When I was a little girl, I always loved ordering the quesadilla off the appetizer menu whenever we went to Tex-Mex restaurants. You cant beat crispy tortillas stuffed with cheeeeese. I’ve upgraded since then, but the basics still remain. The real magic of this recipe is that everything is cooked in bacon grease!

These Green Chili-Shrimp Quesadillas will knock your flip flops off! (These would also be great with flame-grilled shrimp in the summer!) The great thing about quesadillas is that they’re absolutely bespoke. You can have them anyhow, anyway you want them. You could even make them healthier, buuuuuut why would you really want to? This filling would be great in enchiladas too by using smaller tortillas and topping them with green chili sauce or sour cream sauce prior to baking…

For these quesadillas, you’ll need the following:
-Bacon fat (or vegetable oil)
-4 tortillas of choice (I used 10in)
-About 1/2 an 8oz pkg Mexican style shredded cheese (taco seasoned is best if you can find it)
-1/2lb chopped bacon (save the grease from frying off)
-4oz can diced green chilies, drained
-1/2c chopped fresh cilantro
-1/4c fine chopped red onion
-1/2lb chopped shrimp (for extra flavor, cook in some of the bacon fat)

Directions:
-Start by frying the bacon in batches in a large skillet. When crisp, remove to a paper-towel-lined plate. Reserve the excess bacon fat in a small container off to the side to use in the rest of the recipe. If you don’t get enough to use for the entire recipe, you can substitute with cooking oil of choice.
-Combine the green chilies, cilantro, and red onion and heat in the same skillet over medium heat for 5-6min, stirring occasionally. Remove to a medium bowl.
-When the bacon has cooled enough to handle, give it a rough chop and mix with the green chili mixture.
-To the same skillet, add a tsp or two of bacon fat and add the shrimp and season liberally with fresh cracked pepper and salt. Cook the shrimp over medium heat, tossing frequently, until delicately pink. About 2-3min. Stir into the green chili-bacon mixture.
-Regrease the skillet with a tsp of bacon grease and lay down one tortilla. Lightly sprinkle with cheese, top with 1/4 of the shrimp-bacon-green chili mixture, and sprinkle more cheese over top. Using a spatula, carefully fold tortilla in half and cook on each side 2-3min. Repeat for remaining tortillas, regreasing skillet as needed in between quesadillas.
-Using a pizza cutter, cut each quesadilla into 4 pieces. Serve with sour cream and salsa. Makes four quesadillas… So 4 servings? Depending on who you are 😉

What are some of your favorite Tex-Mex fillings?