Quesadillas - the easy way!

I simply adore quesadillas. They are one of the most versatile dishes on the planet. And they're an excellent way to use up leftovers and stretch a small amount of ingredients into a tasty meal. I don't follow a recipe, I just use whatever I have on hand. How simple is that?

I make my quesadillas even simpler by using my oven instead of the stovetop to prepare them. See, nearly ever quesadilla recipe I've ever read says you need to flip the quesadilla in the pan to cook on both sides.

Ummmm, have you ever tried to flip a tortilla loaded with yummy ingredients without letting said ingredients fall out all over the place? Yeah, not so easy.

So here's what I do.

I heat my oven to 400 degrees and grease a cookie sheet. Then I place a tortilla on the cookie sheet and layer my yummy stuff on one half of it. Then I fold the tortilla over and lightly brush with olive oil.


I bake the tortillas for about 5 minutes or long enough for the cheese to melt. The tortilla gets a little crispy on both sides. Without flipping. Yay! I then use my kitchen shears to cut each quesadilla in half for easy eating.


My typical quesadilla includes plenty of cheese, usually cheddar and monterey jack, salsa, black beans and cooked chicken. Sometimes I don't have any meat, so I double up on the beans for protein. I've also used leftover steak or taco meat, too.

But quesadillas aren't limited to traditional Mexican ingredients. You can create a ham and Swiss quesadilla with tomatoes, turkey and mango with provolone, or even a pizza version with sauce, pepperoni or bacon and mozzarella.

You won't be able to find an easier, quicker meal option. You can customize each quesadilla to suit your children's tastes, too. You know, like when one kids wants extra salsa and the other wants none. They're so easy, the kids can even make their own!