Quesadilla literally means “little cheesy thing” in Spanish. And I could eat those little cheesy bites all afternoon!
Let’s talk about making this snack for a group. I like to start with a base filling and then add from there. The Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses are an easy melty combo. You could also get a Mexican cheese blend from the market.
Summer is in full swing, and if you have a vegetable garden, you might have an abundance of peppers right now. Peppers, green onions, cilantro, and other garden staples are perfect to use in quesadillas. Although I’m particularly fond of the jalapeno slices because it tastes like a jalapeno popper!
Enjoy!
A quesadilla is a Mexican dish with origins in the 16th century. Originally, traditional quesadillas were made using a corn tortilla warmed on a griddle, then filled with cheese and various other ingredients like meat and vegetables, before being folded over to be enjoyed by hand. Quesadillas traditionally use Oaxacan (wa-hawk-in) cheeses (specifically from the Oaxaca region of Mexico).
Basic Cheese Quesadilla
Equipment
- Griddle Pan
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pack Flour Tortillas 8-10"
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese - shredded
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese shredded - shredded
- 4 Tbsp Butter
Fillings:
- Pickled Jalapeno slices mild or regular
- Green Onions
- Black Olives
- Avocado slices
- Mushroom slices
Garnishes
- 1 Tbsp Sour Cream
- 1 Pickled Jalapeno Slice
- 1 pinch Green Onion Slices
- 1 Black Olives Slices
- 1 dash Paprika Sweet Hungarian
Instructions
- Warm griddle pan up to medium.
- Separate ingredients and decide on fillings for the quesadillas.
- Once the pan is warm, melt one tablespoon of butter on it.
- Make sure the full pan is covered with melted butter, then put the tortilla onto the pan.
- Sprinkle 4 ounces of cheese all over the tortilla.
- Cover the pan as the cheese melts.
- Add toppings on one half side after cheese has melted.
- Fold the tortilla in half for the tortilla cheeses to melt together.
- Serve sliced in wedges accompanied by garnishes of your choice.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Place bottom tortilla in the air fryer basket or on the metal racks that came with your air fryer.
- Sprinkle cheese all over tortilla.
- Close air fryer and heat for approx 5 mins, or until cheese is melted and tortilla is still flexible
- Add other fillings, and fold over one side of the tortilla
- Move the quesadilla to the center, and let it cook for another minute or so until the cheese melts together, and the outside of the tortilla is golden brown.
