I love Quesadillas and I love Italy so how could I resist blending the two of the culinary greats! These are awesome, they take less than 10minutes to knock together and are hugely satisfying when you’re looking a quick snack or lunch fix.
The gooey, melted mozzarella covered in sharp pesto locked inside a crisp tortilla topped with tomatoes is a dream.
That much oil and cheese does mean this isn’t likely to be your staple, go-to meal if you’re on a health kick but when you want a little indulgence you can’t beat this.
Enjoy!
Caprese Quesadillas
- 2 Tortilla Wraps
- 1 Buffalo Milk Mozzarella Ball (50g Gram Packet)
- 15-20 Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
- 2 Tbsp. Pine Nuts
- Basil Pesto (Recipe here) or use store bought
- 1 handful of Fresh Basil Leaves
Method
Chop up the cherry tomatoes into 4 so they are nice and small and place them in a bowl.
Crush the garlic and add to the cherry tomatoes along with ½ Tbsp. Olive Oil, a pinch of sea salt & some black pepper. Mix the tomatoes and then allow them to soak for 15 minutes.
Slice the mozzarella ball in half (you want half for each quesadilla) and then slice each half portion into thin slices – you should get 4-5 slices from each half.
Lay both tortilla wraps out and smear 1-2 tsp. basil pesto over each of the surfaces (basically like adding tomato sauce to a pizza). Next drain the cherry tomatoes and divide the mixture over each tortilla – you want to just add this on one half of each tortilla and leave about 1cm gap around the edge. Next add on the mozzarella slices on top of the tomatoes to each toritilla along with the pine nuts for each tortilla (1 Tbsp for each one). Tear some basil and place this on top.
Fold the side of the tortilla with no topping over the topping side so it looks like a semi-circle. Press down around the edges (don’t worry if it doesn’t stick it will seal when cooked).
Now both the tortillas should be ready to be heated up. Get a large frying pan and place it on a medium heat – no need to add any oil to the pan. Once the pan is hot carefully place the folded tortilla into the pan (if you have a big enough frying pan you can put both in at the same time). Press down with a frying slice on each tortilla half and cook for 2 minutes. Flip the tortilla halves over to cook on the other side and again press down with a frying slice and cook for 2 minutes. The tortillas should have sealed shut now from the mozzarella melting.
Take the tortilla’s out the pan and slice them in half – they should be crispy and melting in the middle!
I like to serve these as a quick lunch snack with a side salad of rocket, avocado & a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil!
Tips
- Soaking the tomatoes allows them to absorb the flavour from the olive oil and the sea salt also helps draw out excess moisture from them so your quesadillas aren’t soggy!
- You can choose to add any cheese to this that you like – just make sure it is one that melts easily (mozzarella, gruyere, camembert, goats cheese, brie etc)
- You can also add Parma Ham or it is also great with leftover chicken breast sliced up!
