10 Minute Quesadillas

Quesadillas are the ultimate family-friendly suppertime dish! Really quick and easy to make and so versatile as they can be filled with almost anything that you fancy.

I’d recommend spending a few moments reading the following for useful information and tips on making these 10 minute quesadillas. If you’d prefer though, skip to the middle of the page for step-by-step instructions or jump to the bottom for quick recipe.

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Note that 10 minutes is the approximate time to make this dish after you’ve gathered all of your ingredients. Actual preparation times may vary slightly due to factors like knife skills and how quickly your hob heats up.

Quick, easy and delicious

These 10 minute quesadillas are perfect for a quick and versatile midweek family meal. In reality, I find that they actually only take about 7 minutes to make so won’t swallow up too much of your precious time. A very kid-friendly recipe, I find my children love to help out making them which also means they’re more likely to eat them, which thankfully reduces the risk of ‘picky eating’ mealtime battles.

These 10 minute quesadillas also keep well in the fridge for a day or two after you’ve made them meaning you can eat the leftovers the following day, heated up or cold and are easy to transport around in a lunchbox or sandwich bag. Perfect for packed lunches for both kids and adults alike.

Traditional Mexican flavours in one quick recipe

Quesadilla is a Mexican dish that traditionally consists of a flat corn tortilla, warmed up and then filled with Oaxaca cheese plus a variety of fillings. The traditionally Mexican Oaxaca cheese has a stringy, soft texture quite similar to mozzarella. However, it is difficult to source Oaxaca cheese here in the UK so for simplicity I have substituted in cheddar, although feel free to use the genuine article if available to you! Mozzarella would work well too of course and melt nicely.

Other ingredients that are traditionally added to quesadillas include chorizo, mushrooms, chicken or beef. Lots of different combinations are possible, the options are pretty much limitless. Finally, the cooked Quesadillas can also be topped with a variety of garnishes including salsa, guacamole and coriander. So versatile!

I have used this versatility to my advantage in this 10 minute quesadilla recipe by opting to use ingredients that require little or no preparation but still work together brilliantly. Only two ingredients in this particular recipe need a bit of prep – the red pepper which you chop up, and the cheese which you grate – all other ingredients can be added straight from their packs and jars. Totally fuss-free and super quick.

Health Benefits

I always aim to maximize the health benefits of my recipes and this one has a fantastic 3 servings of colourful vegetables. There is also a decent amount of protein in the form of the refried beans and the cheese. Although many people like to add meat to their quesadillas I have chosen to make these ones vegetarian as I think the combination of flavours means that meat isn’t necessary. Feel free to add some though if you would prefer. Oh, and the Jalapenos are, of course, entirely optional so can be excluded if spice just isn’t your thing.

Dairy-free version

My son has a dairy allergy so I often try an experiment with dairy-free alternatives in my recipes. Yes, it is perfectly possible to use dairy-free cheese in these 10 minute quesadillas however it just doesn’t seem to melt as well as the dairy kind, meaning the two tortillas don’t stick together so well after cooking. Perhaps you’ve found a brand that is extra melty, in which case no problem, however if using dairy-free cheese, just be extra careful when serving them up to avoid them unexpectedly falling apart!

10 minute quesadillas – step by step method

Serves 1

Step by step method

1. Preheat a large frying pan over medium/high heat. Don’t add any oil – keep the pan dry.
2. Take one large tortilla wrap, dollop on three rounded tablespoons of refried beans and spread this evenly around the tortilla. For this step I tend to just use the back of the spoon. There’s no need to create extra washing up with a separate knife.

3. Next, scatter onto this three rounded tablespoons of tinned sweetcorn sweetcorn, then two tablespoons of sliced jalapenos (from a jar) and ½ a pointed red pepper, roughly chopped. Make sure all the ingredients coat the tortilla base nice and evenly. Finally, sprinkle on top of everything ¼ a teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika.

4. As a final crowning glory, sprinkle four heaped tablespoons of grated cheese (cheddar works well) on top of everything else. Pop the second large tortilla on top of this to create your uncooked quisadilla.

5. Place the quesadilla in the preheated dry frying pan and cook for 1.5–2mins on one side, until golden and the cheese inside is nicely melting.

6. Flip the quesadilla over and cook on the other side for a further 1.5-2 minutes.
7. Place on a serving plate and use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into 4 equal segments. Voila! Serve with your choice of guacamole, tomato salsa and/or soured cream, either to be dolloped on top or dunked into. Delicious!