Name: Quesadillas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 16 quesadillas
Ingredients: 8 ounces of your favorite Mexican Cheese; 16 corn tortillas.

Mexican Style Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a staple in every Mexican home and fonda, the small mom-and-pop restaurants found throughout the country. You might be surprised to find that quesadillas in Mexico aren’t the cheese filled extravaganzas we are used to in the U.S. A typical quesadilla is made with a corn tortilla and small amount of cheese served with a good salsa and some guacamole on the side.

Sincronizadas

Sincronizadas are ham and cheese quesadillas. The name translates as “synchronized.” Most often sincronizadas are prepared with flour tortillas but corn tortillas are on option. The tortillas aren’t folded with cheese in the middle. The tortillas are stacked with the filling in the middle and then cut into half moons or triangles.

Good Cheese Makes a Good Quesadilla

If you want a good quesadilla or sincronizada you have to use a good quality cheese. Oaxaca cheese, asadero cheese, manchego cheese and Chihuahua cheese are all good options. In a pinch you can use mozzarella. Quesadillas are never made with cheddar.

Ingredients to make quesadillas and sincronizadas.

Try Preparing With Different Cheeses

Each Mexican cheese gives your quesadillas a distinct flavor. Try a number of different cheeses until you find your favorite. My favorite is asadero.

How to Make a Mexican Quesadilla

You always want to make quesadillas on the griddle never in a microwave. Microwaving them makes the tortilla soggy. You want them to be golden brown with the cheese evenly melted. Don’t overdo it with the cheese. The flavors of the cheese and tortilla should be nicely balanced. Quesadillas prepared with flour tortillas are more popular in Northern Mexico in the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon and Taumalipas.

Tortilla on Comal — Start by heating your tortilla until it is pliable.

Manchego Cheese on Tortilla — Add a small amount of grated cheese, about 1/2 ounce.

Cooking Quesadillas — Fold the tortilla over the cheese.

Quesadilla on the Comal — Cook until the tortilla is golden brown on both sides.

How to Make a Sincronizada

You will enjoy this ham and cheese variation on a quesadilla. It makes a heartier meal.

Flour Tortilla on Comal — Start by warming your tortilla until pliable.

Cheese on Flour Tortilla — Top with grated cheese, about 1 ounce.

Ham and Cheese on Tortilla — Add a few slices of ham.

Ham and Cheese on Flour Tortilla — Add a little more cheese, about 1 ounce.

Making a Sincronizada — Top with flour tortilla.

Sincronizada on the Comal — Cook until the tortilla is golden brown. It’s ready to serve.

Did you know that quesadillas are delicious when you prepare them on the grill?

Provecho!

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5 from 1 vote

Quesadillas

How to make authentic Mexican quesadillas.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword cheese, cheese quesadillas, corn tortillas, flour tortillas

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings quesadillas

Calories 99kcal

Author Douglas Cullen

Ingredients

8 ounces of your favorite Mexican Cheese
16 corn tortillas.

Instructions

Grate the cheese.
Warm each tortilla until pliable.
Add 1/2 ounce of cheese to each tortilla.
Fold in half.
Cook on each side until golden brown.
Serve with salsa and guacamole on the side.

Notes

You can also prepare with flour tortillas.
In Guanajuato, they serve quesadillas with slices of lime.

Nutrition

More Quesadilla Recipes

Grilled Quesadillas

Comments

George N says
November 25, 2019 at 8:21 pm
“In a pinch you can use mozzarella”
You can usually get Monterey Jack about as easily as mozzarella, and it tastes much more similar to queso Oaxaca or Chihuahua than mozzarella does. (Sure, mozzarella has a much more similar texture to Oaxaca than Jack does, but once you melt it it really doesn’t matter that much.) It’s what I use in a pinch.