10 Minute Ham & Cheese Quesadillas

A fun twist on the classic toasted sandwich, these really quick 10 minute ham & cheese quesadillas make the perfect snack or light meal.

Jump to Recipe

Quality Quesadillas

I am crackers for Quesadillas!

I think that Quesadillas make the ultimate snack or light meal and they tick all the right boxes for the perfect quick recipe.

Quesadillas are also incredibly versatile. You can basically put any filling inside that you want! I’ve use this versatility to my advantage in this 10 minute ham & cheese quesadilla recipe. All it is really is that most classic of toasted sandwich combinations; ham and cheese, but using tortilla wraps in place of the bread.

Not only does this make the toastie fun and unique, but is also ensures it cooks quicker than a toasted sandwich made with regular bread does. It’s no surprise on a quick cooking blog that I’m always looking for time saving ingredients and methods, so you can be eating your 10 minute ham and cheese quesadillas in record time!

The quesadilla that we know and love today originated in Mexico, and traditionally uses a flat corn tortilla filled with cheese and other ingredients. Although corn tortillas are still used to make quesadillas, often wheat flour based wraps are used instead of the corn variety these days.

I’m no stranger to making quick quesadillas as they are so family friendly and make the perfect after-school snack for my kids. Check out my other classic 10 minute quesadilla recipe here for further yummy inspiration.

I also just love the humble tortilla wrap! You can do so many delicious things with them, whether sweet or savoury. Have a look at some of my other recipes using tortilla wraps, including my 10 minute cinnamon & sugar tortilla chip bites, which are unbelievably tasty and moorish! I also love to make an incredibly quick ‘pizza’ using a tortilla base and toppings that you then finish off on your stove top; my much-loved 5 minute ovenless pizza.

Favourite Flavours

For these super quick 10 minute ham & cheese quesadillas, I’ve added a couple of extra ingredients to really boost the flavours.

The first is onion. Now, what could be a better complimentary ingredient to cheese than the humble onion? Onions, come in all shapes, sizes and strengths. It’s important for this 10 minute quesadilla recipe to choose a mild flavoured onion. Typically, this will come in the form of large white onions and thankfully, these are really available to buy in most stores.

An alternative would be using red onion which is also pretty mild in flavour and often enjoyed in salads and sandwiches. I would avoid using brown onions though, as these have a very sharp and peppery flavour that would overpower the other ingredients in the quesadillas.

The other key ingredient in these 10 minute ham & cheese quesadillas is yellow mustard. Now, it’s up to you just how far are you want to go with your mustard flavour! In this recipe, I’ve used American-style yellow mustard. This has a bit of a tang to it, but overall is pretty mild, meaning that you can be quite generous with the quantity that you use.

There are other types of yellow mustard available, such as English. Now, English mustard has a very strong kick! Meaning if you decide to use this, you need to add a lot less than if using the much milder, American style mustard. However, it’s up to do (and whomever you feed) just how adventurous you want to be with your flavours.

10 minute ham & cheese quesadillas – step by step method

Now, lets take a look at a handy step-by-step method that’ll help you to make your perfect warm, crispy and cheesy quesadillas….

Makes 1 Quesadilla; generally enough to share between two people for a snack or light meal. Or have it all to yourself if you’re especially hungry!

1. Start by grabbing a large frying pan and placing it over medium/high heat on the hob. Don’t add any oil – keep the pan nice and dry.
2. Take one large tortilla wrap and pop it on a clean work surface. This is your base. Next, grate approx 60g (2 oz) of cheddar cheese. You can use whatever strength you prefer, but I think mature cheddar cheese is the best one to use here. You’ll end up with around 5 rounded tablespoons of cheese after it’s grated. Sprinkle this evenly all around the tortilla base but ensure you leave around 1cm (1/2 inch) of empty rim around the outside so the quesadilla doesn’t become over stuffed and leak during the cooking process.

3. Next, take 2-3 slices of thickly cut ham and place them on top of the cheese covered base. By using thick cut ham, I find that you get a nicer texture in the final quesadilla after it’s cooked. You can use thinly sliced ham if that’s what you have available and this will work well also, but you’ll need to use a greater number of slices to ensure you get the same flavour as the thick cut ham gives.

4. Next, finely slice around 50g (1.7oz) of mild onion. I use a large, white onion for this, however red onions would also work well if that’s what you have available. Just as long as it’s nothing too peppery and strong in flavour. Scatter this finely chopped onion evenly over the top of the ham and cheese on the base tortilla.

5. Finally, take a second plain tortilla wrap and place it on a clean surface. Spread 1 tablespoon of mild yellow mustard evenly on this. You can use a stronger mustard such as English or French if preferred, but I’d go easy on the quantity if you do. 1 tablespoon is likely to be overpowering! Flip the mustard-coated tortilla over and place it on top of the cheese, ham and onion covered tortilla.

6. Carefully transfer the uncooked quesadilla to the pre-heated pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip it over and fry for a further 2-3 minutes on the other side, until turning golden brown and the cheese is melting. Keep a close eye on it as it can burn if you’re not careful!
7. Remove the cooked quesadilla from the heat and place on a serving place. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice it into 6 even pieces. Can be eaten by itself or with a crisp, fresh side salad to accompany. Yum!