Butternut Squash Caramelized Onion and Cambozola Quesadillas

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion and Cambozola Quesadillas are a delicious way to ring in fall!

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion and Camba…. what Quesadillas?  Cambozola baby!

Cambozola® is an amazing German cheese that is part brie and part blue cheese.  In fact, it’s often referred to as a “blue brie.”

Cambozola has all the creaminess of brie with the tanginess and delicious yet very delicate “bite” of blue cheese.  Needless to say, it pairs beautifully with sweet butternut squash and caramelized onions!

Tips for Caramelizing Onions:

Caramelizing onions is a labor of love.  I’ve done a crazy amount of caramelized onions as a personal chef.  Here is the method I found works the best:

• Start off with lots of fat in the pan.  I use a combination of butter and oil.
• Heat over medium-high heat.
• Place a cover on the pan but don’t cover it entirely, then reduce the heat to medium.
• Cook covered over medium heat for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until they begin to soften up.
• Uncover, then let the onions cook for another 30 minutes, stirring and watching, or for however long they take.  It’s something that should not be rushed.
• When they’re nice and golden, remove from the heat and simply drain off the excess fat.
• Season with salt halfway through the process and you have gorgeous and flavorful caramelized onions!

There are other ways to speed the process such as adding sugar and I’ve even heard of baking soda but I think they all affect the taste.  I also tried doing them in a slow-cooker once and I was not at all thrilled with the steamed taste.  They need direct heat!

Caramelized onions freeze well, so simply do a bunch at a time!  Here’s more information from The Kitchn on How to Caramelize Onions.

Then, pile roasted butternut squash, the onions, some of the amazing Cambozola on whole-grain tortillas… and baby!

Let’s eat!

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Yield: 4

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion and Cambozola Quesadillas

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion and Cambozola Quesadillas are a delicious way to ring in fall!

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Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion and Cambozola Quesadillas are a delicious way to ring in fall!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• SQUASH FILLING
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 4 cups)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced thick
• 10 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ONIONS
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter or ghee
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
• salt, to taste
• QUESADILLAS
• 4 (10-inch) whole-wheat tortillas
• 1 small wedge Cambozola cheese (about 1/4 pound), rind removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. SQUASH FILLING: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss butternut squash cubes, onion, jalapeno peppers and garlic with olive oil.
3. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until squash is tender. Transfer to a bowl and coarsely mash with a potato masher. Set aside.
4. ONIONS: Heat butter and olive oil over medium-high in a large skillet or saute pan.
5. Add the onions, cover, reduce heat to medium and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Remove the cover, add salt to taste and continue cooking, stirring frequently for at least another 30 minutes or until the onions become golden to light brown in color. (It's important for the onions to "stick" a little bit here and there without burning as this helps them caramelize.) Transfer to a sieve for the excess fat to drain off.
7. QUESADILLAS: Spread equal amounts of the butternut squash filling on two of the four tortillas.
8. Top with equal amounts of the caramelized onions, followed by evenly distributed bits of the Cambozola.
9. Place remaining tortillas over the filling, pressing slightly to adhere. Alternately, place equal amounts on one half of each tortilla, folding the other half over creating four half-moon shapes.
10. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick skillet or griddle. Brown the filled tortillas 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

2
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 703Total Fat: 57gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 667mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 6gSugar: 10gProtein: 14g

The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

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