The Canned Soup That Gives Quesadillas A Creamy Upgrade

When its comes to making a quick bite, quesadillas are the crispiest queens on campus. Simply fill them with anything from leftover deli meats, beans, sauces, and veggies to make a handheld snack that can be whipped up in minutes in a hot skillet. While it's the generous handful of cheddar that lends quesadillas a gooey cheese pull and glues the filling together, you can give them a creamier and richer upgrade with one pantry staple: A dash of canned cream of chicken soup. This move transforms a humble tortilla into a satisfying dinner for one — it's the ultimate remix of a classic.

Packed with umami flavor, cream of chicken soup does two awesome things to a basic quesadilla. Firstly, it acts as a binder (bringing together drier ingredients, such as black beans, onions, and lettuce) and creates a flavorful stuffing you can slather onto your tortilla in one move instead of layering each item individually. Secondly, the soup brings its own savory quality to the filling, amping up its satisfying taste, and rounding off its personality by lending it an unctuous richness.

A combination of cooked chicken, savory broth, and cream, canned chicken soup also contains herbs and seasonings that add further complexity to a standard quesadilla with zero leg work. Moreover, the chicken provides extra protein, which is a real boon if you haven't got any shredded meats on hand to add to your tortilla.

Feel free to combine your selected quesadilla fillings with chicken soup and extra cheese to create a double dose of creaminess. However, you can skip the Monterey Jack to make a lighter bite. The secret is to add just enough soup to lend the filling some moisture so it can cling to your tortilla. Add too much and your stuffing will be sloppy and ooze out of the sides, making a complete mess. All you need to do is mix your ingredients in a bowl and spread them over your tortilla before warming through in a skillet. The soup will imbue your quesadilla with a comforting quality and give it extra body. Though fresh ingredients, like ripe avocado, can also confer a quesadilla with creaminess, they might not be ripe and ready to go when the mood strikes. Canned soup, on the other hand, can safely sit in your pantry for years and is primed and ready to go whenever you are. 

Use any leftover chicken soup as a base for casseroles or baked pasta, the foundation for a chowder, or the filling for a pastry-topped pie. Alternatively, pop it in the fridge for the next day and serve it with a grilled cheese.