Cheese Quesadilla (+ Secret to Extra Crispy Crust)

Quesadillas with cheese

Delicious cheese quesadilla loaded with melted cheese and topped with 4-ingredient guacamole and pico de gallo. Elevate your cheese quesadilla and transform it into our popular Carne Asada Quesadilla or Steak Quesadilla.

More Mexican Recipes and Carne Asada Recipes – Carne Asada Fries, Street Tacos, Tacos al Carbon and Mexican Shrimp Cocktail.

Ingredients

Quesadilla recipes require minimal ingredients and time to prepare. This queso quesadilla recipe only takes ten minutes and requires two ingredients: cheese and flour tortillas (store-bought or homemade flour tortillas).

Queso quesadilla

You can use almost any “meltable” cheese. Awesome cheese options include: Mexican Cheese Blend, Monterey Jack, Colby, Cheddar, Gouda, Pepper Jack or even Oaxaca. Mix and match it however you like for your Cinco de Mayo meal!

How to make a cheese quesadilla

Only a few short minutes separate you from the cheeky goodness!

1. Spread 1/2 – 3/4 cup cheese evenly on one side of tortilla.
2. Fold over and cook until cheese is completely melted, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
3. Top the tortilla with your favorite toppings and get cooking!

Crunchy tortilla crust

For an extra crispy crust, add 1/2 tablespoon of butter to the hot pan and let it melt. Then add a stuffed tortilla to the pan. Repeat between batches.

You can also use oil, but it’s no better than a buttery tortilla shell.

top ideas

The topping we use for this Mexican favorite is typical of San Diego Mexican food. There are tons of other toppings that would be stunning. Here are some of my favorites:

Add some protein

Do you want to fill up your meal? Here are some Mexican flavored proteins that would taste great in this. Almost any leftover protein can be diced and thrown in with success.

flavor combinations

There are many ingredients that go really well together to take your cheese quesadilla to the next level. Here are some popular combinations that we think you’ll love:

Pizza Quesadilla – Add pizza seasoning, pepperoni, sausage and mozzarella

Hawaiian – Add bacon, ham, pineapple cubes and mozzarella

Fajita Quesadilla – Add the peppers, onions and pepper jack cheese

Pulled Pork Quesadilla – Add pulled pork, BBQ sauce, red onions and mozzarella

vegetarian – cooked zucchini, mushrooms and peppers with Monterey Jack

Breakfast Quesadilla – add diced ham, bacon or sausage with cheddar cheese

Quesadilla Steak – Add the rest of the steak with some cheese

Jack-O-Lantern – Come this Halloween and check out how to turn this Cheese Quesadilla into Jack O Lantern Quesadillas.

Or just kick back with a bourbon margarita and end the day with cheese!

Side dish ideas

Fully loaded tortillas don’t need a side dish, but if you’re serving them at a party or gathering with friends, you might want to spice up the menu! Here are some ideas for side dishes:

expert tips

• Avoid pre-shredded bagged cheese, as the coating prevents the cheese from melting properly.
• A healthy portion of cheese is included in each serving. To reduce the calorie content, reduce the amount to just 1/4 cup cheese.
• Keep the cheese about 1/4″ – 1/2″ away from the edges of the tortilla. The cheese will spread as it melts.
• With a pizza cutter you can quickly and easily cut the pizza into pieces.
• Serve with a side of chipotle crema or even sriracha aioli.

Mexican drinks

Here are some Mexican drinks that would go really well with this dish:

Mexican mule
Corona sunrise
Michelada
Mexican candy shot

Cheese Quesadilla Recipe