Cheese Quesadillas
Quick, golden folded tortillas stuffed with melted vegetarian cheddar, sweet pepper and a hit of jalapeño. Crispy outside, gooey inside.
Cheese quesadillas are the kind of lunch that feels indulgent yet takes hardly any faff — a crisp exterior giving way to gooey, seasoned cheddar and sweet pepper. They’re brilliant for a midweek supper, a casual share at a gathering or a quick lunch with a salad.
This version keeps things simple but flavourful: softened onion and pepper with cumin and smoked paprika, a little jalapeño for heat and plenty of vegetarian mature cheddar for maximum meltiness. Ready in under half an hour and easily doubled or customised.
Ingredients
- 4 plain flour tortilla — large (approx 25–30 cm)
- 200 g vegetarian mature cheddar — shredded
- 1 red onion — small, finely sliced
- 1 red pepper — finely diced
- 1 jalapeño — deseeded and finely chopped
- 15 g unsalted butter — divided
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 0 ml sea salt
- 0 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 10 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped
- 1 lime — cut into wedges
Instructions
Prepare the veg and cheese: finely slice the red onion, dice the red pepper and deseed and chop the jalapeño. If your cheddar isn’t shredded, grate it now.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add about two-thirds of the butter (≈10 g). Add the sliced red onion and diced red pepper, then sprinkle over the ground cumin, smoked paprika, sea salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until the veg is softened but not browned.
Stir in the chopped jalapeño and cook for a further minute to take the raw edge off.
Tip the cooked veg into a mixing bowl and fold through half the shredded vegetarian mature cheddar and most of the chopped fresh coriander. This is your filling.
Wipe the pan out, return to medium–low and melt a little of the remaining butter (≈5 g). Lay one plain flour tortilla in the pan, heap a quarter of the filling over one half, then scatter a little of the remaining cheddar on top. Fold the tortilla over to enclose.
Cook the folded quesadilla for 2 minutes more, then flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes until both sides are golden and the cheese is fully melted. Repeat to make the remaining quesadillas.
Transfer each quesadilla to a board, rest for 1 minute, then cut into wedges. Sprinkle over the remaining fresh coriander and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.
Tips
- Keep the heat moderate. Medium–low lets the cheese fully melt without burning the tortilla.
- Make a batch of the cooked filling ahead (keeps 2 days in the fridge) — assemble and fry just before serving for speed.
- If you prefer extra crisp, press the tortilla gently with a spatula while cooking and finish with a quick blast under a hot grill for 30–60 seconds (watch carefully).
- To reheat, warm in a moderate oven at 180°C fan/200°C conventional for 6–8 minutes to restore crispness; microwaving makes them soggy.
Substitutions
plain flour tortilla → gluten-free tortilla of similar size
Noticeably differentvegetarian mature cheddar → Monterey Jack or mozzarella (200 g)
Stays closeunsalted butter → rapeseed oil (use 10 ml)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 440
- Calories
- 17 g
- Protein
- 35 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 770 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make these ahead of time?
Make the cooked veg filling up to 48 hours in advance and keep chilled. Assemble and fry the quesadillas just before serving for best texture.
How do I stop the tortillas going soggy?
Use moderate heat and cook until golden on both sides. Resting for 1 minute helps the cheese settle so the filling doesn’t run out when you cut them.
Can I freeze quesadillas?
Yes — cool completely, wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat from frozen in an oven at 200°C conventional/180°C fan for 12–15 minutes, turning once.
My cheese isn’t melting — what went wrong?
Either the heat is too low or the tortilla is cooking too fast. Cook on medium–low so the cheese has time to reach melting temperature without charring the tortilla.
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