Flip Your Quesadilla Routine With This Crispy Cooking Method

If you're a fan of quesadillas, you're probably a fan of cheese. So the only thing better than a quesadilla that's stuffed with cheese is one that is also crusted with cheese. You'll still use a non-stick pan or griddle to make quesadillas over the stovetop, but cheese-encrusted quesadillas start with frying a thin layer of cheese.

To execute the cheesy crust, you'll want to oil or butter the pan or griddle you're using to ensure the cheese sticks to the tortilla and not the pan. Then, you'll heat the pan over low heat for 5 minutes before adding a flour tortilla to the pan to toast for a minute or two. Initially, placing the tortilla in the pan will create a circular impression that you'll then add shredded cheese to, ensuring that you sprinkle the cheese both within the circle and slightly beyond its perimeter; the circle of cheese should be slightly bigger than the tortilla so that you can get a visual on how well the cheese is browning. Increase the stove heat to medium, top the layer of cheese with the lightly toasted tortilla, followed by another layer of cheese and a second tortilla. The cheese should take a few minutes to brown and become bubbly around the edges, which is your sign to flip the quesadilla to toast the top tortilla and further melt the cheesy interior. The fried cheese should easily lift off the pan with the help of a spatula.

Using two whole tortillas to make a circular quesadilla is the easiest way to make cheese-encrusted quesadillas, but you can achieve a cheese crust on the top and bottom of your quesadilla by executing the folded method. The folded method is nearly the same as the two-tortilla method; they both start by toasting a whole tortilla, then adding shredded cheese to the pan, followed by the tortilla again. The difference is that you'll add shredded cheese to one half of the tortilla. Once the cheese browns, take the spatula to the cheese and lift up the half of the tortilla you didn't top with cheese and fold it over the cheesy half. After another minute or two, the folded quesadilla will be ready to enjoy.

The easiest way to ruin a quesadilla is by choosing the wrong type of cheese, and the same goes for the cheesy crusted layer. A meltable type of cheese like Monterey Jack or a mix of mozzarella and cheddar is ideal. Shredded cheese will melt more evenly, especially for that cheesy crusted layer. As for fillings, you can try the crispy cheesy method on any one of our many quesadilla recipes. In fact, you could even try the cheese hack on taco-sized tortillas; they'd make an incredible upgrade to birria tacos, for example. Serve cheese-encrusted quesadillas with a zesty store-bought salsa, guacamole, or sour cream to cut through the richness of the cheese.