Quesadilla Burger

When we lived in Duncan, we had a plethora of fast food options.  But when it came to sit down restaurants, they were mostly local options.  That's not a bad thing, many of them were very good.  It was exciting when Applebee's came to town.  Applebee's had their own problems including a terrible manager, untrustworthy wait staff, and slow service at times.  But they served a Quesadilla Burger that became my regular order.  I've recreated it here in Oman in both a regular and low carb version.

Low Carb version of the Quesadilla Burger

Regular version of the Quesadilla Burger

Recipe below makes 3 regular Quesadilla Burgers and 1 Low Carb Quesadilla Burger.

Ingredients

• 3 pieces Lebanese Bread, split in half (or 6 tortillas)
• 2 oz. Mozzarella Cheese
• 8 slices Cheddar Cheese
• Salsa of choice, optional
• 4-8 slices bacon, cooked, optional (none pictured on mine as bacon is $$$ here)
• 1 Tbs. Taco Seasoning*
• 1 lb. hamburger meat

Instructions

For Hamburgers:

1. Mix Taco Seasoning and hamburger meat until well combined.
2. Form into 4 hamburger patties.  Press your thumb into the center of each patty to keep it from shrinking while cooking.
3. Fry or grill your meat.  I use my air fryer set at 180C (~375F) for 8 minutes.

For cheese "tortillas":

1. Preheat oven to 200C (400F).  Line a baking sheet with a Silpat liner or parchment paper.
2. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese to form 2 circles on the pan.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until crispy.
3. Once crispy, remove from oven and add a slice of Cheddar Cheese to each "tortilla."  Return to off but still warm oven to melt the Cheddar Cheese.

Assembly:

1. Split Lebanese Bread in half to get 2 "tortillas" per bread.  This is unnecessary if using real tortillas, but I do this step since Lebanese Bread is thicker.
2. Heat a medium size frying pan over medium heat.  One at a time, place a piece of bread in the hot pan.  Place a slice of Cheddar Cheese in the center of the bread.  Cover with a lid if available.  Cook until the cheese has melted some and the bread is crispy.
3. Assemble burger by starting with one tortilla (cheese side up), adding the hamburger, bacon (if using), salsa (if using), and topping with another tortilla (cheese side down).
4. Enjoy!

Low Carb Quesadilla Burger with a side of salad

Notes

*I make my own Taco Seasoning by following this recipe, but any Taco Seasoning will work fine.
**Served here with a small salad topped with some pico that I had made.  I've since switched from making a pico to using salsa.  Trying to keep life a little simpler.