Crispy-Edged Quesadilla

I love the simplicity of this and have no desire to chime in with my own version.

No oil; cast iron. Grate/slice cheese from a block. I prefer 2x6” tortillas, then use a pizza slicer to cut 4 triangles, w/a ramekin of salsa in the center.

Try frying cheese on the outside. Add shredded cheese directly to the pan. Cook for 1-2 min, then put the tortilla on top. Repeat on the other side. Crispy outside

This will sound weird, but tuna. Adds protein and is still kind of cheap. And it’s tasty.

I made a low carb, non-dairy version of this recipe, with a low carb wheat tortilla, dairy-free mozarella cheese, and added some shredded chicken inside, and used black olives and guacamole on top. It was delicious and, except for the additions, indistinguishable from the original version, like yours, that I used to make.

This is a genius recipe. Delicious as presented, but a nearly endless list of possible add-ins. So far, I've tried, separately, sazon sprinkled on the cheese, chopped green chiles, and crumbled bacon then browned in a little bacon fat (hardly Mexican but still tasty). I've used a mix of Cheddar and mozarella and also Colby jack. 'm a senior with some health issues, and while I've always liked to cook, these days I watch for simple, quick, and tasty recipes, and this fills the bill perfectly.

Here in Austin, it's not a quesadilla w/o jalapenos, pickled, from a can. Corn tortillas best.

Using only cheese seemed very uninspired to me. I added a lot of bacon, cilantro, lightly caramelized onions, cheddar and a mix of Mexican cheeses . That was something I would pay for in a restaurant.

The first one was a greasy mess due to the oil, so that one got ditched. The next two came out fine. Next time, I’ll either just brush the pan lightly with oil or skip it all together.

Just cheese? The opportunity to stuff something else in there is too good to miss. Any bit of leftover cooked vegetable or protein, salsa, fruit, gravy, whatever. Enjoy.

Add black beans and some scrambled egg and you have a Guatemalan breakfast. I make a whole pot of beans at the start of the weak and eat tortillas to my hearts content throughout. Delicious and simple!

I throw in a couple of slices of jalapeño.

I use large (10 inch) soft flour tortillas, very little oil, shredded Chihuahua cheese, refried beans with chorizo, with chopped onions, jalpenos, cilantro and a little bit of lemon juice as a relish inside the quesadilla.

I've been making these for decades. I add a very small amount of butter to the pan and lightly cook one side of the tortilla, flip and add brie cheese. Once melted I add a few raspberries for the tartness, and arugula. In the summer I'll use mango instead of the raspberries. Once folded, I cut them into triangles. They're a real party pleaser but only if you're not having lots of guests unless you want to spend the entire time in the kitchen.

I prefer corn (aka 'real') tortillas, and I heat them directly on the burner to bring out the corn flavor before the fry pan stage. Using different cheeses changes quesadillas completely, so I like trying out various combos. I think every child should be taught these 10 beginner recipes in elementary school. My parents were not always available so I had to improvise. If I'd had these 10 recipes I'd have been healthier and happier.