ʻOno at Home Recipe: Kālua Pork and Sweet Onion Quesadillas

This popular pūpū from Merriman’s is the ultimate comfort dish. Plus, the mango dipping sauce is so good you can eat it by the spoonful.

Across Merriman’s, Peter Merriman’s popular restaurants, the kālua pork and mango onion quesadilla appetizer is a consistent crowd-pleaser. Just one bite, and it’s easy to see why. 

With succulent kālua pork and layers of melted cheese, the pūpū perfectly marries nostalgia and Island flavor.  

What really makes this quesadilla so ʻono is the dipping sauce. Its balance of sweetness and heat is so good you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful! And it adds a delightful contrast to the cheesy richness.  

Whether you’re making these for your keiki, entire ʻohana or friends, this dish is inspired to bring people together. You can also find the recipe in “Merriman’s Hawaiʻi: The Chef—The Farmers—The Food—The Islands,” available online.  

Kālua Pork and Sweet Onion Quesadillas with Mango Dipping Sauce

(Makes 4 quesadillas)

Ingredients:  

• 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas 
• 4 tablespoons fresh goat cheese 
• 1 ½ cups kālua pork with onion (available premade in stores or at your local roadside stand) 
• 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• Mango-chile dipping sauce (recipe below) 

Mango-Chile Dipping Sauce: 

(Makes about 3/4 cup) 

• 1 mango 
• ½ cup rice wine vinegar 
• 2 tablespoon granulated sugar 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves 
• 1 tablespoon sambal oelek 

Preparation: Peel mango and cut into 1/2 inch-dice. Place half the chopped mango in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. Return 2 tablespoons of the purée back into the blender. Add vinegar, sugar, garlic, cilantro and sambal. Blend with 3 short pulses, followed by two 3 second pulses. 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 F. If available, use the roast or conventional oven bake setting. Place four tortillas on baking sheet. Spread 1 tablespoon of goat cheese onto each tortilla. Follow with 3/8 cup of the kālua pork, 1/4 cup of the cheddar and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, spreading each layer uniformly. Top each stack with another tortilla to form a sandwich and press lightly with your hand.  

Bake quesadillas for about 6 to 8 minutes, until cheese bubbles slightly and top of the tortillas are lightly browned. Use a wide spatula to lift each quesadilla onto a cutting board and cut each into 6 pieces. 

To Serve: 

Place dipping sauce in a small bowl on a serving plate and arrange 6 quesadilla slices beside the sauce. 

ʻOno at Home is HAWAIʻI Magazine’s recipe series that brings the flavors of the Islands to you, wherever you are in the world.