It takes a long time to make a chipotle chili. While jalapeño peppers are typically picked while they’re still green, the peppers that become chipotles are left on the vine until they’re a deep, dark red. Once picked, the peppers spend days in a smoking chamber. When the process is completed, you’re left with the smoky, spicy chilis that give that appealing chipotle flavor to dishes like the Trader Joe’s Chipotle Vegetable Quesadilla.
We’ve been really enjoying quesadillas lately, and we’ve recently reviewed some great ones. Even though quesadillas are delicious, we tend to struggled to cook them evenly without the aid of the microwave. We ran into the same problem with this meal. We tried the stovetop and the oven directions, and both cook methods resulted in a quesadilla that was cold in the center.
As you can see in the image above, the skillet left us with a burnt tortilla. Even though our quesadilla was partially blackened, it was still ice cold in the middle. It took about a minute and 30 seconds in the microwave before our quesadilla was cooked through.
Since Trader Joe’s is kind enough to pack two quesadillas in a box, we had a second chance at cooking this properly. We used the oven this time. The oven process is a bit complicated. You have to wrap the quesadilla in tinfoil and heat it for 20 minutes while flipping it over every five minutes. When we unwrapped our quesadilla, it looked perfect, but the middle was cold to the touch. A minute in the microwave took care of the cold, but left us with the disaster you see below.
If you’re making this meal at home, we’d recommend thawing it in the microwave for about a minute before cooking it in the oven. We don’t recommend this as a frozen meal to bring to work for a lunch, since you probably don’t have access to an oven.
In spite of all the cooking frustrations, we think this is a fantastic dish. The strong hickory smoke flavor gives the veggie-filled quesadilla a slightly meaty taste. The tortilla is thick and flavorful, and the Monterey jack cheese pairs perfectly with the chipotle chilis. A single quesadilla is very filling and can easily serve as a standalone meal.
As long as you don’t mind tweaking the cooking instructions, Trader Joe’s Chipotle Vegetable Quesadilla is perfect for either lunch or dinner. It’s a frozen meal that could easily pass for a homemade dish.
To learn more about the nutrition content or ingredients in these Trader Joe’s quesadillas, check out our package scan below.
