A gooey on the inside, crisp and golden on the outside cheese quesadilla is a go-to snack for good reason. The treat requires only a few ingredients and it can be prepared in minutes: Just sandwich cheese between a couple tortillas and toast briefly in a skillet.
When I recently set out to craft substantial, dinner-worthy quesadillas with complex fillings though, things got complicated. My early tests resulted in less-than-stellar specimens, starring underdone proteins, soggy vegetables, and ingredients that were completely obscured by the gooey cheese. As I contemplated which ingredients to incorporate, it became clear that I needed to establish a quesadilla framework.
After focusing on each element of the quesadilla, from protein to cheese, I homed in on the best way to choose and prepare these ingredients
