Crispy Corn Tortilla Quesadillas {No Recipe Required}

These crispy, cheesy fried corn tortilla quesadillas are such a favorite in our house that we eat them at least once a week, and often more than that.

They are super quick and easy to prepare. Each quesadilla only takes about 5 minutes to make. And, they are the kind of lunch or dinner that I always have the ingredients for:

• Corn tortillas
• Cheese (We like pepper jack, but any kind will do)
• Beans, chopped veggies, and/or meat, poultry, or seafood
• Salsa (or green chili! or enchilada sauce! or Pico de Gallo!)
• A fried egg - optional, but delicious

This Corn Tortilla Quesadilla recipe is part of our No Recipe Required series.

No Recipe Required is a series of quick and easy dishes that are more idea than recipe. Each dish in this series is meant to inspire really good, really quick and easy meals that can be adapted to what you like, what you have on hand, and how many people you're cooking for. 

Ingredients for Corn Tortilla Quesadillas:

The only "required" ingredients in these fried quesadillas 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, one of the greatest things about these quesadillas is that you can fill them with whatever you like. Other great filling options:

• 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 your quesadilla 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

How to Make Crispy Fried Corn Tortilla Quesadillas:

#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 in these quesadillas, 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.

#3. Add filling ingredients.

What you use to fill your corn tortilla 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.

More Quesadilla 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.

Pro Tip: You can add a lot of filling ingredients to these quesadillas. 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 on top of the quesadilla.

#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 quesadilla together.

#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...

#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 above, 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 will all be good.

In fact, these quesadillas are even better if you've filled them full enough for cheese and filling to be spilling out.

#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.

How to Serve Corn Tortilla Quesadillas

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. This is seriously the BEST pork green chili and is fabulous poured over anything and everything, including crispy quesadillas.
• Pico de Gallo. As with homemade salsa verde, Pico de Gallo is one of our favorite summer treats. It's pretty important to use ripe, flavorful veggies in this recipe, so make it in the peak of the season, whenever tomatoes are in their prime.

Top Quesadillas with a Fried Egg {Optional}

I want to speak briefly to any of you who feel skeptical about topping their quesadilla with a fried egg: Try it.

Right after you've lifted the crispy 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.

Pro 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.

You Do Not Need a Recipe for These Corn Tortilla Quesadillas, But Here's One Anyway

I know that following a recipe, however loosely, the first time you make something is often the most convenient. So, you'll find a recipe for these crispy corn tortillas below.

But first, a quick recap of this No Recipe Required dish:

1. Melt some butter in a skillet and add a corn tortilla.
2. Cover the tortilla in cheese and any kind of filling ingredients you like.
3. Add more cheese and top it with another corn tortilla.
4. Let cook on both sides until golden brown and crispy.
5. Flip it out onto a plate and cover in salsa.
6. Fry an egg in the skillet until the white is set but the yolk is still runny. Top your quesadilla with the egg and devour.

More No Recipe Required Recipes:

• Simple Roasted Beets
• White Beans on Toast with Veggies and Greens
• Classic Vinaigrette with Several Variations
• 20-Minute Garlic Chipotle Pasta