Quesadillas
This is more of a technique post than a single recipe, since you can pretty much put whatever you want in a quesadilla. We’ve used this cooking method with a plain cheese filling, cheese and jalapeños, leftover chicken enchilada filling, and even carnitas and cheese. It’s based on America’s Test Kitchen’s quesadilla recipe with a few modifications.
Quesadillas
Use a light hand when seasoning with kosher salt, as the cheese itself is rather salty. Cooling the quesadillas before cutting and serving is important; straight from the skillet, the cheese is molten and will ooze out. We advise against using sharp or aged cheddar cheese in this recipe, as both tend to separate and turn greasy. Serve the quesadillas with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream. Finished quesadillas can be held on a baking sheet in a 200-degree oven for up to 20 minutes.
Original Source: America’s Test Kitchen
+ Cook’s Illustrated, 05/2005 (premium content)
Click here to view Quesadilla pictures »
| 8-inch plain flour tortillas | |
| 1⁄3 cup | filling (see suggestions below) per tortilla |
| vegetable oil | |
| kosher salt | |
Directions
- Heat a 10-inch cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Place a single tortilla in the skillet and heat through until warm and pliable, 30 seconds. Flip tortilla and repeat on the other side, then remove from skillet. Warm a second tortilla (if desired) while filling the first tortilla.
- Spread about 1/3 cup of the filling over half of the tortilla, leaving about half an inch of the edge uncovered. Fold empty half of tortilla over to close, pressing down to flatten and seal. Set aside and repeat with second tortilla.
- Brush the top of each tortilla with oil and sprinkle on a bit of salt, then place in the heated skillet oiled side down. While cooking the first side, oil and salt the second side of the tortillas. Flip over when well browned, 1-2 minutes, and then cook another 1-2 minutes to brown the other sides and heat the filling through. Remove from skillet and set aside to cool on a cutting board for at least 3 minutes. Repeat steps for additional batches of quesadillas. Slice into desired number of wedges and serve.
Scalable: You can make any number of these in a pinch, depending on whether you’re making a quick snack or serving it to a large group of people. If you want to make a large number of them, it’s best to heat more than one skillet so that you can cook them in bulk instead of just two at a time.
- Filling possibilities are endless: As I mentioned before, you can put just about anything you’d like inside one of these. At least a small amount of cheese is a good idea to help hold everything together, but precooked meats and vegetables are welcome additions. We like using a mix of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese with a small amount of pickled jalapeños tossed in for a bit of heat. If you have excess enchilada filling leftover, this is a great way to use it up. Shredded pork (carnitas) mixed with Monterey Jack cheese makes a nice meaty quesadilla. Just be sure that anything you decide to put inside is already safe to eat without cooking it, as you’re only going to be warming them long enough to heat the filling, not cook raw food.
- Resting is important: Just as a grilled cheese sandwich will often leak out cheese when cut immediately after cooking, the cheese inside the quesadillas will ooze right out if you cut them right out of the skillet. Letting them sit will not only save your tongue from burns but will give the filling some time to set a bit so that you can cut wedges more cleanly. I like using a pizza cutter to slice each quesadilla into three wedges.
Tags: 30 Minutes or Less, Free Recipe, Low Difficulty, Scalable