If you’re looking for a freakin’ delicious meal for today’s lunch or tonight’s dinner, look no further than these quesadilla recipes. We’ve highlighted lots of the great party foods: tacos, nachos, burgers and even dips. But now it’s time for the quesadilla — that great unsung hero of any tailgate, game day celebration or quick, satisfying, easy dinner — to have its moment.
I’m so stoked, because my favorite quesadillas aren’t just the sad pre-shredded cheese and room temperature tortilla concoctions you might remember from childhood. We’ve got lots of different proteins, toppings and sauces to make everyone around the table happy (and full).
Why You’ll Love These Quesadilla Recipes
There’s nothing like crispy quesadillas with gooey cheese, mouthwatering fillings and warm tortillas. The best part about quesadillas is that they’re portable! I take them to tailgates all the time because they’re so easy to prep, grill and carry. They also make great appetizers in a larger game day spread! If you’re looking for a simple bite that provides a huge amount of flavor, no matter where you are, look no further than the quesadilla.
Essential Quesadilla Ingredients
- Tortillas: The building blocks of any good quesadilla recipe. You can use either corn tortillas or flour tortillas, but I tend to gravitate toward corn thanks to their earthy flavor.
- Protein: I use beef and chicken in a lot of these quesadilla recipes, but pulled pork is amazing too. Make sure you check the cooking time for your filling! If we’re using a larger cut, like brisket, chuck roast, flavorful chicken thighs or pork shoulder, you’ll want to leave more time to grill before serving. Some of the braised larger cuts are even more delicious the day after you make them. Other fillings, like steak, ground beef and chicken breasts, will cook much faster.
- Toppings: Can you call them toppings if they’re on the inside? Either way, a good quesadilla becomes a great quesadilla with the other ingredients that make up the quesadilla filling. Melty cheese (cheddar cheese, pepper jack and Monterey Jack cheese are all great options), vegetables like bell peppers, black beans and red onions, and additional meats like bacon or chorizo are some of my favorite fillings.
- OK, Actual Toppings: Outside of the filling, you’ll want dips on the side to get the best flavor out of these quesadilla recipes. Pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and a squeeze of lime juice will round out your quesadilla meal. If you’re looking for a lower-fat sour cream alternative, Greek yogurt is a great option.
Easy Guacamole
Sure, the store-bought stuff works, but there’s nothing like fresh homemade guacamole — it’s so freakin’ delicious, and making it couldn’t be easier. Take 3 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, then put them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of finely chopped red onion, 1/4 teaspoon of grated lime zest, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 minced jalapeño chile and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro. Mash it all together in a bowl, season it with kosher salt and pepper and serve ASAP.
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Tips for Making the Best Quesadillas
- Use a cast iron skillet on the grill. I know, I know, the grill marks look cool. But using a large skillet over medium-high heat gives us that even golden brown all over the crispy tortilla. Plus, if ingredients happen to fall out of your tortilla, they’re not going anywhere.
- Get that tortilla golden brown first! This step will make the tortilla more pliable and easy to fold when you put in the filling ingredients. Also, see above about how much we love a golden brown tortilla.
- Only put the filling on half of the tortilla. It can be tempting to spread our delicious quesadilla filling all over the top of the tortilla. Covering only half of the tortillas ensures that the quesadilla cooks evenly and stays portable. No one wants to lose any of that delicious quesadilla filling while they’re eating!
My Favorite Quesadilla Recipes
Who will triumph in our quest for the best quesadilla recipe? Kidding — there’s not a bad recipe in this bunch. Try ’em all and let me know which one is your perfect quesadilla in the comments!
Beef Quesadilla Recipes
Steak Fajita Quesadilla
Easy Steak Quesadilla
Chipotle Ranch Steak Quesadilla
Chicken Quesadilla Recipes
Grilled Chicken Fajita Quesadilla
Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla
Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadilla
Other Freakin’ Delicious Quesadilla Recipes
Loaded Pulled Pork Quesadillas
What to Serve with Quesadillas
Chips and salsa, Mexican rice or cilantro-lime rice with refried beans, or a simple slaw with lots of green onions and lime juice are all great options to serve with these quesadilla recipes. During the summer, I love to throw some corn on the grill too. For drinks, margaritas or a michelada would be so freakin’ delicious!
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Leftovers and Reheating
If you have leftover quesadillas, you’ll want to wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or place them in an airtight container. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, toss your quesadillas on a hot pan or in an electric griddle for a couple of minutes on each side until they get crispy again. If you don’t have an electric griddle, you can place the sliced quesadillas on a sheet pan and warm them in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes. Avoid the microwave if you can — it’ll make those crispy tortillas soggy.
FAQs
I’m sure I’ll get some strong opinions about this debate! They’re both great, but here are a few things you can keep in mind when you’re making these quesadilla recipes. Basically, corn tortillas are firmer and have an earthier flavor. Flour tortillas are softer and sweeter. My opinion: you can’t really go wrong.
Yes! You can prepare your filling ingredients, like meat and vegetables, ahead of time. Then, store them in the fridge, and assemble the quesadillas when you’re ready to eat.
You can use a sharp knife, a pizza cutter or even a pair of kitchen shears!
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