As a recipe developer and food writer, my family and friends (and unsuspecting neighbors) have been subjected to an endless assortment of different kinds of food over the years. Not only am I constantly experimenting with new recipes, I can't seem to stop myself from messing with even the most well-tested and perfected recipes.

What I'm saying is, my family is used to never eating the same thing twice. Even when they want to.

The few exceptions are Caesar salad, buttermilk pancakes, and these crispy quesadillas.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

I first published the recipe on my blog in January of 2022, but I'd been making them for us on the regular for many months before that. And when I say "on the regular", I mean at least once or twice a week. Sometimes more than that.

And STILL, to this day, every single time my husband sees that I'm making these, he automatically lets out a groan that is, frankly, kind of indecent and somewhat awkward if anyone else is in the room.

They are as close to a food rut as it gets around here. But, holy smokes. What a delicious food rut they are.

• Each quesadilla takes about 5 minutes to make.
• They are an intoxicating combination of buttery, crispy-on-the-outside and melted cheese on the inside that oozes out while they cook and creates this ring of crispy fried cheese around the edges, plus whatever else you want to throw in there.

And that is truly one of the best things about these quesadillas - the only "required" ingredients are the corn tortillas and cheese. Everything else is 100% up to you.

The basic technique is to fry the quesadillas in butter until they are crispy on the outside and all melted cheesy goodness on the inside.

In this house, we typically fill our quesadillas with black beans, chopped bell peppers, and pickled jalapeño slices because we love all those ingredients and almost always have them on hand.

But, you should fill them with whatever you like. Here are just a few ideas:

• Any kind of veggies, raw, roasted, or sautéed. Raw bell peppers, marinated roasted bell peppers, red onions, tomatillos, poblano peppers, radishes, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, banana peppers, raw jalapeños, roasted corn, broccoli or cauliflower.
• Leftover Roast Chicken (or any kind of leftover chicken)
• Cooked ground beef
• Leftover carnitas
• Grilled flank steak
• Any kind of cooked seafood

Top quesadillas with salsa, pico de gallo, green chili, or enchilada sauce. And, if you really want to go all out, a fried egg. Other delicious topping ideas:

• Diced avocado
• 30-Minute Pickled Red Onions
• Sour cream, or Vegan Sour Cream

One of my closest friends told me that she'd filled her quesadillas with Indian pulled pork and sliced olives using Indian curry instead of the salsa. So, I think that just proves that you can do literally ANYTHING with this recipe.

Here's how to make them:

#1. Melt some butter in a skillet and add a corn tortilla.

Plop a pat of butter (1-2 tablespoons) into a frying pan and turn the heat to medium-high. When the butter has melted, add a corn tortilla.

#2. Add some cheese.

Around here, we like pepper jack, but you can use anything you like. Colby Jack, Mozzarella, sharp or medium Cheddar, and Monterey Jack, are all great choices.

You can also use a Mexican Cheese blend, which typically includes Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Asadero, and/or Queso Quesadilla.

Use grated cheese, or cut a block of cheese into thin slices. Use enough cheese to cover the tortilla.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

#3. Add filling ingredients.

What you use to fill your quesadillas depends entirely on what you like and/or what you have. We almost always have red bell peppers, black beans, and a jar of pickled jalapeños in our refrigerator, so that's what generally goes in ours.

By the way, you can add a lot of filling ingredients. More than you might think. Really pile everything in there, and don't worry if some of it falls out. Whatever falls out into the pan will cook in the butter and can be scraped out of the pan and piled on top of the quesadilla.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

#4. Add more cheese.

It's important to have cheese on both sides of the quesadilla so that all that melty goodness helps to hold the whole messy thing together.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

#5. Use a spatula to press the quesadilla down and flip it over.

At this point, your quesadilla will seem tall and over stuffed. That's exactly what you want. Use the back of a spatula to press it down slightly.

Then simply let it cook until the cheese on the bottom is completely melted and the bottom tortilla is covered in golden brown spots.

Flip the whole thing over...

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

#6. Cook the quesadilla on the other side.

The goal is to cook the quesadilla long enough on both sides for it to get crispy. How do you know when it's crispy? When it starts to turn golden with darker brown spots all over the surface.

Also, in the photo below, notice the ring of lacy cheese all around the edge of the quesadilla. That cheese that's leaked out and fried in the pan is crispy bits of pure deliciousness.

Do NOT worry about cheese melting out the edges or ingredients spilling out into the pan. Trust me on this. It is SO good.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

#8. Flip the whole delicious, sloppy mess out onto a plate.

Use a spatula to lift the quesadilla out of the pan and onto a plate. Scrape any stray cheese and filling ingredients from the pan right onto your plate.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

Topping ideas

My favorite way to serve these crispy quesadillas is smothered with Herdez Salsa Verde.

But here are other delicious ideas:

• At least once a summer, I make a big pot of homemade salsa verde. As much as we love Herdez, there's nothing better than fresh made salsa made with summer ripened produce.
• Enchilada Sauce. My favorite recipe for enchilada sauce makes a lot, so no matter what else I do with it, there's always enough left over to drizzle over corn tortilla quesadillas.
• Pork Green Chili. I absolutly do not mind saying that this is the BEST pork green chili and is fabulous poured over anything and everything, including crispy quesadillas.
• Pico de Gallo. It's pretty important to use ripe, flavorful veggies in this pico de gallo recipe, so make it in the peak of the season, whenever tomatoes are in their prime.

Top quesadillas with a fried egg {optional, but fabulous}

Right after you've lifted the quesadilla from the pan, leave the pan on the heat and crack an egg into the center of it. Sprinkle the surface of the egg with a bit of salt and let it cook until the bottom and edges are set.

Flip the egg over (very carefully so you don't break the yolk!) and let it cook for just about another 20-30 seconds. The goal is to cook the egg just until the whites are cooked, but the yolk is still runny.

Slap that fried egg on top of your salsa covered quesadilla and DIG IN.

The runny egg yolk tastes like butter, making every saucy bite pure cheesy goodness.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

Even more filling ideas

• Any kind of chopped veggies - just make sure to cut them into small pieces. Bell peppers, red onions, tomatillos, poblano peppers, radishes, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, banana peppers, raw jalapeños, broccoli or cauliflower, marinated roasted bell peppers, or roasted corn.
• Any kind of beans. At least a couple times a month, I cook a pound of dried beans in the instant pot and then divide them into portions that can be quickly used in whatever we happen to be eating that week. Dried beans can also be cooked in the slow cooker. Or, just open up a can of any kind of beans you like. Drain the beans before adding them to the quesadillas.
• Any kind of meat or seafood. These quesadillas are a fantastic way to use up leftovers. Chop the meat into small pieces, or shred it, and toss it in.

Next level quesadilla making tips:

• As the cheese melts, it will leak out of the quesadilla. That is a really good thing! The cheese will "fry" in the skillet, creating little bits of delicious crispy fried cheese.
• Be sure to add cheese on both sides - before and after you add any filling ingredients. You want melted cheese covering both tortillas so that the quesadilla will hold together as you flip it. Also, more cheese = more yum. 😊
• It's important to fry the quesadillas at moderately high heat so that the outside of the tortillas gets crispy. Adjust the burner as necessary, turning it down if the butter in the pan starts to smoke. Each side will only take a couple of minutes to cook if the burner is hot enough. If your burner isn't very hot just let the quesadilla cook longer. When you flip it over, the tortilla should be golden brown, with little dark brown spots all over the surface. If you don't see that, just keep flipping it over until you do.
• Fry these quesadillas in butter! If you're vegan, use vegan butter. Do not be tempted to use oil. Butter makes a tremendous difference, coating the outside of these crispy tortillas in so much flavor. Using oil just makes them taste oily. Don't do it. Use butter.

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