Recipes | Dinner Recipes

Easy Cheesy Quesadillas

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We Found an Excuse…To Make Easy Cheesy Quesadillas!

We took a break from sitting at the computer the other day and treated ourselves to these quick and simple – and yummy!- easy cheesy quesadillas- topped with really fresh salsa. We had wanted to compare a couple of gluten-free tortillas- and here was our excuse!

 Gluten Free Cheesy Quesadillas with Fresh Salsa

Freshness Counts

Well, maybe not for the flour tortillas, which are frozen, but for the accompanying Fresh Salsa! Use the very best tomatoes you can find and fresh, perky cilantro and scallions.

Fresh ingredients make for a quick and delicious salsa for Easy Cheesy Quesadillas.

Nonstick Pans Work Great For Easy Cheesy Quesadillas

Quesadillas cooking for Easy Cheesy Quesadillas.It might seem contradictory, but we like making our easy cheesy quesadillas in either nonstick pans, such as these from Calphalon, or our cast iron. Both give great results and if you take care of your cast iron, it will act as a non-stick surface. We love the pre-seasoned ones from Lodge.

Cook until the tortillas get nice and crispy, as seen below.

Quesadillas browning for an Easy Cheesy Quesadillas

Pizza Wheels: Not Just for Pizza

We use our pizza wheels all the time even when there is no pizza in sight. Here I am cutting the hot, easy cheesy quesadillas with ease.

pizza wheel cutting quesadilla

And speaking of cheesy…yeah, it was as good as it looks! That was a good lunch day.

 Easy Cheesy Quesadillas

The requisite “cheese pull” shot, below.

Easy Cheesy Quesadillas

Cheese on the Low FODMAP Diet

Many kinds of cheese are already tested and approved as low-FODMAP and we can enjoy them even during the Elimination Phase. Easy Cheesy Quesadillas, which are crispy tortillas sandwiching a gooey, cheesy center are super easy to make; the one caveat is that they don’t hold well and should be eaten as soon as possible.

While quesadillas can contain all manner of add-ins, and we offer you suggestions below, they are really all about the cheese. For the quickest preparation feel free to just use cheese and believe us, they are fabulous in this simple form with just a side of Fresh Low-FODMAP Salsa.

Flour Tortillas Are Okay?

Well, not the ones you used to eat, which are based on wheat flour and are therefore fructan rich. You have to seek out gluten-free low FODMAP flour tortillas. There are several brands on the market; you will most likely find them in the freezer section.

We particularly like Food for Life brand. Read labels for FODMAPs. It is similar to when shopping for bread. Steer clear of any that contain inulin, for instance, or honey as a sweetener.

Serving size will be dependent on your add-ins for your easy cheesy quesadillas. Try a couple of wedges and see how you do.

two kinds of flour tortillas for Easy Cheesy Quesadillas
Comparing two different gluten free flour tortillas – they crisp up differently and have a different “chew” to each of them. Our favorite was on the right.

Please note that the Nutrition Info is general, as you will probably want to make the quesadilla different every single time!

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quesadillas on cutting board
5 from 2 votes

Easy Cheesy Quesadillas

Eating Mexican food out at restaurants can be troublesome for the FODMAPer; this simple quesadilla recipe will allow you to get your Mexican fix at home - quite deliciously and safely for your digestion.

Makes: 2 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Author: Dédé Wilson

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces (115 g; about 2 ½ cups) very finely shredded cheese, such as cheddar, Monterey jack, pepper jack or Colby or a mixture, divided
  • 4 gluten-free tortillas, 7 to 9 inches; 17 cm to 23 cm across, such as Food for Life Brown Rice Tortillas, Engine 2 Plant Strong Brown Rice Tortillas or Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Tortillas

Optional Add-ins:

  • Shredded chicken
  • Shredded turkey
  • Shredded pork
  • Grilled fish or shrimp
  • Leftover diced steak
  • Leftover cooked rice
  • Sautéed slivers or dice of bell peppers
  • Cooked corn kernels, limit to ¼ cup; 32 g
  • Chopped tomatoes
  • Sautéed greens, chopped, such as spinach, kale or Swiss chard
  • Crumbled feta or goat cheese
  • Blue cheese, recipe may not be gluten free
  • Finely chopped scallions, green parts only, either inside or on top after cutting
  • Ripe firm diced Hass avocado, up to "⅛ avocado" (30 g) per serving, added on top after cutting
  • Lactose free sour cream, dolloped on top after cutting

Preparation:

  1. Coat a 12-inch (30.5 cm) nonstick or cast iron skillet with nonstick spray or lightly brush with vegetable oil and heat over low-medium heat.
  2. Place one tortilla in pan and cover with half the cheese. Add in any of the optional fillings at this time but do not overload the quesadilla. Place second tortilla on top. Turn heat up to medium and cook for 1 to 3 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown in spots here and there. Use a broad spatula to flip quesadilla and cook second side until it is dotted with golden brown crispy spots. Transfer quesadilla to cutting board and cut into wedges with a knife or pizza cutter. Serve immediately with Salsa for dipping or ladle it on top. Top with optional scallions, avocado or sour cream at this time.

Notes:

Tips

  • Note that we say that 4 ounces (115 g) of cheese yields about 2 ½ cups shredded. Depending on how you shred your cheese - classic box grater, fine rasp style grater, course rasp style grater, etc. - you will get different volumes. We use a coarse rasp style grater to make very fluffy shredded cheese for this recipe. The light textured shreds melt particularly well. Once you make these once or twice you will understand how to measure the amount of cheese by eye; you are simply aiming to cover the bottom tortillas with a complete but not over-packed layer of cheese.
  • If you use brown rice tortillas other than the brands suggested, make sure to read the labels. Some contain inulin (chicory root), soybean flour and other ingredients that contain FODMAPs. Remember, just because the label says gluten-free doesn’t necessarily make it OK. You can make these with corn tortillas, however, corn tortillas are typically about 6-inches (15 cm) across so the amount of cheese needed will be less. Just eyeball it.
Course: Appetizer, Dinner & Lunch, Snack
Cuisine: American, Mexican

Nutrition

Calories: 566kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 27g | Sodium: 348mg

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.


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