Quesadillas are one of the easy and tasty Mexican food options out there and the can be enjoyed in so many ways.

As a short refresher, quesadillas, unlike burritos or tacos, are flat and usually cut into wedges (like pizza). Another difference is that because they are pan-fried (or baked), you cannot fill them with cold lettuces or similar condiments (although you can certainly pile them on afterwards).

But quesadillas, similar to egg rolls, are simply a wrapper for great ingredients. And although we usually associate quesadillas with Mexican food, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy them from more of a western point of view.

Let’s start with breakfast.

A Mexican frittata is kind of a cross between an egg omelet and a casserole. All the ingredients are stirred into the beaten egg, and it’s baked at a low temperature until firm. It’s usually served in an earthenware casserole dish or turned out onto a plate.

You can make a breakfast quesadilla in much the same way by adding your favorite egg garnishes to beaten eggs and making very soft scrambled eggs. Next, heat a non-stick pan to medium heat, spray it with vegetable spray, place a flour tortilla in the pan, and then sprinkle shredded cheese on its surface. Then, add your semi-cooked eggs and more shredded cheese. Lastly, top with a second flour tortilla. The cheese will help glue your egg filling to the top and bottom flour tortillas.

Pan-fry on both sides until golden brown and serve with salsa if you like–easy peasy.
For lunch and dinner, well, you have great choices.

Again, using cheese and/or beans as a glue and filler between two flour tortillas, try one of these delicious ideas:

• Pulled BBQ Pork with Shredded Smoked Gouda Cheese (topped with Sour Cream)
• Shaved Roast Beef (Boar’s Head or Dietz & Watson) with Sautéed Onions, Bell Peppers and Shredded Pepper jack Cheese.
• Pulled Rotisserie Chicken Meat, Hummus, Provolone Cheese, Feta Cheese, Kalamata Olives, Diced Tomato, Green Onions, and Greek Dressing

Quesadillas for dessert? Sure!

Soften an 8-ounce bar of cream cheese with ¼ cup of powdered sugar. Add ½ tsp of vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon if you like. If you don’t care for cream cheese, you can use Nutella ® spread—or use both!

Spread a 1/8”-thick coating of this mixture over the surface of a flour tortilla, and then cover with thin slices of ripe banana.

Spread a bit more cream cheese mixture over the top of the bananas, and finally, the top flour tortilla.

Heat a non-stick fry pan on medium heat and spray with vegetable oil. Carefully lift the quesadilla into the hot pan and pan-fry on both sides until golden brown.

Dust with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, and serve with a warm caramel sauce.
Another quesadilla dessert can be made by using chocolate cake mix (omitting half of the water) and using that mixture (similar to the cream cheese mixture) with garnishments like sliced strawberries, chocolate chips or even brownie bites!

They puff up a bit and are a lot of fun!

Quesadillas are a versatile and fun way to explore many different cuisines. They’re also a great way to re-purpose some of the various ingredients in your fridge.

Let us know how your New Age quesadillas came out or if you created a new recipe of your own.

Enjoy!