Crispy-Edged Quesadilla Recipe (2024)

For the best melting cheese, shred it yourself from a block with a cheese grater. Pre-shredded cheese has added cellulose or potato starch to keep it from drying out, but that additive also makes it a melt poorly. It also is night and day in taste.

Nobody in Mexico ever shreds the cheese in a quesadilla, or even buys shredded cheese for that matter. Save yourself the time and just slice it. Same results. Same flavor. Also, a good, aged cheddar is the best for quesadillas with flour tortillas.

To make it easier to fold the quesadilla, first fold the tortilla in half to form a 'hinge'.

I never put oil in the pan for quesadillas. I use a well seasoned cast iron pan.

Go very light on the oil; I use a brush to put down a sheen. Then heat the tortilla on one side for 30-45 seconds; this will make the cheese melt more efficiently and keep the tortilla itself more crisp.Finally, consider using corn tortillas (as they do in most of Mexico). The have more flavor, and you can make two at a time in the skillet (obviously adjusting the amount of cheese in each.

I usually add sliced apples to the cheese quesadilla. I first had it at Washington DC's famous C. F. Folks, a superb diner near DuPont Circle owned and run by the curmudgeonly Art Carlson (you done yet - I need the stool") and his wife and son, and have been making them ever since. Apples and cheese are classic. So was C. F. Folks. I miss it.

The cheese has plenty of fat and will bubble and crisp just fine without adding oil to the pan. We never use oil when making them.

Excellent for a quick lunch. With whole wheat tortillas for a good conscience and smoke jalapeño powder for a spicy touch.

I like to sauté some well chopped up fresh kale first, then and add it in-between the layers of cheese inside the quesadilla with a zip of hot sauce. Baby spinach works well, too.

slice of ham with the cheese…

A far better way to make quesadillas -Use a flattop (or sauté pan). Melt the cheese directly on the flattop (or sauté pan) surface. Top the cheese with whatever other things you want inside so they heat up, too (meat, veg). Everything oozes together. Once the cheese caramelizes to your liking, use a spatula to pick it and transfer onto a tortilla. Now fold and heat/toast the tortilla on the flattop (or sauté pan).

At times I like to add a few slices of jalapeno pepper on top of the cheese before folding the tortilla. It adds a little extra touch.

Use corn tortillas - they are so nutty and tasty. No oil, and no pre-grated cheese. Top with guac or chopped tomatoes and onions, or both. Yum!

I liked the recipe but found there was more oil than necessary. Next time, I will cut the oil in half. Used a cast iron pan and it worked great.

Umm ... it's not a quesadilla without the tortilla. It's just fried cheese.

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.