Que Sera Sera Quesadillas

Have you ever met someone who doesn’t like tortillas?

I didn’t think so.

These days, there’s a tortilla on the market for every taste and dietary preference: corn tortillas for gluten-free eating; oat bran tortillas for lower-carb eating; spinach or sun-dried tortillas for colorful eating. I always have a few different types of tortilla in my refrigerator and freezer.

Originally from Mexico, tortillas are the ultimate flatbread, made from corn cured in lime water; the process, called nixtamalization, causes the skin of the corn kernels to peel off, which increases the nutritional value by activating the niacin and tryptophan in the corn.

My newest passion is Joseph's brand wheat-oat bran-flax tortilla, with 70 calories and just 5 net carbs. With the carbs reduced, tortillas seem to lose a bit of their heft, so they're not wonderful for heavy fillings, but they're perfect for quesadillas, and the kids in our family love them.

A quesadilla (pronounced kay-sah-DEE-yah) is nothing more than a thin grilled cheese sandwich, made on a tortilla instead of bread. And like any good grilled cheese sandwich, you can make it with any kind of cheese, on any kind of tortilla, with any kind of stuff stuffed inside. Cook it on the grill, in a frying pan, on a griddle, or even under the broiler.

It’s really fun to make your own salsa (which is Spanish for “sauce”) for topping, but you can also buy good salsa in the store. Salsa doesn’t have to be hot and spicy – it can be mildly spicy, or sweet, depending on what you like. In the summer, you can make salsa from fruit (like peaches or mangoes), and in the winter from canned tomatoes.

OH – and you parents may remember this from Doris Day movies – que sera sera means “whatever will be, will be” – and that fits this recipe perfectly.

Que Sera Sera Quesadillas
This isn’t really a recipe; it’s just a starting point. Serves 2, 4, 6, 8…..

2 large flour tortillas (or 4 small ones), per person – plain or flavored tortillas of your choice

Two handfuls of grated cheese – Monterey Jack, cheddar, or a mix – shredded on the large holes of a box grater (store-bought shredded cheese works well, too)

Optional add-ins:
Chopped cilantro
Mole sauce
Canned black or red beans, drained and rinsed in water
Chopped fresh tomato
Leftover cooked chicken, shredded
Cooked sausage
Jalapeño peppers, seeds removed, minced
Canned chopped green chiles
Cooked onions or green or red bell pepper
Goat cheese
Cooked hamburger (or veggie burger), crumbled
Chopped sun-dried tomato

Method: Preheat your griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Place one tortilla on your work surface. Sprinkle a bit of cheese, then arrange any optional add-ins. Sprinkle remaining cheese, and top with the other tortilla. Don’t mound up too many toppings on your tortilla; you need the cheese to melt and hold the quesadilla together.

Place your quesadilla in the frying pan or griddle (no oil necessary), and cook for 2-3 minutes. Gently lift one edge of the top tortilla; if the cheese on the bottom has started to melt, and if the bottom tortilla has started to brown ever so slightly, it’s time to flip the whole quesadilla over. Cook 2-3 minutes more, until the cheese has melted and the quesadilla is stuck together. Remove to a cutting board, let it rest for a minute, then cut into small wedges and serve with salsa.

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This Post was written by Lydia from The Perfect Pantry