Are you looking for an easy quesadilla recipe that strikes the perfect balance between sweet and savory? Check out this recipe for pineapple quesadillas! These tasty quesadillas are made with pineapple, black beans, onions, jalapeños, and creamy monterey jack cheese.
We make these quesadillas with gluten free tortillas so that they will be entirely gluten free. If you are looking for gluten free tortillas that will not crumble when folded, then Toufayan gluten free tortillas are the best of the best. If you do not have a gluten intolerance, then you can also make these pineapple quesadillas with regular flour tortillas.
What is in these pineapple quesadillas?
What is in these pineapple quesadillas? Here are the main ingredients that are used in these sweet and spicy pineapple quesadillas.
- Monterey jack cheese
- Cream cheese
- Black beans
- Pineapple
- Onion
- Jalapeño
- Green onion
Preventing tortillas from crumbling
I tried many brands of gluten free tortillas before I found a brand that would not crumble and tear. Throughout the years, I have picked up a few tips and tricks for working with tricky gluten free tortillas. Here is a list of tips and tricks for making sure your tortillas do not crumble when you are assembling your quesadillas.
- Use fresh tortillas. The fresher the tortillas are, the less likely they are to crumble. Your absolute best bet is making your own tortilla or finding a local store that makes tortillas in house. If neither of those are an option, store bought tortillas can work, but the same principle applies: the less time they have been sitting around at your house, the less likely they are to crumble.
- Warm your tortillas. Warmed tortillas are less likely to crumble than cool tortillas. Heat your tortillas in the microwave, oven, or stove before filling them up.
- Moisten your tortillas. The same goes for moist tortillas. If you microwave your tortillas or throw them in the oven, wrap stacks of tortillas in a damp paper towel. If you are heating them up on the stove, dip them in a mixture of water and oil prior to throwing them in your pan.
Making your quesadilla extra creamy
Cream cheese is probably not an ingredient you are used to seeing in quesadillas. At least it’s not one I have seen used often. I am a big fan of adding cream cheese as a companion to hard cheeses to give the dish more depth. This works especially well in dishes where ‘cheesy’ is the main flavor. Try adding cream cheese to your grilled cheese sandwiches sometime!
In this case, the cream cheese goes particularly well with the caramelized pineapple. It balances out the acidity without detracting from the flavor.
Adding fruit to savory dishes
I am a big fan of adding sweet fruit to savory dishes, especially when there is a little spice to tie it all together. I find that I get the best results by throwing the fruit on the stove and caramelizing it prior to combining it with the other ingredients. In this recipe, I combine sweet caramelized pineapple with spicy jalapeño and wrap it up in a warm tortilla to make a delicious and cheesy quesadilla.
Pineapple quesadilla
Ingredients
- 4 gluten free tortillas (large burrito-style tortillas)
- 8 oz black beans
- 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
- 2 tbsp cream cheese
- 1 cup chopped pineapple
- 1 onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 2 tbsp green onion (about 2 stalks)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (vegetable oil also works)
Instructions
- Chop on the onion, jalapeno, and green onion. If pineapple chunks are large, chop them into 1/2 inch pieces
- Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil over medium high heat. Add onion to one side of the pan and pineapple to the other. It is okay if these mix a little but you want to keep them separated for the most part. Cook pineapple and onion for 15-20 minutes, mixing every 3-5 minutes as edges start to caramelize
- Start to assemble quesadillas. Fill each tortilla with monterey jack cheese, cream cheese, black beans, jalapeño, caramelized pineapple, and caramelized onion
- Lower to medium head and add additional coconut oil to the pan as needed. Cook batches of assembled quesadillas for 3-5 minutes on each side until they start to brown
- Garnish with sour cream and green onion
Substitutions for pineapple quesadillas
- Green onions. If you don’t have green onions lying around but do happen to have chives, throw them in your quesadillas. They also pair well with the cream cheese and Monterey Jack.
- Monterey jack cheese. I recommend that you stick with mild cheeses when you are adding fruits to a dish. They really showcase the sweetness and acidity of the fruit. I went with monterey Jack, but you could look into using other mild hard cheeses like pepper jack or colby jack.
Our favorite quesadilla recipes
- Apple cinnamon quesadillas
- Italian quesadillas
- Guacamole quesadillas
- Pineapple quesadillas
- Plantain quesadillas
- Poblano quesadillas
Other recipes you will love
Are you looking for an easy, cheesy quesadilla recipe? Check out this recipe for guacamole quesadillas. These tasty quesadillas are stuffed with homemade guacamole and lots of sharp cheddar cheese.
Are you looking for a quesadilla recipe with a little bit of an Italian flair? Check out this recipe for Italian quesadillas with red onion, spinach, garlic, sun dried tomatoes and lots of creamy mozzarella cheese!
Are you looking for another sweet and savory recipe that is made with fresh pineapple? Check out this recipe for pineapple tacos with red onions, green onions, and jalapeño cream cheese.
