We’re loving the fusion theme at the moment, and so these Italian quesadillas came to mind. We started with the basic idea of the Insalata Caprese: a salad which is meant to represent the colours of the Italian flag. Red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil are a staple of this dish.
To make our quesadillas a little more exciting, we turned the basil into pesto, made using our favourite green pesto recipe. The rest, as you will see, follows the tradition.
It’s always fun to mix up a couple of different cultures and see what comes out. Unlike the usual quesadillas, these ones are actually fairly light and refreshing. We’d recommend them for a summer’s day when you want hot food with a bit of a salad-like flair. We served them up with fresh rocket on the side, as well as a smattering of pesto dressing.
Here’s the video, and don’t forget to scroll down for the recipe!
These quesadillas take their inspiration from a Caprese salad, forming the perfect blend of Mexican and Italian.
- 4 tortilla wraps
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 4 tbsp homemade pesto
- 125 g low-fat mozzarella
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First, cut the tomatoes in half and tear the mozzarella into quarters before slicing it further.
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Smear one tablespoon of pesto across each of the tortillas.
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Put the tortilla into a frying pan, over a medium to high heat, with a little oil or cooking spray, pesto side up.
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Lay out 4 tomatoes (halved) and a quarter of the mozzarella on one half of the tortilla.
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Wait for the cheese to start melting, and the tortilla to brown. This may only take a couple of minutes.
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Using a spatula or your fingers (carefully!), lift up the empty half of the quesadilla and fold it over to cover the full half.
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Wait just a little longer for the cheese to melt onto the top half and seal it all together, then transfer to a plate.
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Repeat with each of the remaining tortillas.
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Serve the tortillas whole, or cut into triangles, with a side salad. Enjoy!
If you prefer your tomatoes well-cooked, give them 5-10 minutes in a frying pan with oil first.
They look tasty I do love Italian inspired dishes. The pesto must make it taste really good with the cheese, yum!!!!!
It really does Melanie! We’re big fans of Italian too.
Great video. I like the idea of adding pesto to the quesadillas.
Thanks Kate! I am hard pressed to discover anything that doesn’t taste better with pesto.