How To Make Quesadillas
Quesadillas are a quick and easy snack or light meal. A typical Mexican Quesadilla is much more modest than the quesadillas you will find in an American style Mexican restaurant.
An authentic quesadilla consists of a corn tortilla, sometimes a flour tortilla, a little bit of cheese and maybe a small amount of filling such as beef, chicken, or shrimp heated in a pan or on a comal. That’s all there is to them – no guacamole, shredded lettuce, or sour cream.
The quesadillas in the example photos have shrimp added as a filling.
Preparing the Quesadillas
Quesadillas don’t really require exact measurements. They are so simple to make and the size of the tortilla dictates how much cheese and filling you can add.
4 or 5 quesadillas made with a standard size corn tortilla makes a filling lunch for an adult. 2 or 3 quesadillas will fill up most kids.
The pictures below give you an idea of how much cheese and filling to add.
Ingredients:
- Standard size corn tortillas – You can use flour tortillas if you prefer. Flour tortillas are more common in Northern Mexico
- Mexican white cheese – Oaxaca, Chihuahua, or asadero styles work well. In a pinch, mozzarrella cheese is acceptable if you don’t have any Mexican style cheese. Don’t use cheddar cheese or American cheese.
- Filling of choice – optional
- Salsa of choice – optional
Quesadilla Variations:
You can add a filling to your quesadillas to add flavor and make them more substantial. Leftover meats and chicken make good fillings.
Common fillings:
- A slice of ham – A quesadilla made with a flour tortilla and a slice of ham is known as a sincronizada
- Chicken – shredded or diced
- Beef – shredded or diced
- Shrimp – diced
If you want to fancy up your quesadillas you can add a little bit of diced onion and cilantro with a squirt of lime juice, just as you would with tacos.
To make the quesadillas, place a tortilla in the pan and let it heat up for a few seconds. Warming the tortilla up allows you to fold the tortilla without it breaking.
Add a small amount of cheese and filling on one half of the tortilla. Fold the other half of the tortilla over to close it. Don’t add too much filling.
Cook the quesadilla on one side until until the tortilla starts to brown. Turn it over and do the same on the other side. I prefer my quesadillas really well browned.
Whatever you do don’t cook quesadillas in a microwave. It melts the cheese well but makes the tortillas rubbery and lacks flavor that comes from browning the tortillas.
Enjoy! Because quesadillas are simple to prepare, tasty, and filling, they will easily become a staple at your house.
If you cook Mexican food regularly, consider purchasing a cast iron comal. A Comal gives your food a more authentic taste and is perfect for preparing quesadillas, many types of antojitos, and heating tortillas.
