Inside-Out Cheese-Crusted Quesadillas

This recipe – method, even – has been a long time coming.

 

See, for as long as I can remember I have been a huge fan of crispy, browned cheese. It all started with lasagna dinners we’d have at my grandparents’ house in California – all of our cousins would fight over who got the corner pieces because those were the ones with the most browned cheese on them.

 

I didn’t know why, but I loved eating grilled burritos when a little bit of cheddar would sneak out onto the flat top when I worked at a local burrito place in college.

 

Then my mother in law started making quesadillas with a little extra cheese around the edges, leading to a nice ring of crunchy cheese on every piece.

 

But I’m outdoing them all, y’all! An inside-out quesadilla that brings the crunch and the buttery-salty-browned goodness of perfectly griddled cheese. And it’s seriously just silly easy to make – which, depending on how you look at it, could be a good thing or lead to a terribly delicious addiction.

I don’t have a lot of notes here, although you should know that I’ve only every made this on a ceramic skillet without any kind of fat (besides what is already in the cheese) for cooking. I love these ceramic skillets because it’s really reduced the amount of extra cooking fat we use in our house while still providing a really nonstick surface. I’ll be 100% honest with you, I haven’t tried this on any other kind of pan so….there’s that in case anyone asks (someone always asks).

 

I think these pair incredibly well with salsa, guac, or just eating plain. That extra crunch from the cooked cheese makes it so hearty and satisfying that you really just can’t say no!

 

Enjoy!

INSIDE-OUT CHEESE-CRUSTED QUESADILLA

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tortilla of choice
• chili powder or cumin, optional
• salsa, guacamole, sour cream, optional

Directions:

1. Start with a cold ceramic pan.
2. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of cheese evenly on the bottom.
3. Top with the tortilla.
4. Evenly sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. This step is really just to give the quesadilla something to hold it together.
5. Sprinkle with chili powder or cumin if desired.
6. Turn the heat on the stove on to medium, then set a timer for 6-7 minutes.
7. When the timer has gone off, double check to make sure the cheese is browned, then remove from the pan and fold the tortilla in half.
8. Enjoy hot with any (and all!) dips you like!

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