Easy cheese quesadillas made with just enough cheese and perfectly sized tortillas make a delicious part of dinner any day of the week! If you're looking for a recipe to make a quesadilla for kids, this is it!
Let me show you how to make quesadillas with cheese in 10 minutes and how to serve them so they are parent AND kid-approved!
Jump to:
- What is a Cheese Quesadilla?
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredient Notes
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Dietitian Mom Tip
- How to Serve Cheese Quesadillas
- Filling Ideas
- What to Serve with Quesadillas
- Helpful Tips
- How to Freeze and Reheat Cheese Quesadillas
- More Questions You May Have
- Related Recipes
- More Easy Recipes
- Cheese Quesadilla Recipe
What is a Cheese Quesadilla?
Cheese quesadillas are a popular Mexican dish made with tortillas and cheese. And believe it or not, quesadillas are one of the easiest foods to make.
Traditionally, quesadillas are made with corn tortillas. Still, I've notice that flour tortillas are used to make quesadillas more often than corn at home and in US restaurants. I think it's because corn tortillas tend to break apart when folded.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe It's almost too easy to call a recipe!
- Kids and adults love cheese quesadillas! What's not to love about them?!
- Easy to customize Besides cheese, quesadillas can be filled with chicken, veggies, black beans, and more!
- Can be served as a snack, appetizer, or main meal There are so many ways to serve quesadillas, the key is remembering to make them 😉
- Serve it for breakfast, lunch, dinner! Check out the "ways to serve quesadillas" section below for all the different ways to serve quesadillas!
Ingredient Notes
- Tortillas The kind of tortilla you should use comes down to personal preference. I've made quesadillas using corn tortillas, flour tortillas, and the corn and wheat tortillas that Trader Joe's sells.
- Cheese You will want to use a cheese that melts easy to make quesadillas. I prefer shredded cheddar cheese, while my kids prefer Monterey Jack cheese.
- Olive oil Brushing the tortilla with a small amount of olive oil will help it crisp up more and give it a nice golden-brown color. If you don't have olive oil, a small amount of butter can be used instead.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat.
- Brush one side of a tortilla with olive oil.
- Lay the tortilla on the warm skillet with the side brushed with olive oil facing down.
- Sprinkle cheese on one half of the quesadilla, leaving about one inch of space without cheese around the edge.
- Fold the half of the quesadilla without cheese on it over the half with cheese. Use a flat spatula to flatten the quesadilla.
- Let cook for about three minutes and when the cheese is about half melted, use a spatula to flip the quesadilla over on to the other side and continue cooking until the cheese is melted and the sides are light golden-brown in color.
Dietitian Mom Tip
As a dietitian mom, I try to take note of foods that kids really love and then find ways to make and serve them so that they are part of a well-balanced meal.
To me, cheese quesadillas are sort of like cheese pizzas in that they are rarely turned down by kids. And, if you think about it, the only ingredient the two have in common is cheese.
Does cheese have fat? Yes. Do kids need fat in their diets? Also yes. In my opinion, the key to raising kids so they have a healthy relationship with food is to expose them to all kinds of food and show them different ways food can be served, as opposed to restricting or telling them they can't have something.
So, when I serve something like cheese pizza or cheese quesadillas, I serve other things with it, like salad and fresh fruit. And if I'm the one making the meal, I use less cheese. Easy as that.
How to Serve Cheese Quesadillas
Believe it or not, there are several ways to serve quesadillas. Here are a few ways that I've come up with. If you can think of more, please let me know!
- Serve as an after-school snack, appetizer, or as a side dish. Use small tortillas to make quesadillas, slice them into small triangle shaped pieces. Serve with fruit salsa or in place of chips with turkey chili.
- Serve as a main meal Use large flour tortillas to make bigger quesadillas and slice into larger triangle shaped pieces. Serve with guacamole, a variety of salsas, and a salad.
- Pack in school lunches If your kids don't mind eating their cheese quesadillas cold, wrap a leftover quesadilla in foil and pack it in their school lunch bag with an ice pack to keep it cool.
- Quesadillas for breakfast! I know it might sound strange, but if you stuff the tortilla with scrambled eggs in addition to cheese, it turns into a delicious breakfast quesadilla!
Filling Ideas
While cheese quesadillas can be served 'as is,' they also can be filled with a variety of other foods, depending on your preference. Here are a few suggestions:
- Shredded chicken (cooked)
- Veggies Cooked bell pepper, chopped mushrooms, onions, corn, and spinach make delicious additions to cheese inside of a quesadilla.
- Leftover taco meat
- Black beans
What to Serve with Quesadillas
- Guacamole It's the best!
- Traditional salsa
- Salsa Verde
- Pineapple Mango salsa
- Corn
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Refried beans
- Black beans and rice
- Barbecue chicken
- Salad A simple lettuce salad with veggies, southwest quinoa salad, bean, or chicken salad would taste delicious with simple cheese quesadillas.
Helpful Tips
- In my experience, flour tortillas are the best tortillas to use for making quesadillas.
- Use a cheese that melts easily.
- I find that using one tortilla and folding it to make a quesadilla makes it easier and less messy to flip than when making them by melting cheese between two quesadillas.
- Cheese from a block tends to melt easier than pre-shredded cheese because of the 'anti caking' ingredients added to store-bought pre-shredded cheese.
- Shredded cheese or crumbled cheese will melt faster than slices of cheese.
- Use a cheese that you and your kids like.
- Don't increase the heat to cook the quesadillas faster. This will result in crispy tortillas and cheese that hasn't fully melted.
- Use kitchen shears (I like to call them kitchen scissors) to cut the quesadillas into slices. If you don't have kitchen scissors, use a pizza slicer or sharp knife.
- To increase the amount of protein in a quesadilla, add shredded cooked chicken, leftover taco meat, or black beans in with the cheese.
- To increase fiber in this recipe, use whole wheat or corn tortillas, or add beans or vegetables as a filling.
- If adding meat to the quesadilla, only use meat that has been pre-cooked.
- Have two skillets going at the same time to get more quesadillas cooked in less time.
How to Freeze and Reheat Cheese Quesadillas
First, let the quesadillas cool completely. Then, place them in a freezer-safe resealable bag to freeze. To keep the pieces from sticking together, you can place a layer of wax paper between them.
Others will suggest wrapping each piece in plastic wrap before freezing. Personally, I find this to be too time consuming. And because we usually reheat them within a few days, they aren't in the freezer long enough to get freezer burnt.
As for reheating quesadillas, my number one 'go to' is my air fryer. Reheating quesadillas at 375 degrees for about 2-3 minutes will crisp them right up. The amount of time it takes will vary depending on your air fryer, if it's pre-heated, and how thick the quesadillas are.
Cheese quesadillas can also be reheated in the microwave, oven, or on the stovetop. No matter how you choose to reheat them, be sure to remove the quesadillas from the bag or plastic wrap before reheating.
More Questions You May Have
This cheese quesadilla recipe calls for Monterey jack cheese because it's easy to find, has a mild flavor, melts easy, and of course, tastes good! Still, any cheese that melts easy can be used, like pepper jack cheese, cheddar cheese, Mexican cheese (like queso fresco or chihuahua cheese), or mozzarella cheese.
It depends, lol. Quesadillas definitely can be considered a meal, especially when served with one or more sides to balance it out.
Guacamole, salsa, refried beans, and salad all make excellent and easy side dishes for quesadillas.
Mini quesadillas are often eaten by hand, while larger pieces of a quesadilla are eaten using a fork and knife.
Yes, as long as they are made with gluten free ingredients, like corn tortillas.
Related Recipes
- Black beans and rice
- Chicken enchilada bake
- Turkey tacos
- Air fryer tortilla chips
- Guacamole
- Taco seasoning
- Turkey chili
More Easy Recipes
Did you love this cheese quesadilla recipe? I'd love to know what you served them with! Please let me know by giving this recipe a 5-star rating or by leaving a comment below.
Don't forget to follow me @carrots.and.cookies on Instagram for more dietitian tips and meal inspiration!
Cheese Quesadilla Recipe
Equipment
- 1 skillet
- 1 spatula
- 1 Kitchen shears also known as kitchen scissors
Ingredients
- 4 flour tortillas
- 1 cup Queso Fresco, Cheddar, Mozzarella, or Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Heat a greased skillet over medium heat.
- Brush one side of a tortilla with olive oil.½ teaspoon olive oil, 4 flour tortillas
- Lay the tortilla on the warm skillet with the side brushed with olive oil facing down.
- Sprinkle one-quarter cup of cheese on one half of the tortilla, leaving about one-half of an inch of space without cheese around the edge. Let cook flat for about two minutes, just until the cheese starts to melt.1 cup Queso Fresco, Cheddar, Mozzarella, or Monterey Jack cheese
- Fold the half of the quesadilla without cheese on it over the half with cheese. Use a flat spatula to flatten the quesadilla. Continue to cook.
- After another minute, when the cheese is melted, use a spatula to flip the quesadilla over on to the other side and continue cooking until both sides are light golden-brown in color.
Notes
- In my experience, flour tortillas are the best tortillas to use for making quesadillas.
- Use a cheese that melts easily.
- I find that using one tortilla and folding it to make a quesadilla makes it easier and less messy to flip than when making them by melting cheese between two quesadillas.
- Cheese from a block tends to melt easier than pre-shredded cheese because of the 'anti caking' ingredients added to store-bought pre-shredded cheese.
- Shredded cheese or crumbled cheese will melt faster than slices of cheese.
- Use a cheese that you and your kids like.
- Don't increase the heat to cook the quesadillas faster. This will result in crispy tortillas and cheese that hasn't fully melted.
- Use kitchen shears (I like to call them kitchen scissors) to cut the quesadillas into slices. If you don't have kitchen scissors, use a pizza slicer or sharp knife.
- To increase the amount of protein in a quesadilla, add shredded cooked chicken, leftover taco meat, or black beans in with the cheese.
- To increase fiber in this recipe, use whole wheat or corn tortillas, or add beans or vegetables as a filling.
- If adding meat to the quesadilla, only use meat that has been pre-cooked.
- Corn tortillas are smaller than typical flour tortilla. If using corn tortillas to make this quesadilla recipe, use 2 tablespoons of cheese per tortilla.
- If using mini flour tortillas instead of full-size tortillas, use 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of cheese per tortilla.
Leave a Reply