Quesedilla is a native of Mexico made using Flour or Corn Tortilla. This recipe gets its name from Tortilla and Queso meaning Cheese in Spanish.
Tortillas are flat bread made from maize flour , APF , whole wheat or Multigrain.
The tortilla is filled with various stuffing like beans,corn,spinach,chicken,meat etc.The primary filling being Cheese. The tortilla is then folded into half with the stuffing in it and is warmed until the cheese within melts.
I first tasted Quesedilla at a Mexican restaurant on one of our holidays in the US . The Quesedillas were a safe bet for a vegetarian like me as I had the choice of filling which I could select from to be put into my Quesedillas.
Beans, corn, capsicum, tomatoes ,onions and cheese are anyway my favorites ,so I really loved enjoying this warm cheesy Quesedillas after a tiresome hike .It was a blessing for a hungry tummy .
I fell so much in love with the Quesedillas, that I wanted to replicate them at home and I really loved to put together Quesedillas with different fillings.
Here,I make use of Red kidney Beans /rajma and boiled corn as stuffing along with chopped onion bellpeppers and tomatoes.I made use of ready made tortillas available in the market.But the tortillas can be made at home too. If you like a healthier version one can use the usual soft whole wheat roti that is made in the Indian homes and follow the same procedure.
Forward to 2025....
Now a days, most gourmet super stores in India have these tortillas on their racks in different variants like the whole wheat tortillas , spinach tortillas, multi grain tortillas and ofcourse the traditional flour tortillas.
I have been making Quesedillas even after my relocation to India, initially I used our regular rotis as tortillas to make them when ready made tortillas weren't easily available, but now occasionally,I do indulge into store bought tortillas especially the multi grain ones and enjoy our dinner. I discovered these ready made tortillas in the open market a little before the pandemic struck us .
Some more Mexican delicacies for you to try
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Preparation Time : 45 mins
Baking Time : 5-6 mins per tortilla
Serves : 1 tortilla = 1 quesadilla
Ingredients
3-4 tortillas (Multigrain/plain/spinach)
1/2 cup red beans / rajma - soaked for 6-8 hrs
1/3 cup of boiled sweet corn
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped (optional)
Finely chopped assorted bell pepper (green ,red and yellow)
fresh corriander chopped finely
2 green chillies finely chopped
Mozzarella cheese
Lime juice from a lemon
2-3 bay leaves
salt
butter
Tomato sauce or Tabasco sauce (optional)
Method
- Pressure cook the beans along with bay leaves,red chilli powder and some salt. The beans must be cooked until soft but they shouldn't get mushy.
- Boil the sweet corn until soft.
- Drain excess water from the beans and corn & let it cool.
- Do not add too much salt we are going to add the cheese.
- In a wide mixing bowl add the chopped bell peppers tomato,onions,finely chopped chillies ,fresh coriander/cilantro,salt and 2 tsp lemon juice.
- Add some Mozzarella cheese and mix it well.
- Take 1 tortilla ,smear some tomato sauce ,spread some grated cheese and top it with the beans ,corn and bellpepper mix.
- Top it with cooked beans and then finally some more grated cheese and then fold the tortilla into half .
- Push the filling in tightly so that it doesn't spill out.
- Place the folded Quesedilla on a hot griddle/tawa and toast it evenlt until crisp on both sides . You can smear some butter for added taste and crispness.
- Cut as wedges and serve hot with chips and some salsa or guacamole.
Notes
- Lettuce,spinach,guacamole can also be used as a part of the filling.
- I used a little tomato ketchup for added flavor and the mild sweetness.
- You can also use chilli sauce or some hot sauce if you prefer to have spicy quesadilla.
