Erin’s Adobo Eggplant Quesadillas

summer / dinner / vegetarian

Ciao from Italia! At the moment, our life is all about pizza, pasta and tomatoes. It’s amazing but every time I travel, the things I miss most are tacos and mexican-ish food. We made these quesadillas a few weeks ago but I could totally go for one right now!

I often get questions about how to cook eggplant. My favorite and most foolproof method for non-spongy eggplant is to grill it. (If you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can use a grill pan on your stove). I grill mine simply with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon or drizzle of balsamic; I then serve it with some arugula or sliced tomatoes.

But I’m in love with this recipe for grilled eggplant quesadillas that comes from my friend Erin (of Naturally Ella)’s new book The Easy Vegetarian Kitchen. The spices are so flavorful and the eggplant bulks up the quesadillas in a meaty-but-not-meaty sort of way.

I know that so many of you are fans of Erin’s as well, so I’m sure lots of you already have her book, but if you don’t, put it on your list. It’s a super handy vegetarian guide to cooking with what you might have available seasonally or on hand. There are 50 base recipes and 3 unique versions of each. So pretty much any vegetarian meal you might want to make, she has a recipe for. Everything is made with whole grains and with fresh seasonal produce in mind.

I modified her quesadilla recipe just a tad. I mixed her spice rub with olive oil and used it as more of a chile sauce to brush onto the eggplant after I grilled it. (This kept my grill pan a little cleaner). I served the remaining sauce on the side of the finished quesadillas…  Jack gave this meal two speechless thumbs up. Because that’s how he says “this one is really good” as he stuffs the next quesadilla wedge in his mouth.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Erin’s Adobo Eggplant Quesadillas

  PrintAdapted from The Easy Vegetarian Kitchen by Erin AldersonAuthor: Jeanine DonofrioServes: serves 2IngredientsAdobo Seasoning:

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• ½ tablespoon onion powder (I skipped)
• ½ tablespoon Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (I used chipotle paste)
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• pinches of salt and pepper

Eggplant

• 2 small eggplant, sliced into ¼ inch pieces
• olive oil, for drizzling
• 1½ – 2 cups shredded Taleggio cheese (I used Jack cheese)
• handful of cilantro
• lime slices, for serving
• 4 whole grain tortillas

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all the seasoning ingredients. (I added a few tablespoons of olive oil to this to make it a paste).
2. Heat a grill pan to medium heat. Set the eggplant slices on a large plate and drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place eggplant on the grill, and cook for about 2 minutes per side, until dark grill marks form. Remove from the grill and generously brush both sides of the eggplant with the adobo paste mixture.
3. Assemble quesadillas with the cheese, 3-4 eggplant slices and cilantro. Fold the tortilla over the toppings and grill each side of the quesadilla until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are charred on the outside (about 3 minutes per side). Press down with a spatula to help them along.
4. Serve with extra adobo paste, lime slices and fresh cilantro.

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21 comments

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1. Tara S.
   08.14.2021

   Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I was trying to come up with a dinner idea and wondered if there was such a thing as eggplant quesadillas. Sure enough, here you are 🙂 I added chopped arugula to the quesadillas which worked nicely. For a side, I made rice and then stirred in reserved adobo paste and some chickpeas. This quick, super delicious, and easily customizable recipe is a keeper. Thanks again!

   Reply ↓

2. Haley from Haleytetreault.com
   07.20.2016

   This is seriously the best recipe EVER. This is just the right amount of spicy and fresh at the same time.

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3. Ania
   10.08.2015

   Love it!

   Reply ↓

4. EIMIE from kamareimie.com
   07.22.2015

   Eggplant is my favorite food, health, fresh and natural…
   Eggplant with chocolate or butter is very delicious mix..

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5. Jennifer @ Delicious Everyday from deliciouseveryday.com
   07.21.2015

   Oh wow, that adobo paste sounds wonderful. I can already imagine its aroma when slathered unto freshly grilled eggplant! Great idea for sharing Erin’s dish, Jeanine!

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6. Convivial Boar from marrowandnectar.com
   07.21.2015

   I enjoy your posts. I look forward to trying this eggplant recipe.

   Reply ↓

7. Eileen from hampiesandwiches.blogspot.com
   07.21.2015

   These sound delicious! And who doesn’t want to eat more eggplant in every form? I certainly do. 🙂

   Reply ↓

8. Sarah | Broma Bakery from bromabakery.com
   07.21.2015

   We have some eggplants in our garden that need to be used up, and this looks like a perfect recipe for them! Enjoy Italy, and eat all the pistachio gelato you can for me, okay? 🙂

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   • jeanine
     07.21.2015

     ha, done and done 🙂

     Reply ↓

9. Ellier from rovinglights.wordpress.com
   07.21.2015

   Eggplant (aubergine if we’re going to be British about it) is one of my favourite things right now. This looks delish!

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10. Juju Sprinkles from jujusprinkles.com
    07.20.2015

    Adobo seasoning goes so well with everything! Can’t wait to make some quesadillas maybe with tofu for a creamy texture.

    Juju Sprinkles
    http://www.jujusprinkles.com

    Reply ↓

11. Erin from naturallyella.com
    07.20.2015

    Thank you for sharing the quesadillas and so glad you + Jack liked them! (Love the idea of the sauce too- I can imagine it would save the grill pan some grief!) Hope you’re having a wonderful time in Italy!

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12. Stephanie
    07.20.2015

    This looks delicious! Thank you for the opportunity to switch it up when my 4 little eggplants growing in the garden get large enough to pick.
    My go-to marinade for eggplant, mushrooms, and tofu on the grill is Bragg’s Aminos, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and habanero-infused maple syrup. I love having each veggie get a different treatment, though, so now I have another way.

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13. Charlie from lemonbutterlove.com
    07.20.2015

    Looks yummy! Have fun in Italia – I’m about halfway through my Italy posts now (just posted Elba Island!), I’m looking forward to hearing your stories! – Charlie, http://www.lemonbutterlove.com

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14. Kate from cookieandkate.com
    07.20.2015

    Yay! This is such a fun way to prepare eggplant. I’m not sure how I missed these in Erin’s book. Glad you guys are having a great time in Italy. I’m living vicariously through your Instagram pics!!!

    Reply ↓

15. Sarah | Well and Full from wellandfull.com
    07.20.2015

    When I travelled to Europe I really missed Mexican food as well. They’re just not as into it over there as we are here in America! However, being in Italy, I’m sure you’re not missing out on delicious eats 😉 Hope you’re having a great time!

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16. Katie @ Whole Nourishment from wholenourishment.net
    07.20.2015

    I’m in love with that adobo spice mix and I like that you used it as a dipping sauce too. Erin comes up with the most creative but also practical recipes!

    Reply ↓

17. Alexe @ Keys to the Cucina from keystothecucina.com
    07.20.2015

    These look amazing and I agree that grilling eggplant is def the way to go!

    Alexe

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18. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar from warmvanillasugar.com
    07.20.2015

    Love this easy summer recipe! So many fun flavours all up in one bite!!

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19. Erin@WellPlated from wellplated.com
    07.20.2015

    I LOVE eggplant but sometimes suffer from lack of creative ways to prepare it. This is so simple, but so absolutely perfect. Thanks for the recipe Erin, and thanks to you for sharing it here!

    Reply ↓