Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tortilla Melts with Apple Salad
Crispy pan-fried tortillas stuffed with savory caramelized onions, tender button mushrooms, and melted cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. The filling gets richness from mushroom stock concentrate and fry seasoning, while a fresh apple and mixed greens salad with tangy sour cream crema provides a bright contrast. Perfect for weeknight dinners or casual entertaining when you want something more sophisticated than a basic quesadilla.
Ingredients
- 1 unit yellow onion, halved, peeled, and thinly sliced
- 1 unit lemon, halved
- 1 unit apple, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
- 4 ounce button mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fry seasoning
- 2 ounce mixed greens
- 1 unit mushroom stock concentrate
- 2 unit flour tortillas
- ½ cup cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Wash and dry all produce
- 2
Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion
- 3
Heat oil in large pan over medium heat, add onion, season with salt and pepper, cook stirring occasionally until softened
- 4
Halve lemon, halve and core apple then slice thinly, trim and slice mushrooms thinly
- 5
Combine sour cream, fry seasoning, and lemon juice in small bowl, season with salt and pepper
- 6
Toss apple and mixed greens with olive oil and lemon juice in large bowl, season with salt and pepper
- 7
Add mushrooms and oil to pan with onions, cook stirring until mushrooms are tender and onion is caramelized
- 8
Season with remaining fry seasoning, salt, and pepper
- 9
Add stock concentrate and water, cook stirring until liquid mostly evaporated, season with salt and pepper
- 10
Transfer filling to plate and wipe out pan
- 11
Place tortillas on work surface, sprinkle with cheddar, top with mushroom filling and Monterey Jack, fold in half
- 12
Heat oil in same pan over medium-high heat, cook tortilla melts until golden brown on first side, flip and cook until second side is golden
- 13
Transfer to paper-towel-lined plate
- 14
Slice each melt into three wedges
- 15
Divide melts and salad between plates, serve with crema on side
Tips
Lower heat and add a splash of water if onion begins to brown too quickly during caramelizing
For extra-rich filling, stir in butter after adding stock concentrate
Work in batches when cooking tortilla melts if pan is too small to fit both comfortably
Good to Know
Refrigerate assembled melts up to 1 day before cooking. Store salad separately.
Caramelize onions and mushrooms up to 2 days ahead. Assemble salad components separately.
Serve immediately while cheese is melted and tortillas are crispy. Provide crema for dipping.
Common Mistakes
Keep heat at medium to avoid burning onions during caramelizing
Pat mushrooms dry before slicing to prevent soggy filling
Don't overfill tortillas or cheese will leak during cooking
Substitutions
Gluten-Free Swaps
General Alternatives
FAQ
Can I make these melts ahead of time?
You can caramelize the onions and mushrooms up to 2 days ahead, but assemble and cook the melts just before serving for best texture.
What if I don't have fry seasoning?
Substitute with a mix of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper, or use your favorite all-purpose seasoning blend.
How long will leftover melts keep?
Refrigerate cooked melts up to 3 days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium heat until warmed through and crispy again.