8 Easy And Delicious Quesadilla Recipes

A quesadilla is such a simple convenience food that it normally doesn't even need a recipe, but you shouldn't underestimate its potential. The combo of cheese and tortilla is the quintessential "I didn't have a plan" food — something a home cook can throw together in five minutes for lunch or after a late day at work when all you want is comfort and a full stomach. That, however, underestimates the flavor you squeeze in between those crispy tortillas. Ideally, quesadillas should still stay quick and easy. We don't want to make things too fancy here, but if you can spend a little time making the perfect carne asada to wrap a tortilla around for a taco, why not show quesadillas the same respect?

Like a grilled cheese or seared chicken breast, a quesadillas' simplicity makes it a blank canvas for any number of meats, veggies, toppings, and salsa varieties. More than anything, we want you to think outside the box ... or tortilla. Some of these recipes are great versions of classic combos you already know, while others go beyond your normal taco-stand fare and showcases the endless possibilities that a packet of melty cheese will give you.

This is as straightforward as a quesadilla recipe gets, yet a few tips make a big difference. Shredding chicken, which can be from a poached breast or pre-cooked rotisserie bird, makes for the ideal form, as the cheese and meat will melt into one coherent whole. Queso Chihuahua is a great choice for a mild melting cheese that still brings a little Mexican flavor, and mixing the chicken with red salsa before folding everything together adds a nice pop of brightness and acid to keep everything lively. It's easy enough for lunch but filling enough for dinner, and it's a great use for leftovers on top of that.

Recipe: Shredded Chicken Quesadilla

It's rare that a complaint about quesadillas is that they aren't convenient enough, but making them for a crowd or family dinner can pose a problem when you are limited to cooking one at a time in your pan. Enter: the sheet-pan quesadilla. Stuffed with beans, sauteed veggies, and shredded cheese, it's a full, hearty meal in one tasty melt, and it can be on the table in no time. All it takes is forming a layer of tortillas into a bakeable envelope that can hold all of the fillings at once, and in the oven it goes.

Recipe: Sheet-Pan Quesadillas

A quick reminder in quesadilla form that anyone who tells you seafood and cheese can't work together doesn't want you to be happy. Cheese can overwhelm seafood, for sure, but in this recipe, a mild melting cheese like Monterey Jack is the perfect companion for meaty seared shrimp. The seafood gets an extra flavor boost from a zesty mix of chili powder, cumin, paprika, and garlic powder, while mixing in some red bell pepper adds a nice bit of sweetness and crunch. Already flavorful on its own, the best pairings for this quesadilla are some fresh pico de gallo or cooling sour cream.

Recipe: Restaurant-Style Shrimp Quesadilla

This recipe is the perfect example of why quesadillas are worth experimenting with. On the outside, it may look like a simple chicken quesadilla, but the use of mashed sweet potatoes as a filling transforms the whole thing. Paired with a savory mixture of cubed chicken, beans, and cilantro, it's like a classic roast dinner all in one. The crispy side of the quesadilla doesn't come from frying alone but another unexpected addition: mayonnaise. Spread on the outside of the tortilla just like some people do with grilled cheese, it adds some rich fat flavor but also aids browning, creating the ideal crunch to contrast with the melty interior.

Recipe: Crispy Chicken Quesadilla

For those of up north, Mexican flavors can often have an unfairly narrow definition, but corn and squash is a classic Latin-American pairing that dates back to the three sisters of Native American agriculture. The crunchy corn and creamy squash are natural matches that complement each other in texture while bringing out each other's natural sweetness. This gets further accentuated by roasting with some sliced onions before filling the quesadilla and the hot honey dipping sauce. Some Tajín seasoning adds brightness to the savory filling, and the use of corn tortillas over flour rounds out this combo of Mexican classics.

Recipe: Roasted Corn And Squash Quesadillas With Hot Honey Dipping Sauce

This is one of those recipes that makes you angry you didn't think of it sooner, especially if you've already been making yourself breakfast tacos. Instead of fretting over lost time, you can fill the rest of your mornings with these endlessly satisfying breakfast quesadillas. The fillings are breakfast sandwich staples — crumbled sausage browned in the pan, scrambled eggs with diced jalapeño for a little heat, and cheese — but the crisped, folded quesadilla is the delivery system you didn't know you needed. And although they would be great if you stopped there, a topping of guac, chopped tomatoes, and sour cream lifts everything up with some freshness.

Recipe: Sausage, Egg, And Cheese Breakfast Quesadillas

For a country that loves fusion food as much as the U.S., it seems surprising that this natural combination isn't something you see more. Basically a south-of-the-border patty melt, trading a soft hamburger bun for a pan-fried tortilla makes a bigger difference than you'd expect. Mayonnaise, chipotles in adobo, and lime juice get combined for a tangy and spicy variation on burger sauce, while the classic LTO burger topping gets upgraded into pico de gallo. With Colby Jack on both tortillas, the whole burger gets enveloped in cheese for the perfect mix of melty, meaty, and crispy.

Recipe: Quesadilla Burger

Sometimes you want unique quesadillas, and sometimes you want to shut up and play the hits: meat, spice, cheese. Skirt steak is a fatty and flavorful cut; a favorite of carne asada recipes that only needs a quick sear and some chili powder to make an ideal quesadilla filling. Searing some onions and jalapeños helps cut some of their bite and bring out more of their sweetness, making for a well balanced and savory match for the steak. What more can you ask for from a quesadilla?

Recipe: Spicy Skirt Steak Quesadilla