkled over the top for a pop of color and a zip of flavor.

Preheat the oven to 475 F.

Cut the ends off of the honey nut squash and slice it in half lengthwise.

Scoop out the seeds of the squash and cut the squash into half moons, about ½ inch thick.

Place the cut squash on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Cut the onion into half moons.

Add the sliced onion and garlic cloves to the sheet pan with the squash. Toss to coat.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the squash is softened.

Add the corn kernels to the baking sheet and sprinkle with the Tajín seasoning.

Increase the oven to broil, and broil until corn is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Remove and discard the skins from the honeynut squash. Put all of the baked vegetables in a separate dish.

Coat one side of each tortilla in butter and lay on the baking sheet (butter side down). Divide the cheese evenly among the tortillas (you may have to use two baking sheets).

Divide the roasted vegetables evenly among the tortillas.

Fold the tortillas in half.

Bake in the oven at 475 F for 5 minutes, or until browned and crispy.

While they're baking, finely chop the chipotle pepper.

Add the chipotle pepper to the honey and stir to combine.

Drizzle the quesadillas with the hot honey and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Quesadillas are commonly made with corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas in traditional Mexican cuisine. In America, most quesadillas are made with flour tortillas due to Sonoran Mexican influences on American Mexican cuisine. We love how the corn tortilla complements the charred corn inside of this quesadilla. The corn tortilla also handles the amount of cheese and fillings nicely and browns beautifully in the oven. This recipe is also gluten-free because of the use of corn tortillas. However, you can most definitely replace the corn tortillas with flour tortillas for dietary reasons or for personal preference.

Make sure to use a generous layer of butter or cooking spray, as flour tortillas are more likely to stick to your sheet pan. You may have to change the amount of filling based on the size of the tortilla. Flour tortillas come in a larger range of sizes than corn tortillas, so this recipe may make more or less quesadillas depending on the size of your tortillas.

Cooking the quesadillas in the oven is an easy, hands-off technique that takes some of the guesswork and risk of burning out of the equation. Also, all of the quesadillas can be made at the same time using this method. However, these quesadillas can easily be made on the stovetop, as well. A griddle or non-stick pan works the best. The quesadillas will need to be cooked in batches unless you have a large enough griddle. Keep the heat on medium-low so that the quesadillas are less likely to burn. Make sure to watch them closely while they are cooking. It's also a great idea to cover the quesadillas with a lid while they are cooking to hold in some of the heat. This helps the cheese melt faster. They will need to cook for about 3 minutes per side to get the desired doneness.