The Most Delicious Cheese Quesadilla Recipe, Ever
Few things can beat a classic quesadilla. Fresh flatbread filled with delicious cheese served with guacamole and salsa is as good as it gets. The best part is that a quesadilla is one of the easiest things you can make.
If you use store-bought or pre-prepared tortilla wraps, you can have a delicious meal ready within 10 – 15 minutes! This makes it the perfect choice for the lunchbox or a quick, no-fuss dinner. Today, we are here to share with you our best-kept quesadilla recipe.
Ingredients
We don’t like to overly complicate things, which is why our cheese quesadilla has only three ingredients, tortillas, olive oil, and a whole lot of cheese. That is literally all you need to make the most delicious cheese quesadillas you’ve ever had.
Let’s look at the ingredients.
| Ingredient | Quantity | Description |
| Tortillas | 2 | Large Corn or Flour Tortillas. It can be store-bought or homemade. |
| Cheese | ½ Cup | Any meltable cheese such as Manchego, Asadero, or Mozzarella. |
| Olive Oil | 1 – 2 Tbsp | For greasing the pan, as required. |
Tortillas: Homemade vs. Store-bought
There are very few questions you need to consider when making this easy quesadilla recipe, one of those being the choice between homemade and store-bought tortillas. Store-bought tortillas are great in flavor, in great quantity at a reasonable price, and are fantastic for making quesadillas.
However, we prefer making our tortillas at home as nothing beats freshly baked bread. Plus, it saves us from worrying about the possibility that our local supermarket runs out of tortillas.
Learning just how easy it is to make homemade tortillas may help put your mind to rest too. Let us share our favorite flour tortilla recipe with you.
| Ingredients | Steps |
| All Purpose Flour – 3 Cups | 1. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl and mix well. |
| Salt –1 Tsp | 2. Add in the oil and water while mixing. Knead well to form a dough. |
| Baking Powder – 1 Tsp | 3. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead further. Rest. |
| Olive Oil – 1/3 Cup | 4. Divide the dough into 16 equal-sized balls and roll each out into tortillas. |
| Warm Water – 1 Cup | 5. Place a pan over heat and cook the tortillas on both sides, flipping every 15-20 seconds. |
As the tortillas bake, the delicious aroma of fresh bread will have your mouth watering. With your tortilla conundrum sorted, let’s learn how to make the best cheese quesadilla.
Cheese Quesadilla Recipe
Making a cheese quesadilla is fairly simple. This Mexican delight is a beginner-level recipe for new chefs or kids in the kitchen. Here is our fool-proof recipe that will guarantee you the most delicious quesadillas every time!
| Steps |
| 1. Place a wide skillet/pan over medium heat and lightly grease with butter. |
| 2. Place a tortilla into the pan and cook until the tortilla rises. |
| 3. Shred the cheese. |
| 4. Flip the tortilla and add the cheese on top, spreading it evenly. |
| 5. Cover the skillet/pan with a lid and cook on medium-low heat until the cheese is melted. |
| 6. Remove the lid and fold the tortilla in half. If the bottom is brown, remove it from the pan. Otherwise, cook for a few more minutes. |
| 7. Take the quesadilla out on a plate and cut it into four triangles. |
| 8. Serve hot with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. |
Do I Need Fillings?
A cheese quesadilla is a blank slate; we prefer to keep it that way. However, you can add any filling to amp up your cheese quesadilla. All you need to do is prepare your filling and add it to the cheese in Step 4 above.
Some popular fillings for you to try out are:
- Green Peppers
- Chicken Fajita
- Kidney Beans
- Sweet Corn
- Onions and Tomatoes
- Bacon and Egg
- Ground Beef
For veggies, chop them up into ¼ inch cubes to get evenly distributed flavor, whereas for non-ground meat, chop finely or shred after cooking. Each tortilla can take about ¼ cup of filling (excluding cheese), so determine your quantities accordingly.
Alternative Cooking Methods
The above recipe shares the easiest way to make cheese quesadillas on the stovetop. However, there are other ways you can cook your quesadillas.
- Grill Top: If you’re a sucker for grill marks on your food and love the smoky flavor of barbeque, you can grill your quesadillas. Just replace the skillet/pan with a grill in the above recipe, and you’re all set.
- Oven: Another popular way to cook quesadillas is by baking them. Many people prefer baked quesadillas, healthier and much more crispy than fried or grilled. Place your tortillas on a baking sheet instead of a skillet/pan and bake in the oven at 300 °F.
- Deep Fryer: Some people prefer deep-fried little triangles to get something extra from their quesadillas. For deep-fried quesadillas, cook as per the above recipe until Step 5. After that, remove the tortillas from the pan, fold them in half, and cut them into triangles. Immediately seal the edges tightly by pressing them together.
The melted cheese will act as the glue that fastens the seal. Once the quesadillas are sealed, add them to a deep fryer and cook until golden brown.
Choice of Sides
A cheese quesadilla is quite a meal in itself; however, you may want to serve it with some sides. Here are our top picks:
- Mexican Rice: Mexican rice is a delicious dish with flavors like tomatoes, garlic, and onions. Mexican rice’s tart and sweet taste make it the perfect side dish for any meal.
- Cilantro-Lime Rice: If Mexican rice is a little heavy for your taste, go with the lighter option of cilantro-lime rice. A fresh and zesty dish, cilantro-lime rice is a fantastic dish that will wonderfully complement your cheese quesadillas.
- Black Bean Salad: Beans hold a special place in Mexican cuisine, and if you haven’t added any to your quesadillas, a black bean salad will be the perfect side dish to make. This zesty salad will tantalize your taste buds, made with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, fresh beans, and corn.
- Elote: Mexican street corn is a true delicacy. Grilled corn on the cob brushed with a thin layer of mayo and doused in delicious spices such as cojita, and chili powder is an instant crowd-pleaser.
Final Words
You will likely have many quesadillas, but this recipe is the only one you need to know. Once you know how to make the perfect cheese quesadilla, you will have no trouble making any quesadilla.
We hope this article helped you learn how to make this Mexican specialty.
