I am the quesadilla queen! (At least in my own mind, having held that title since college where I regularly cooked up massive quesadillas on burrito sized tortillas with tons of add-ins for myself and friends.) So when a friend recently mentioned the idea of a quesadilla pie, I didn’t even wait for the recipe, I knew what to do. The two basic ingredients of a quesadilla are cheese (queso is cheese in Spanish) and tortillas, either flour or corn, though usually in the U.S. quesadillas are made with flour tortillas. Want to make your own tortillas? Try these recipes:
Homemade Flour Tortillas Homemade Corn Tortillas
My version of a quesadilla pie is a casserole made in a pie dish with stacked flour tortillas and layers of cheesy filling, baked until browned and crispy. The beauty of quesadilla pie is that it’s a great way to use up leftovers and odds and ends. The essentials are the tortillas and the cheese; after that it’s up to you as to the variety and type of filling you want. Black beans are good, as are onions, chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, or summer squash. All can be layered in with the cheese. Add as much chile as you want for heat and flavor. Hint: do not skip the butter.
4 large flour tortillas (9 to 10 inches diameter) Butter 1/2 pound cheese, either mild or sharp cheddar, or Monterey Jack, grated
Potential filling ingredients:
Beans, cooked (black beans, pinto beans) Tomatoes, chopped Summer squash, chopped Onions (green onions, red onions, onion greens) Mushrooms (if using a lot, sauté first to remove moisture) Cooked shredded chicken, pork, or beef Chiles, either from cooked green chiles, chopped pickled jalapenos, or salsa Cumin and/or chili powder for extra heat
Garnishes:
Chopped avocado Chopped cilantro Thinly sliced iceberg lettuce dressed with vinegar and salt Sour cream Salsa
In the pictured example, I used cheese, black beans, and onion greens on the first layer. Then I added another tortilla on top of that and put chopped zucchini, chopped tomato, chopped pickled jalapenos, and more shredded cheese. I also sprinkled a little cumin and chili powder on this layer. I added another tortilla and put more shredded cheese, more black beans, tomatoes and onions. Top off your layers with one last flour tortilla. Spread a little butter over the surface of this tortilla. Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into quarters. Serve with chopped avocados, shredded lettuce, cilantro, salsa, and/or sour cream.
