Making Fajita Vegetables is a great way to use up leftover onion and bell pepper halves, and they’re handy to have in the fridge to toss into a salad or burrito or liven up a plate of scrambled eggs.
I’ve been a little fajita obsessed lately and have added a bunch of fajita recipes to the site over the last few months, including Steak Fajitas , Easy Chicken Fajitas , and Chicken Fajita Sandwiches .
And today I have one more fajita recipe for you: Fajita Vegetables. Making a batch of fajita veggies has become one of my favorite ways to use up leftover onion and bell pepper halves, and they’re so handy to have in the fridge to toss into a salad or burrito or liven up a plate of scrambled eggs.
How to Make Fajita Vegetables
- If you’re using leftover bell peppers and onions you’ve used part of in other recipes, not a problem. You can cook almost any amount of veggies this way. Just use a ratio of approximately twice the peppers to onions. This doesn’t have to be exact, it’s just a good ratio to shoot for so onions don’t completely take over the flavor.
Start with a nice large pan. You’re probably going to have to crowd the pan a little, but the bigger, the better. Heat a little vegetable oil over medium-high heat and once it’s hot, add the peppers and onions.
Add veggie fajitas seasoning: salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin, and toss to coat.
- After you toss the veggies a few times, let them sit so they develop some of those browned edges before tossing again. Repeat until veggies are tender-crisp.
For softer vegetables: Once the vegetables have browned a bit, turn heat down as necessary to keep them from burning, and continue to cook until they reach your desired level of doneness.
For very soft vegetables: If you like your fajita veggies with little-to-no bite, add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan once they’ve started to brown. Cook the veggies, stirring often, until water has evaporated and veggies are soft, adding more water by the tablespoon if necessary.
What to Do With Fajita Veggies
Fajita veggies are good for so much more than just adding chicken or beef and wrapping in a tortilla (though they’re great for that too).
- Chop roughly and add warmed veggies to omelets or scramble them with eggs and top with cheese.
- Add them to salads , burritos , burrito bowls , and quesadillas
- Use them as a topping on your hot dogs and sausages (if you’ve never tried it, this is sooooo good!)
You Might Also Enjoy
- Barbacoa Tacos
- Easy Carne Asada
- Homemade Carnitas
- Barbacoa
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ▢ 1/2 large onion sliced
- ▢ 2 bell peppers any color sliced
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- ▢ Salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add onion and bell pepper slices. Sprinkle spices over the top and generously salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 8 minutes, until edges are browned and vegetables are tender-crisp.
- For softer vegetables, once the veggies have browned a bit, turn heat down to medium to keep them from burning, and continue to cook until they reach your desired level of doneness.
- For veggies with no bite, add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan once they’ve started to brown. Cook the veggies, stirring often, until water has evaporated and veggies are soft, adding more water by the tablespoon if necessary.
This easy Chipotle Aioli is the perfect bright and tangy way to spice up sandwiches and burgers or use as a dipping sauce for pretty much anything.
Last year I shared my favorite Garlic Aioli with you, and today I have a little twist on that recipe: Chipotle Aioli.
Quick and Easy Chipotle Aioli
Chipotle aioli is everything great about classic aioli with a little spicy chipotle kick. It’s the perfect bright and tangy way to finish off sandwiches and burgers or as a dipping sauce for pretty much anything.
And the best part is that it’s made with pantry staples, so as long as you have the chipotle element (we’ll talk more on that in a second), you probably always have the ingredients on hand to whip up a quick batch.
How to Make Chipotle Aioli
To make chipotle aioli, you’ll need just four ingredients plus salt and pepper: mayonnaise, a crushed clove of garlic, lemon or lime juice, and either chipotle powder or a spoonful of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers .
Both the ground powder and canned sauce work well, but I tend to use the powder more often since I rarely have an open can of peppers in my fridge.
But if you use lots of canned chipotles, the canned stuff might be the perfect option for you!
Whether you’re using powder or liquid, the method to make the aioli is going to be the same. You just stir together all the ingredients and then adjust to taste. Chipotle peppers are very spicy, so you can add a lot of powder/sauce and make the aioli really firey or stick to the ratios in the written recipe below for a more mild heat.
Where to Use Chipotle Aioli
As I mentioned above, this aioli is absolutely killer on sandwiches or burgers. I have two sandwiches on the site that use it already, my Chipotle Turkey Panini and Chicken Fajita Sandwiches .
It’s also a fabulous dipping sauce for:
- Roasted Potatoes
- Onion rings
- Fries
- Smashed Potatoes
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Recipe Notes
- If you’re looking to cut calories, you can replace up to half of the mayonnaise with plain, unsweetened (preferably full-fat) yogurt. I find that this works better with aioli you’re using as a dip rather than a spread, but feel free to experiment. Your preferences may differ from mine!
Ingredients
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 56g ) mayonnaise
- ▢ 1 clove garlic pressed
- ▢ 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients.
- Add more chipotle powder/adobo sauce for more heat and additional salt and pepper needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
This fantastic Carne Asada Sandwich is carne asada piled over toasty bread with a smokey chipotle aioli, charred red onions, tomatoes, and sliced avocados.
Since I posted my (absolute favorite) Carne Asada Recipe last year, I’ve given you a bunch of ways to use it, in Carne Asada Burrito Bowls , Carne Asada Tacos , Steak Fajitas , Carne Asada Fries , and Carne Asada Salad .
Today, I have a whole new and delicious way for you to use that carne asada, Carne Asada Sandwiches.
An Irresistible Carne Asada Sandwich
The secret to a great carne asada sandwich is starting with a great carne asada recipe. And if you’ve already tried mine, you know that it’s incredibly tangy, flavorful, and amazing however you use it.
For today’s sandwiches, we’re going to pile it on toasty bread with a smokey chipotle aioli, charred red onions, tomatoes, and sliced avocados for a little extra fatty richness.
These sandwiches are fantastic, filling, and (as long as you remember to start marinating your meat the night before) very fast to put together.
The carne asada only takes about 10-12 minutes to cook, and you can prep the rest of your sandwich ingredients while it’s in the oven, so from the time you pull your marinated meat out of the fridge, you can be eating in about 20 minutes.
Just steer clear of really crusty, chewy breads, as they’ll make your sandwich too difficult to eat and tend to overwhelm the other ingredients.
More Delicious Hot Sandwich Recipes
- Chicken Fajita Sandwiches
- Pesto Chicken Sandwich
- The Best Meatball Sandwich
Recipe Notes and Tips
- This recipe calls for broiling your carne asada and onions together. If you’re making the sandwich with leftover carne asada, you can still broil your onions. Just cook them according to the instructions in the recipe, and pull them from the oven when they’re lightly charred and cooked to your desired level of doneness.
- Need some sides for your sandwiches? Try simple Microwave Corn on the Cob (my favorite way to cook corn on the cob) or Butter and Garlic Green Beans .
- If you don’t have the chipotle powder called for in the aioli recipe, you can omit it. Your chipotle aioli will instead be garlic aioli , but it will still be delicious.
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ Liquid measuring cup optional, but nice to have
- ▢ Instant-read thermometer optional, but nice to have
- ▢ Foil optional, but nice to have
Carne Asada Marinade
- ▢ 1/2 cup orange juice bottled is fine
- ▢ 1/2 cup soy sauce low-sodium is fine
- ▢ 1/4 cup lemon juice bottled is fine
- ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
- ▢ 2 tablespoons lime juice bottled is fine
- ▢ 2 cloves garlic pressed or diced
- ▢ 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
- ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper OR 1 teaspoon finely chopped, canned chipotle pepper optional
- ▢ 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro chopped, about 3/4-1 cup very loosely packed
Carne Asada and Red Onion
- ▢ 1 1/2 to 2 pounds flap meat skirt or flank steak can also be used
- ▢ 1/2 red onion sliced into 1/4-inch rounds, do not separate into individual rings
Chipotle Aioli
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 112 g) mayonnaise
- ▢ 2 cloves garlic pressed
- ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice bottled is fine
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Sandwiches
- ▢ Mayonnaise
- ▢ 4 soft kaiser rolls or other soft rolls, sliced in half
- ▢ 1 large tomato sliced
- ▢ 1/2 avocado sliced
Instructions
Carne Asada and Onions
- Combine and stir together all marinade ingredients. Transfer meat into a large plastic bag or container and pour marinade over the top. Marinate for at least 4 hours, up to about 24, flipping the meat once halfway through.
- Adjust top rack of your oven to about 4 inches below the broiler. Heat broiler on high. Place meat on a foil-lined heavy-duty baking sheet or broiling pan. Place onion rounds on the tray around the meat wherever they will fit.
- Broil 4 to 6 minutes per side, flipping both the meat and the onions. Pull at 135°F for medium-rare, 145°F for medium. If onions have not yet reached your desired level of doneness, you can transfer the meat to a cutting board and return onions to the oven.
- Once onions are done, slice the rounds in half, separate the slices, and toss them in the pan juices. Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before slicing across the grain into strips.
Chipotle Aioli
- While your meat and onions cook, combine all aioli ingredients in a small bowl and stir together.
Assemble Sandwiches
- Spread a very thin layer of mayonnaise over the cut sides of each roll and place rolls on a baking sheet under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until warmed and lightly toasted. DO NOT at any point walk away from the bread under the broiler. It can burn very, very quickly.
- Spread chipotle aioli over the toasted rolls and top with sliced carne asada, tomato, onions, and avocado. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Fajita Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 large onion sliced
- 2 bell peppers any color sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add onion and bell pepper slices. Sprinkle spices over the top and generously salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 8 minutes, until edges are browned and vegetables are tender-crisp.
- For softer vegetables, once the veggies have browned a bit, turn heat down to medium to keep them from burning, and continue to cook until they reach your desired level of doneness.
- For veggies with no bite, add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan once they’ve started to brown. Cook the veggies, stirring often, until water has evaporated and veggies are soft, adding more water by the tablespoon if necessary.
