2. Coat each tortilla generously with cooking spray and place sprayed side down on a large baking sheet.
3. Sprinkle ½ cup of cheese evenly over each tortilla.
4. Bake for five minutes or until lightly browned. Fold in half and cut each quesadilla into two or three wedges with a pizza wheel.
5. Garnish with your favorite toppings.
6. Tortilla variations: Substitute corn tortillas or gourmet (spinach or tomato) flour tortillas for the traditional flour tortillas.
7. Filling and topping variations: Anything goes, from traditional to extraordinary, whatever ingredients and combinations you can dream up! Raid your pantry or your refrigerator for delectable leftovers and the deli, dairy, and prepared food sections of your supermarket.
8. Sprinkle the filling over half of the cheese and prepare as directed above.
9. Fold other half of the tortilla over the fillings to seal the deal.
10. Filling ingredients can include:
Refried beans or black beans (lightly mashed with a fork)
Sour cream
Salsa, salsa verde
Guacamole
Sliced or chopped olives
Diced pimiento
Sliced jalapeno pepper
Minced green chilies
Any spreadable, shredded, or crumbled cheese (like cream cheese, Swiss, feta, gorgonzola, or goat cheese)
Cooked meats, poultry, or seafood (like marinated flank steak, cut-up chicken or turkey, grilled shrimp, or smoked salmon)
Shredded or shaved deli meats (like roast beef, turkey, ham)
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Dish Tips:
These quesadillas are baked rather than fried, for easy large-scale preparation. For a single serving, it is probably most convenient to cook the quesadilla in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, following the same assembly instructions.