Don’t laugh.
I know this is, like, Baby-Cooking 101 — whoa … not like that — but it’s very important to me that you not forget about quesadillas! They are a crucial part of my life and have been for many years. Second only to grilled cheese sandwiches (and on occasion, they have traded places) in the role they have played during the darkest, drunkest, and poorest days of my life, quesadillas are an oft-forgotten, uber-delicious snack or meal idea.
One filling we discovered while on a weekend trip with some friends this summer was smoked brisket. Oh how we howled with delight late one night when we drunkenly stuffed some tortillas with shredded brisket and pepperjack cheese and ate them up along with the rest of the guacamole, salsa, and our manners. Quite a mess in the kitchen the next day but, DID WE CARE?! We did NOT! ‘Cause those brisket quesadillas was the bomb. (Also somebody else got up before we did and cleaned it all. Thx!)
Sweet potato and white cheese quesadillas were a favorite of mine when I was a vegetarian. If you have a hard time imagining that one, think about how yummy cheese and fruit is together — it’s kind of like that. Slightly sweet potato, creamy cheese, with some fresh cilantro and spicy salsa it’s like a 4-way of flavor going on in your mouth.
And of course, everyone’s favorite: the Chicken Quesadilla. Pretty much all the kids in the world will eat a chicken quesadilla. Pretty much all the grown-ups, too. Some black beans and pico de gallo add a little color and fiber, but if you want of course, just some shredded cooked chicken and cheese will do fine.
So those are my favorites. What’s yours?
- 2 flour tortillas
- ½ cup grated cheese – monterey jack, pepperjack, cheddar, asadero, provolone, any cheese like that that melts well
- Fillings of choice:
- 1-2 tablespoons pico de gallo, onion, or cilantro
- ¼ cup cooked chicken, beef, or pork (or shrimp!)
- 1-2 tablespoons cooked beans, black or pinto
- ¼ cup sauteed sweet potato or zucchini and/or peppers
- Lay the tortillas out flat.
- Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of cheese on one half of each tortilla.
- Spread out fillings of choice over the cheese.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over the fillings, dividing between the two tortillas.
- Fold over and press down lightly.
- Heat slowly in a skillet until cheese is melted and tortilla is crisp. Flip and brown the other side over a higher heat.
- Remove and let cool a minute before slicing each into 2-4 triangles.
- Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I bought a shrink-wrapped brick of queso fresco with a Sell-By date of 23 Oct 2012. If I open it and grate it for quesadillas, do I still have until Oct 23 to use the leftover cheese, or will I have less time?
Usually I’d say you have at least another two weeks on it, but queso fresco is notoriously more perishable than drier cheeses in my experience. I bet you’ll still be good for a week, though, as long as it’s wrapped up and you can manage to grate what you need without touching the rest of the brick.
Gonna be some good quesadillas! I love queso fresco.
girl, you need to try it with oaxaca or with mexican manchego cheese. Trust me. Cacique (http://caciqueinc.com/) has these cheeses, so head over to the mexican market and be prepared for an orgy in your mouth.
Mmmmmmm…. I love Oaxaca cheese! And mouth orgies.
Thanks, Gaby!
When I was in college and broke and knew nothin’ about nothin’ when it came to nutrients or sawdust particles in food, I used to (drunkenly) amble over to Taco Bell for chicken quesadillas. I was pretty hard pressed to find anything better to suit my vodka-inspired amatory quesadilla binges. But that was a long time ago. And I should delete this comment. But I won’ttttt.
Neverrrr delete nothin’! But, yeah, right?! Quesadillas and booze go together like … everything that goes perfect together and was meant to be together foreverrrrr. Thanks for writing, Kerry!
I didn’t have that much good stuff in the house anymore so I made quesadillas with just cheese and apple (a cooking apple). Read about it once somewhere. Turned out to be an excellent idea. Very tasty.
That was a great idea, Serge! I make apple grilled cheese sandwiches sometimes, too. Love apples and cheese together. Thanks for sharing!
Flour tortilla, Brie, thinly sliced apple for the quesadilla, then dipped in raspberry jam/apple sauce mixture. Makes a great appetizer.
We love your videos!
Yum, Steve! That fruity sauce dip sounds great with melty brie. Thanks1
Hey, j’aime la nourriture de mon propre personne que je suis a été meurs d’envie de savoir comment faire cuire quelque chose comme ça, ma cuisine est horrible, vous pourriez penser que je sais sur la cuisine mais je ne sais rien! merci pour la recette de quesadillas pour étonnants, et ne Quiconque vous dire que votre drôle?
Go to Google Translate to understand the language,
Language:French
Merci, Hallie!