Vegan Mexican quesadilla recipe

Quesadilla is that dish you’ve always wanted to order in a restaurant but you are too afraid of pronouncing wrong. Well, today is a great day because you’ll learn how to both pronounce quesadillas and cook tasty vegan Mexican quesadillas.

How do you pronounce Quesadilla?

You’re probably thinking to yourself, but why should we trust your pronunciation Lucy, you are British, and Brits are renowned for saying things incorrectly.

Well, I can’t disagree with you there. But I have spent quite some time in Mexico and have learnt the hard way. Pronouncing Quesadilla wrong in your local Mexican restaurant is probably met with a little chuckle and smile. Here in Mexico, you get a blank stare. They have no idea what you are saying.

I love quesadillas, so it was very important that I learn to pronounce them correctly. And now I shall impart my newfound knowledge upon you. So, here is the best phonetic spelling I could come up with to help you pronounce Quesadilla:

Kay – suh – dee – yah

Now, keep saying that over and over whilst you cook my vegan Quesadilla recipe below.

What are Quesadillas?

Don’t worry, I won’t judge you for not knowing what they are. If I was to judge, do you really think I’d add this section here?!

Quesadillas are a solid staple of Mexican food. They are tortillas that are filled with cheese (and sometimes meats, seasoning, and veg), folded and then cooked on a griddle until the tortilla is golden on both sides and the cheese is melted inside. Traditionally, you’ll find most quesadillas are made using corn tortillas, but in the UK you’ll mostly find them being made with wheat-based tortillas. 

Now, for all you clever sods out there, you may have realised that quesadilla has cheese in the name – queso is Spanish for cheese. 

How do you veganise Quesadillas?

Vegan quesadillas can be made very easily using vegan cheese and you can substitute any other fillings with vegan versions.

When it comes to picking the right vegan cheese for the job, I’d recommend anything stringy and meltable. For example, you could try Violife’s Mozzarella, or Sheese.

When it comes to using vegan meat and veg, make sure to keep it finely chopped so that it fits inside the tortilla. Just take a look through your local supermarket for any vegan meats and test them out! Here in Mexico, you can get these soya pieces that are pre-seasoned and come in a handy packet:

How do you make Quesadillas?

First of all, get into the kitchen and prepare yourself a chopping board, some tasty vegan ingredients, a stovetop and a frying pan/griddle.

It is a very simple dish to make, which makes it very suitable for traditional Mexican kitchens. Just check out the kitchen I had in Mérida:

Lay out your tortillas and spread any sauce-like ingredients onto the top of the tortilla first. Then begin adding your more solid ingredients, like veg and vegan meat. Put a good sprinkling of vegan cheese on top and then fold the tortilla in half.

I tend to stick all my more solid ingredients on just one half of the tortilla to stop the mix from all falling out and then fold the empty half over.

Top tip: don’t overfill the filling of the vegan quesadilla because they really don’t fit as much in as you’d think, or hope.

Once you feel fully satisfied that you’ve made the tastiest filling possible for your quesadilla, get them frying. Just stick a frying pan or griddle on medium-high heat, no oil, and cook them on either side for a few minutes.

You’ll see the tortilla crisp up and the cheese starts to melt inside.

Yum!

What do you serve with vegan Quesadillas?

The trick with vegan quesadillas is to get the filling super tasty so you don’t need to add much flavour afterwards. I do however like to add chilli sauce on top afterwards as this can be very runny if put inside. 

If you have any ripe avocados, slice them up and place them on top, and serve with a wedge of lime.