Once You Try This Swap, The Usual Quesadilla Cheese Won't Cut It

Can a quesadilla really be improved upon? A doughy tortilla pan-fried to crispy perfection, rich and gooey cheese, and any number of fillings like savory meat and veggies ranging from spicy to sweet to earthy to acidic — it all creates a balance that satisfies every time. But believe it or not, you can, in fact, make even more amazing quesadillas with a simple ingredient upgrade: burrata cheese.

You probably know burrata cheese from the appetizer section of the menu at many Italian restaurants, but it absolutely belongs in your quesadilla. That's because of what makes burrata, well, burrata: This Italian cow's milk cheese has a fresh, springy mozzarella shell and a rich, decadent interior of stracciatella, or mozzarella curds mixed with cream. Burrata is buttery and milky in flavor with a hint of tanginess, so it pairs incredibly well with just about every ingredient you might want to use in a quesadilla, elevating bold flavors with richness.

Burrata is typically served fresh rather than cooked because of its high moisture content. If you were to let burrata melt for too long on your stove or in your oven, it could lose its springy bite and creamy thickness. So, it's key to change-up your quesadilla-cooking method to get burrata that's ooey-gooey and velvety rather than liquidy. Instead of pan-frying, you'd prepare your quesadilla toppings, then add them to your browned tortillas on a baking sheet and broil them for just a couple minutes.

You can get creative when perfecting your quesadilla fillings with burrata. It balances spicy peppers and acidic tomatoes in a traditional Tex-Mex quesadilla, and can also be used to reinvent the quesadilla format with additions like grilled peaches, radishes, beets, bacon or pancetta, or even spinach. To make next-level quesadillas, get inspired by traditional versions you've enjoyed, or think as far outside the box as translating your favorite salad into this format.

When first beginning to incorporate burrata, look to some of the most tried and true quesadilla recipes. A classic shredded chicken quesadilla is a great place to start. Cook your chicken and shred it, or use pre-cooked, pre-shredded chicken from the grocery store. Mix it into salsa, then brown your tortillas on a dry skillet for about 30 seconds per side. On a baking sheet, cover the tortillas with nice, big chunks of fresh burrata — drained of all moisture — and the chicken. Place the sheet in your broiler for about two minutes. After the quesadillas are cooked, serve them open-faced or sandwiched together — and don't forget to add fresh toppings like pico de gallo, cilantro, and jalapeño slices. 

Once you get this simple process down pat, have fun with quesadilla riffs. Try pear slices or blueberries with greens, cured meats, tomatoes and basil, hot honey, balsamic vinegar, pistachios or pine nuts, zucchini, or eggplant. There are plenty of unique combinations out there to help you find a balance of sweet, savory, spicy, and salty for the creamy, buttery burrata. You can't go wrong.