Copy Cat: Taco Bell Quesidillas

The Copy Cat series will be an ongoing series in which I attempt to re-create mine and others favorite restaurant foods.  There are always exceptions, but generally food cooked at home is more affordable than food ordered out - and often times more healthy.  Learning to create the foods we crave can save dollars and sometimes calories! 

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Ok, don't act like you didn't know about my Taco Bell addiction! 

Anyway, if you are familiar with their Quesadillas?  You know they have such a unique flavor.  I've made Quesadillas at home before and they taste nothing like the Taco Bell ones.  Usually good, but not the same. 

What's the secret? For this, I went to the internet.  Specifically: Food.com: Taco Bell Quesadillas Recipe 

Unlike my usual approach to recipes, I followed this one (almost) to the letter, which required the sourcing of these:

Jalapeno Pepper Slices

You can by them already diced too, but not the day I went at target.  However, these were being clearance which is pretty cool. (Apparently, because of a label change - the food was still fine)

The secret ingredients to creating that zesty sweet flavor are mayo and sugar.

SAUCE  (I left this part as is.)  

1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 2 teaspoons minced jalapenos , slices
• 2 teaspoons jalapeno juice , from minced jalepenos
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 dash salt

QUESADILLAS (I try not to eat processed American Cheese... if I can help it)

• 4 flour tortillas
• 4 chicken tenderloins
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 2 slices process American cheese  

The sauce!

I fully cooked the chicken before adding it to the tortilla sandwich, which I fried in a bit of canola oil (spray kind) to get a crispy shell.

Topped with tomatoes and hot sauce

Verdict: These are amazing!  I licked my plate, and the boyfriend thinks they are more flavorful than the original.

Reality:  they are not amazing health wise:

My version of the had this for calorie counts:
Note: Depending on how much sauce, chicken and cheese you use, you may wind up with more than a serving, but I think this is as accurate as possible assuming averages.  Substituting lower calorie replacements like light mayo or low-fat cheese would be an easy fix if you are wanting to cut cals. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 110 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 361 Calories from Fat 216

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 24.0g 37%

Saturated Fat 12.2g 61%

Cholesterol 59mg 20%

Sodium 487mg 20%

Total Carbohydrates 21.3g 7%

Dietary Fiber 2.5g 10%

Sugars 2.4g

Protein 16.3g

Vitamin A 14% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 45% • Iron 6%

Nutrition Grade C+

(source: caloriecount.com)

Cost:  I basically had everything on hand already, so the only special purchase was the Jalapeno Peppers, which were clearanced to $1.15, and I did not even come close to using all of them.  My back of the envelope math says these were about $1.06/per serving or $4.24 for the whole recipe.  The chicken being by far the most expensive part.

For comparison a Quesadilla at Taco Bell costs $2.89 (varies by store) and has 530 calories.  Not a shocking difference per say, but yeah taking out that American Cheese helps - no surprise there.