Chard and pepper jack quesadillas loaded with tender-sautéed leafy chard and spicy pepper Jack cheese with a wild card ingredient! Serve these stellar quesadillas with creamy avocado lime sauce.

The surprise ingredient is golden raisins! They balance chard’s slight bitterness with a pop of fruity flavor.
Besides being delicious healthy appetizers, chard and pepper jack quesadillas can become a simple dinner. Quesadillas along with a crisp green salad show up on our dinner table all year long.
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A healthful addition to tortillas and melted cheese quesadillas, chard is loaded with vitamins C and A, and iron. The bright red stems add bulk, crunch and color!
A splash of vinegar brightens all cooked greens. I use sherry vinegar with the chard in these quesadillas, the Spanish vinegar is a good choice with the chard and raisins, though any light vinegar will do.
Sweet golden raisins and chard pair together in quite a few Mediterranean cuisines. Sprinkling the concentrated grape into chard-filled quesadillas is classic flavor logic.
Simply avocado and lime juice blended with garlic and salt, this avocado lime crema makes an awesome sauce for these quesadillas. To give the sauce a little more kick, add in ½ of a jalapeño pepper, with the seeds and veins removed, then dice.
This savory spicy sweet filling will carry about any flour tortilla you choose, including gluten-free ones. I favor Mi Rancho organic flour tortillas, but I’m not sure if you can find them beyond the western US states. Try natural food stores and Trader Joe’s for the best choices.
Tortilla sandwiches of melted spiced cheese, wilted red chard, and mouthwatering raisins! Viva Mexico!
What to serve with Chard and Pepper Jack Quesadillas:
- Jicama Fruit Salad with Cilantro and Lime.
- You want to add brilliant red Hibiscus Margaritas to the menu too. Skip the booze for a sparkling mocktail.
- Crisp green salad with brilliant Guajillo Chile Dressing.
- Tossed greens, carrots, and jicama with Mellow Miso Dressing.
What else can I make with leafy chard? Yes, chard is my favorite green leafy vegetable.
- Rainbow Chard Frittata.
- Chard with Chickpeas.
- Vegetarian Chard Enchiladas.
- Spicy Instant Pot Chard and Pinto Risotto.
Why do we celebrate Cinco de Mayo?
Mexican food and merry-making. How come we get all excited about a Mexican holiday in May? Do you agree that Cinco de Mayo in the U.S. is a marketing ploy, an excuse for bars and restaurants to sell more margaritas and beer?
Why Cinco de Mayo? (Please don’t do battle with me for condensing history.)
- In 1862 the U.S. was in Civil War, North versus South, Union versus Confederates. France was aiding Confederate interests with funds and ammunition. Problem was, at the same time, France was at war with Mexico.
- In Pueblo Mexico, on Cinco de Mayo 1862, a ragtag Mexican army soundly defeated the French. France retreated to lick wounds and replenish resources, giving time for the U.S. Union to amass the powerful army that a year later won the decisive Battle of Gettysburg. Thus, an abbreviated reasoning: France helped end our Civil War and gave Mexico its Cinco de Mayo holiday.
Chard and pepper Jack quesadillas with avocado lime sauce are a tasty way to celebrate Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo. Tequila and beer optional. ¡Viva Mexico!
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Pepper Jack and Chard Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 4 flour tortillas (see note)
- 1 bunch chard, washed
- 3 tablespoons golden raisins (see note)
- 12 ounces jalapeño or pepper Jack cheese, grated (about 1¼ cup per quesadilla)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing the tortillas
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
- Sea salt
Avocado Crema:
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 avocado
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Strip the chard leaves from the stems, by hand or with a knife. If the stems are wide, cut them lengthwise about ½-inch thick. Chop the stems into pieces about ¼-inch thick. Roughly cut the leaves into 2-inch pieces. (They can still be wet from washing.)
- Soften and plump the raisins in a small bowl with some water.
- Heat the olive oil a medium skillet on medium flame. Add the chard stems and cook about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Add the chard leaves and sprinkle with salt. Cover the pan and cook until the leaves are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the extra liquid evaporates and the leaves have seriously shrunk. Splash the pan with the vinegar and season with salt to taste.
Avocado Crema:
- Puree everything together in a blender.
Assemble the quesadillas:
- Lightly brush one side of a tortilla with olive oil. Place oil side down in a skillet. Sprinkle evenly with a quarter of the cheese. Scatter half of the chard over the cheese.
- Drain the raisins, distribute half of them evenly over the cheese and chard. Sprinkle with another quarter of the. Top with a tortilla and brush lightly with olive oil. Cook until the bottoms are golden, 3 or 4 minutes. Gently press down the top with a spatula. Gently flip the quesadilla over to brown the other side. Keep warm and repeat to make the second tortilla. (You can use 2 skillets and make both quesadillas at the same time.
- Transfer to a cutting board. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. (If you let the quesadillas cool a few minutes they will be easier to cut. Serve with Avocado Crema or a favorite salsa.
Notes
- Make a point to read tortilla labels. Many flour tortillas have a long list of questionable ingredients and there are better choices available in natural food stores. No hydrogenated fats, please. For gluten-free tortillas, sample several different brands to find the best one.
- Don’t sub in dark raisins–they don’t have the same subtle fruity flavor, plus their dark color is not pretty in the filling.
Just reading this evokes watering in my mouth, Letty! · 3 May, 2014
Thanks Karen. Happy Eating! · 6 May, 2014
Letty we made your chard and pepperjack quesadillas for breakfast wearing the tie dyed shirts Chelsea made for all of us at the Moab Art Festival. Taking the so tasty leftovers to the river to do short runs on White’s rapid. Happy Memorial Day Kathryn · 26 May, 2014
Letty, these look absolutely yummy! We’re going to share this with our Twitter and Facebook fans on Tuesday, and link here so they can see how to make it.
Keep it green!
–Your friendly Southern Calif. farmers at Cut ‘N Clean Greens · 30 May, 2014
Thanks Cut’N Clean. Can’t wait to try some of your greens. · 31 May, 2014
Cinco de Mayo also happens to be a good friend’s birthday and we always celebrate it by purposely avoiding Mexican food (which is VERY hard for me). This year I think I’ll direct her to this post and see if she will make an exception. GREG · 27 April, 2017
That’s funny. I like to do what I damn please on my birthday too. I hope she lets you have a shot of tequila. · 30 April, 2017
Oh my! Loving this will have to try! · 7 May, 2017
Thanks Annette! · 7 May, 2017
Tasty looking. Will add to our box · 8 May, 2017
Thanks Dennis! · 9 May, 2017
Looks yummy! · 9 May, 2017
Thank you Kelly!! · 9 May, 2017
I had to come back to this site to say that ever since I found this recipe I’ve made it numerous times! What a great way to use up all the chard from my garden.
I’m in New Zealand and we don’t have pepperjack cheese, but after some trial and error I found that putting chilli flakes through the chard and then using Maasdam cheese works best.
And when I ran out of sherry vinegar I moved on to raspberry vinegar, which was also nice, and now I’m using pomegranate molasses, which is delicious! (Balsamic is not so good.)
Thanks for a great recipe! · 22 August, 2021
Thank you Nina! Love your pepper and cheese adaptations! · 23 August, 2021