I think it might be safe to say that cinco de mayo is the most American non-American holiday out there.
While obviously it’s still celebrated in Mexico (you can read the history here), I feel like its popularity has completely exploded in the U.S. in the last few years.
I imagine that this is largely due to the humble margarita and most Americans probably have very little idea what they are actually celebrating.
Let’s not over-think though right? It’s not my job to educate you on holiday histories. It’s my job to feed you.
Let’s just make some good Tex-Mex food, like these Quesadilla Benedicts, and then call it a day.
Quesadilla Benedicts
Equipment
Ingredients
Jicama Slaw:
- ½ medium jicama, grated
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 1 lime, juice only
- Pinch of kosher salt
Sour Cream Sauce:
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- ½ lime, juice only
Other ingredients:
- 8 small corn tortillas
- 4-6 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
- 4 large eggs
- Olive or vegetable oil
Instructions
- For slaw, grate jicama and carrot and stir together with minced jalapeno, red onion, and cilantro. Stir in lime juice and a pinch of salt and set aside until needed.
- For sauce, stir together sour cream, hot sauce, lime juice and adjust to your tastes.
- In a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat, add a drizzle of oil and lay out a few corn tortillas (as many as can fit in a single layer). Top each tortilla with some cheddar cheese and a second tortilla, making little quesadillas.
- Cook quesadillas until really crispy on both sides, 6-8 minutes, flipping occasionally. It’s okay if some cheese leaks out. It’ll just get crispy and delicious.
- When quesadillas are almost done, add another drizzle of oil to a smaller skillet over medium heat. Crack in a few eggs (might have to work in batches depending on pan size). Cook for a minute or two until egg whites start to set. If you want sunny side up eggs, cover the skillet with a plate or lid and let steam for a minute. Otherwise you can flip the eggs and serve them over-easy fried.
- To build a benedict, add a quesadilla to a plate and top with a generous amount of the jicama slaw. Top with a cooked egg and drizzle sauce over the top of it all. Serve immediately!
Nutrition
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Quesadilla Benedicts
It’s the Slaw
This recipe for Quesadilla Benedicts might look a bit gimmicky, but it very much works.
The highlight of the recipe, in my opinion, is this quick jicama slaw that gives tons of flavor, heat, and crunch to the dish.
Don’t skip this slaw and say you got the recipe from me!
If you have a decent box grater, it takes almost no time to grate half a jicama, a carrot, and stir in some jalapeno, red onion, and cilantro. Lime juice and a pinch of salt brings it all together.
You could easily make this a day or so in advance if you wanted to. It keeps fine in the fridge.
Hollandaise?
I was not in the mood to make hollandaise on this particular day, but I do think this dish benefits from some sort of sauce.
So I came up with this cheater’s sauce. It’s just sour cream, hot sauce, and lime juice. Go heavy on the hot sauce. You want to dilute the sour cream enough so the sauce can be drizzled on things.
The Dillas
I’ve always said that the way to make English muffins better is to stuff them with cheese.
English muffins are the normal base for a benedict but I see no reason why we can’t substitute a crispy quesadilla. It holds up to the toppings and is just plain better than a bland muffin.
The key to making these work is to use smallish corn tortillas and get them really crispy.
Toss them in a non-stick (or cast iron) skillet with a drizzle of oil over medium heat. Top with some cheese (no need to over-do it) and then top with the other tortilla.
You’ll probably have to do these in batches.
Cook the quesadillas until they are crispy on both sides. You might think that they are done at this point, after 4-5 minutes.
They are not. Keep letting them cook for another 3-4 minutes.
When they are crispy they are done.
Note on Fillings: You might be tempted to shove a bunch of stuff inside your quesadillas here, but keeping it simple is best. These are just a vessel for the slaw and egg and sauce. Don’t over-complicate it.
Egg Options
Again, I ditched the standard poached egg here although you absolutely could do that.
Instead, I went with some sunny-side up suckers.
Add a drizzle of oil to a small skillet over medium heat and crack in a few eggs. Let them cook until the whites are just set and then cover the skillet with a plate. Let them steam for a minute and they should be perfect.
You can also flip them and serve them over-easy.
Building the Quesadilla Benedicts is pretty straightforward.
Lay out a ‘dilla, top with some slaw, add an egg and drizzle with sauce.
Eat it all.
I dare you to not love this dish.
It’s actually kind of classy even though the idea of it might seem a bit trashy.
I would not lead you astray for a day like Cinco de Mayo.
Sammijoy
Well now you have done it, combined my absolute two favorite foods of all time! Cant wait to give this a try.
Sarah O.
I’d argue that St. Patrick’s Day holds the honor of most American non-American holiday, if the pub crawls here in Philly are anything to judge by. However, I’ll take these quesadillas over green beer any day!
Nick
Ahh… I think you’re right on that one actually. Good call. ;)