Crispy Corn Tortilla Quesadilla
This crispy Corn Tortilla Quesadilla (or taco quesadilla) is a great way to use up leftover taco meat. It only takes about 15 minutes to make and is super versatile. Serve quesadillas as an easy appetizer, weeknight dinner, or snack.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 556kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tablespoons butter*
- 8 corn tortillas
- 8 ounces cheese shredded*
- 1 -1 ½ cups leftover taco meat heated up*
- pico de gallo sour cream, chopped cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a griddle or large pan over medium heat. Use tongs to melt some of the butter all over the surface. Set the remaining butter aside.
- Place the meat on one side of the griddle if there is room. You can also keep it warm in a separate pan.
- Place 2 tortillas (or all 4 if they can fit) in the melted butter. Use tongs to press and move each tortilla around so they are coated in the melted butter.
- Add about 1 ounce (or ⅛) of the shredded cheese on top of each tortilla.
- Add about ¼ of the meat to each tortilla.
- Add another ounce of cheese on top of the cheese.
- Top each with a tortilla.
- Fry for about 3-4 minutes or until the tortilla is golden brown and crispy.
- Flip the quesadillas and add more butter if needed.
- Fry for another 3-4 minutes or until the other side is golden.
- Remove the quesadillas and repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Notes
Butter: You can use unsalted or salted butter.
Cheese: Be sure to shred your own cheese. It melts better. I used about 4 ounces of pepper jack and 4 ounces of colby jack. Cheddar, oaxaca, monterey jack cheese, or mozzarella are all great options as well.
Taco Meat: Use any leftover protein that you have on hand, like shredded, grilled, or sautéed ground beef, turkey, chicken, or pork. Rotisserie chicken will also work. Heat it up in the microwave or on the stovetop before assembling the quesadillas because it will not heat up enough in the quesadilla. I used my Instant Pot Shredded Beef. You can also leave the meat out all together to make a corn tortilla cheese quesadilla.
Refrigerator: Store leftover quesadillas in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. Since these quesadillas use leftover meat, they do not stay fresh in the fridge as long. Leftover cooked meat is only good for 3-4 days in the fridge total.
Shred your own cheese. I always recommend buying blocks of cheese and shredding them at home. Pre-shredded cheese has a starch coating on it to prevent it from clumping in the bag. This also prevents it from melting as well.
Heat the meat first. The meat will not be able to heat up enough while fried in the quesadilla. Always heat the meat up before assembling the quesadilla.
Use butter. The butter has a delicious flavor and enough fat to fry the tortilla. Frying the tortilla makes it crispy and golden brown.
Nutrition
Calories: 556kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 456mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g