Every time Han eats a forearm-sized Barbacoa Burrito from Tropisueño, a Mexican restaurant in SF we go to at least twice a week only to get the burritos, he would claim that he could eat it every day with a straight face and a full mouth. Every.Single.Time!

Tuna Salad Quesadilla

I let him think by not responding. Then the full statement would come out like this:

“Okay, maybe not every day, but I could definitely rotate my meals among 5 dishes every week – burritos, quesadillas, tacos, sushi, and pizzas.”

Tuna Salad Quesadilla

Well, even though it sounds more reasonable, I had my doubts until one day, I realized that those five things were literally what we eat whenever I don’t cook. They take turns to fill in the blank parts of our eating schedules.

Tuna Salad Quesadilla

Traveling in Mexico for two weeks by now has certainly confirmed that our beloved burritos don’t exist in Mexico. Can you believe that? Burritos are not real Mexican food! It almost hurt our feelings to actually proved that there’s nowhere to find a single burrito in Mexico. Soon, we found that it doesn’t matter because multiple types of tacos and quesadillas are more than enough to keep us satisfied. Alright, Han was right. Even eating those two things every day is very very doable.

Tuna Salad Quesadilla

As a loyal fan of Mexican food, Han craves it fairly often at home, resulting wrapping tuna salad with tortillas and sealing the edges with melted cheese. Then there’s his straight face with full mouth again. Considering how easy he gets lost in the kitchen, I have to admit that this invention was surprisingly a great success!

Tuna Salad Quesadilla

They taste so authentic but with more cheese! Prepare some salsa, guacamoles, and sour cream to go with it. Those are best friends who are not meant to be separated. Drizzle some Tapatío sauce if you like the heat. Now we are talking about serious deliciousness, with a straight face.

This recipe yields 4 medium quesadillas and 1 cup tuna salad filling as leftovers.

Tuna Salad

Add some more mayonnaise in the filling and turn it into a completely perfect tuna salad. Dump some Black Tea Mini Crackers in it and Bam! Here you have a nice and light lunch for the next day. Enjoy!

Tuna Salad Quesadilla
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Tuna Salad Quesadillas

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  • Author: Sharon Chen
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 quesadillas 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Mexican
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Description

Tuna salad seems common enough. How about Tuna Salad Quesadillas? This is truly an accident happened in my kitchen, but it’s a very happy one!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 12 oz can solid white tuna, drained and flaked
  • 1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup celery, chopped (1 stalk)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise, divided
  • 2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
  • 4 medium sized tortillas
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, mix tuna, green onion, and celery.
  2. Add lemon juice, a small pinch of sea salt and black pepper, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, and dill to the tuna mixture. Toss until even. Now we have a delicious tuna salad filling.
  3. Next, let’s make the quesadillas! Heat up a nonstick skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, place 1 tortilla in the center of the skillet.
  4. Quickly scoop 2 heaping tablespoons tuna salad filling onto half side of the tortilla. Spread out the tuna salad filling by the back of a big spoon. Place 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese on the other half side of the tortilla.
  5. When the cheese just starts melting, fold the tortilla in half. Cook each side for an additional 30 seconds or until the tortilla turns crisp and brown.
  6. Repeat step 3-5 to make the other 3 quesadillas.
  7. Cut each quesadilla in half and serve with salsa or guacamole, or both.
  8. Add 1 tablespoon mayonnaise in the left fillings to complete the tuna salad.

Notes

The reason that we don’t use 1/4 cup mayonnaise all at once is because we want to prevent the quesadillas from being too liquidy. By reducing the mayonnaise in the tuna salad filling will help.

About the Author

Sharon Chen, StreetSmart Kitchen
Sharon Chen

Sharon Chen is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, an author and a sous vide fanatic who believes food not only brings healing but also connection. As the creator of StreetSmart Kitchen, she's on a mission to help you find balance, ease, joy, and simplicity in the kitchen as you improve your well-being.