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Starting the day with a breakfast quesadilla can only mean good things are coming. All you need are flour tortillas, eggs, and shredded or crumbled cheese, and you will have an easy, satisfying breakfast in less than minutes. And then the variations begin – you can add in so many different ingredients to make them your own, from avocados to salsa, onions to spinach, and leftovers are all fair game!
Every time I send a breakfast recipe into the world, I do want to express the real-life truth that in my house, on a work/school day, it’s often cereal and some cut up fruit. Sometimes oatmeal, or scrambled eggs. Do not imagine I am up with the chickens sautéing leeks for a frittata on an average Wednesday morning. Ok, I feel better. But when there is more time, there are really, really good breakfasts (sometimes).
Breakfast Quesadillas: This fun twist on quesadillas is very flexible and customizable and a great way to start your day! Vegetarian friendly.
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This is one of many recipes that is a jumping-off point for whatever moves you, a choose-your-own-adventure breakfast. We love these kinds of customizable recipes in my family — everyone gets their own personalized version of a dish, sometimes being inspired by someone else’s choices (“hey, I want salsa on mine, too!”), sometimes being a little intentionally controversial (“what’s wrong with hummus in a quesadilla?”).
Breakfast Quesadillas Variations and Add-Ins
Start with scrambled eggs when thinking about the filling—then the sky is the limit in terms of what you might add. Maybe a bit of cheese (more protein!), all kinds of vegetables, maybe herbs or spices, perhaps some bacon or sausage (try some of the leaner turkey or chicken varieties. Those so inclined have many vegetarian options for breakfast meats at their disposal).
- Diced avocados or guacamole
- Diced tomatoes
- Salsa
- Sliced olives
- Crumbled cooked bacon or sausage
- Black or kidney beans drained and rinsed
- Minced onions raw or sautéed
- Raw or sautéed spinach
- Chopped scallions
- Minced bell peppers raw or sautéed
Leftovers in the fridge? Oh my yes, add those right in—some sautéed spinach or other greens, some cooked beans, or roasted squash or shredded pulled pork. Everything can find its way into a breakfast quesadilla. And actually, these might be easy enough to pull together on a weekday, but they are surely festive enough for a weekend.
Tortillas
Do take a stroll down the tortilla aisle. So many types available today (tomato, spinach, whole grain, gluten-free)—a great way to provide additional variety in this recipe, not to mention fun splashes of color. You’ll warm these in the skillet before filling them to make them softer and more pliable, as well as bring up the flavor.
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Breakfast Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 6 teaspoon unsalted butter approximately
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 8 large eggs
- 4 8-inch tortillas any flavor/type
- ½ cup shredded cheese such as cheddar, Monterey jack, Pepper jack, provolone or a Mexican blend, or crumbled feta
Optional Additions
- Diced avocados or guacamole
- Diced tomatoes
- Salsa
- Sliced olives
- Crumbled cooked bacon or sausage
- Black or kidney beans drained and rinsed
- Minced onions raw or sautéed
- Raw or sautéed spinach
- Chopped scallions
- Minced bell peppers raw or sautéed
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Melt 2 teaspoons of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the eggs, and scramble them, stirring occasionally but letting the bottom set a bit in between stirs. Stop just barely before they are done to your liking, as they will continue to cook in the quesadilla, and scoop them into a plate.
- Wipe out the skillet, and then heat it again over medium high heat. Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in the skillet, then place one of the flour tortillas in the skillet. Place 1/4 of the scrambled eggs one half of the tortilla, and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of shredded or crumbled cheese over the eggs. You can either call it a day and fold the bare half of the tortilla over the filling, or sprinkle over any of the suggested toppings. Use a spatula to fold the bare half of the tortilla over the filling, and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottom of the quesadilla is golden brown. Use the spatula to flip the quesadilla over and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the other side is golden brown. Slide from the pan onto a plate, cut into thirds. Repeat with the remaining, butter, tortillas, eggs and desired fillings, and serve each one hot.
Notes
Tortillas
Do take a stroll down the tortilla aisle. So many types available today (tomato, spinach, whole grain, gluten-free)—a great way to provide additional variety in this recipe, not to mention fun splashes of color. You’ll warm these in the skillet before filling them to make them softer and more pliable, as well as bring up the flavor.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.