Yesterday’s brunch was an exercise on how to use shredded mozzarella that was so near its expiry date. I thought about making grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches but there was fresh basil in the garden and the idea of fresh herbs in my first meal of the day was too irresistible. Pizza Margherita would have been nice but making the crust would take too long and I could already hear my stomach grumbling.
So, I made tomato and basil quesadillas which are, come to think of it, Mexican sandwiches as they are made of bread with filling. And the lightly crisp tortillas make the quesadillas resemble pizza too.
Ingredients
- 4 pcs. of six-inch tortillas (I used whole wheat)
1 tomato, thinly sliced (I used my mandolin slicer)
about 12 large sweet basil leaves, torn
about 1/2 c. of shredded mozzarella
1 clove of garlic, peeled
salt and pepper
Instructions
Take the clove of garlic, cut to expose the center then rub the exposed center on one surface of all the tortillas. Trust me, this works. You get the aroma of garlic and a hint of the flavor but the quesadillas are not overpowered by the garlic.
Lay two tortillas flat (the sides rubbed with garlic on top). Divide the tomato slices, basil and mozzarella between them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining two tortillas, garlic-rubbed sides touching the filling (that’s two sandwiches!).
Grill on an oil-free skillet until heated through and the cheese melts, turning to brown both the top and bottom tortillas.
Cut into quarters and serve immediately.
Quick Notes
I served the quesadillas with cucumber and mint agua fresca.
Cooking time (duration): 15 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 2
Meal type: breakfast
Did you insert the salt and pepper part? When I first saw the recipe, I was going to ask if the quesadillas wouldn’t be too bland as mozzarella is a bland cheese.
Yes, I did. LOL There’s an “updated” notice at the end of the entry now. I forgot that I did sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Do you make your tortillas?
Awesome! I can eat a dozen of those!
Anton, I wish. Haven’t had the guts.
Champagne Gal, my younger daughter will second you on that. She’s a certified quesadilla lover!
wow… thanks for this post i just bought potted herbs last week and i could not figure out what to do with the basil leaves aside from pesto.. i also have three tomato plants at our backyard.. now i know what to whip up this weekend.. my family will surely love this..
oh connie, thank you for this recipe…you’re an angel…I made it and it was a great hit! I made Tzaziki salad as dip and everyone loved the combination!
gud evening po mam! pano po gumawa ng flour tortilla? meron ba sa supermarket nito?
Meron sa supermarket.
thank you po mam connie!