How to Make a Cheese Quesadilla
These cheese quesadillas are sure to hit the spot. Packed with cheese and a crisp and buttery golden tortilla, every bite is delicious and filling. You’re going to love this 5 minute meal, 3 ingredient recipe.
Top it with healthy guacamole and easy Pico de Gallo for added protein and flavor. Make it a full meal and serve it with a side of Mexican street corn casserole and Mexican rice pudding for dessert!
Why This Recipe Works
I’m not going to lie. I make this cheese quesadilla recipe often in fact it’s my favorite way to prepare them. You get the buttery and crispy golden tortilla packed with melty delicious cheese. It’s fast and easy and oh so cheesy, every bite of these cheddar quesadillas has me swooning and begging for another bite.
Elevate this into a meal for an adult by adding leftover taco meat or beans to the inside of the quesadilla. You can add salsa (or better yet) add my homemade pico de gallo recipe, or guacamole over the top. You can also add sliced avocado, shredded lettuce, and sour cream. The only limit here is your own creativity because everything goes better with cheese.
Ingredients
- Butter: Cooking it in the butter gets the tortilla nice and buttery and golden as it cooks. It also crisps up nicely so that there’s a nice crunch to the quesadilla when you bite into it.
- Tortillas: you can use whatever size you want but the amount of butter and cheese you use will vary depending on the size. I like using the carb balance option ones, but gluten free, spinach, or burrito sized ones all work great too.
- Cheese: You can use Monterey Jack, pepper jack, gruyere, a Mexican cheese blend, or a mixture of several! Whatever you’d like.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium to medium low heat, add your butter.
- Once the butter has melted, place one tortilla into the skillet.
- Top it off with the shredded cheese, spreading it out so that it covers the full circumference of the tortilla.
- Place another tortilla over the top of the cheese and cook for 1 ½-2 minute, flip and repeat the cooking on the other side for another 2 minutes or until golden. You want the cheese to be fully melted.
- Remove the quesadilla from the skillet and place it onto a cutting board or a plate.
- Slice into 4ths and if desired, serve with salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado.
Recipe Tips
To reduce calories in your quesadilla, eliminate the use of butter on the skillet. Instead, use nonstick cooking spray. You’ll forgo the golden, buttery, and crunch tortilla but it will reduce the amount of fat and calories in your meal.
This is a very basic “recipe” but you can elevate it by adding toppings and/or fillings. We love to add avocado, salsa, sour cream, Pico de Gallo, guacamole, Cafe Rio black beans. There are so many options!
Storing
Quesadillas are best when eaten fresh. If you have leftovers you can place them in an airtight container or ziplock bag and store them in the refrigerator for several days. When you’re ready to reheat the quesadilla place it on a plate and microwave it in 15 second intervals until the cheese has melted.
FAQs
Making a microwave cheese quesadilla is easy. Simply place cheese between two tortillas on a plate and microwave for 1-2 minutes until cheese has melted. This is an easy recipe that requires no flipping but the cook time will vary per microwave so pay attention. Also, note that you won’t get the golden crisp tortillas as you would if they were cooked on the stovetop.
You can use any cheese desired but the end results will vary based on the cheese. For example, if you want a stringy cheese then using mozzarella or Munster is great. For a more “traditional” flavor, you can’t go wrong with cheddar and from that, you can pick mild or sharp cheddars too. Other cheeses can include Mexican cheese blends, Pepper jack, and more!
Variations can include a bean and cheese quesadilla (be sure to use my slow cooker refried beans recipe for the beans portion) or black bean and corn quesadillas. Add shredded chicken, turkey taco meat, ground beef.
Related Recipes
- Avocado chicken wraps – a 10 minute fast and easy meal!
- French bread pizza – 25 minute meal, great for lunch too!
- Mexican quinoa – healthy 30 minute meal.
- Donut apples – easy snack for kids! Would be great along side this easy cheese quesadilla.
How to Make a Cheese Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 2 flour tortillas - you can use whatever size you want but the amount of butter and cheese you use will vary depending on the size. This recipe is based on using 8 inch sized tortillas.
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese - shredded, can use Monterey Jack, pepper jack, gruyere, mexican cheese blend, or a mixture of several! Whatever you'd like.
Toppings
- salsa
- pico de gallo
- guacamole
- shredded lettuce
- sour cream
- diced tomatoes
- avocado
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Add the butter. Once melted place 1 tortilla in the skillet. Add the shredded cheese to the tortilla, spreading it out so that it covers the full circumference.
- Place the remaining tortilla on top of the cheese. Cook for 1 ½ to 2 minutes, then flip the quesadilla and cook the other side until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is fully melted.
- Remove from the skillet and place on a cutting board or plate. Slice the tortilla into fourths and serve with salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado, if desired.
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