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Mexican · Tex-Mex

Cheese quesadillas

Vegetarian

Tortillas folded around plenty of melting cheese and toasted in a dry pan until crisp and golden outside and gooey within — ready in minutes.

Cheese quesadillas is a Mexican main course from Mexico, ready in about 15 minutes and made with flour tortilla and mozzarella. It serves 2 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Mouthwatering cheese quesadillas served with fresh salsa and creamy dip on a white plate.
Photo: Tiwi Riders / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Total
15 min
Serves
2
Level
Beginner
Calories
594

Ingredients

2 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Scatter a quarter of the cheese over half of each tortilla, add jalapeño (opens in a new tab) or mushrooms (opens in a new tab) if using, and fold over.

    • 3 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Lightly oil a frying pan over medium heat and cook two quesadillas at a time, pressing gently, until golden and crisp underneath, 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the cheese melts.

  3. Step 3

    Cut into wedges and serve with salsa and avocado (opens in a new tab).

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Mexico · Well documentedIn central Mexico quesadillas are usually made with fresh corn masa; wheat-tortilla versions are common in northern Mexico and the US.Also popular in United StatesMore food from Mexico
    Dish
    Lunch · Snack · Dinner · Main courses · Street food
    Cooking method
    Toasted, Pan-fried
    Taste
    savoury, creamy, mild
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
    With the listed swaps: No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Child-friendly · Everyday · Budget-friendly · Minimal cleanup
    Cook more with
    Flour tortilla · Mozzarella
    Techniques
    Toasting · Pan-frying · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom mozzarella
    • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom flour tortilla
    • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom flour tortilla

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    594 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 192 g · recipe makes 2

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 20%
    • Carbohydrate 32%
    • Fat 48%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy594 kcal309 kcal
    Protein29.6 g15.4 g
    Carbohydrate46.8 g24.4 g
    Net carbohydrate43.7 g22.7 g
    Sugars3.3 g1.7 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre3.2 g1.6 g
    Fat31.6 g16.4 g
    Saturated fat16.7 g8.7 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol79 mg41 mg
    Sodium1148 mg597 mg
    Salt equivalent2.9 g1.5 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    189 mg
    Calcium
    636 mg
    Iron
    3.7 mg
    Magnesium
    40 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    179 µg
    Vitamin C
    0 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.4 µg
    Vitamin B12
    2.3 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    141 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: jalapeño, mushrooms, tomato salsa (jarred), avocado.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Medium heat lets the cheese melt fully before the tortilla burns.

    Common mistakes

    • Overfilling — the cheese leaks out and burns.

    Serve with

    • Serve with pico de gallo, guacamole or a simple bean soup.

    Storage

    • Best fresh; cooked quesadillas keep 1 day refrigerated.

    Reheating

    • Re-crisp in a dry pan.

    Variations

    • Quesadillas de flor de calabaza (Mexico): Fill with squash blossoms and cheese, a Mexico City favourite.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 3

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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