Egg Fast Cheese Quesadilla

About

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner is served! Eat this savory egg fast meal whenever you’re craving something crunchy and flavorful. A cheese “quesadilla” is made with only that: cheese! Shredded cheddar can be melted in your pan and cooked into a crispy circle, much like a tortilla. Crack an egg and fry it in the center to turn your snack into a protein-packed meal. A handful of Southwest-inspired seasonings flavor the quesadilla, which you can edit or substitute to your personal liking. If you want to incorporate more fat into the meal, try making a cream or butter-based sauce. A cheese sauce, chipotle cream sauce, or Hollandaise sauce will flavor and fatten up your meal.

Different Ways To Cook Your Egg

You can cook your egg in your favorite way and enjoy the recipe. Fry the egg until it’s well done by breaking the egg white while it’s cooking so it cooks faster. You can leave the egg yolk intact and cook it to over-medium or over-easy. If you prefer well-done eggs, such as scrambled or hard-boiled, cook the egg and cheese quesadilla separately. Top the fried cheese with your egg and eat it like a tostada.

What Cheese Can I Use?

You are not limited to just cheddar cheese to make the quesadilla. You have options, but not all cheese will cook the same. Choose a mild, firm cheese, such as provolone, jack cheese, gouda, or asiago. These cheeses will melt but will also harden, while softer cheeses will melt and stay melted, even if they burn.

Ingredients

½ cup, shredded cheddar cheese
1 large raw egg
1 dash salt
1 dash black pepper
⅛ teaspoon cumin, ground
⅛ teaspoon paprika
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne

Instructions

Choose a standard 8” good-quality non-stick pan or cast-iron skillet. For one serving, spread a ½ cup shredded cheese in the base of the pan into a thin layer. Make sure you don’t leave any open spaces. Then, heat the pan on high heat and leave the cheese undisturbed as it melts. Watch for the cheese to melt, bubble, and begin to harden starting from the outside to the center of the pan.
When the cheese is entirely melted and just the edges have started to harden and darken, crack an egg into the center of the pan. Let the egg whites naturally fall and cook in the melted cheese. Sprinkle all seasonings over the entire quesadilla. Leave the egg undisturbed as it continues to cook while the cheese continues hardening. Use a spatula to gently begin lifting the edges of the cheese to release from the pan.
Once all the cheese is hardened and naturally releases from the pan, use your spatula to flip the whole quesadilla over. Let the egg finish cooking and frying in the pan to your liking, from over-easy to well done. Reduce the stove heat to an appropriate level for cooking the eggs and spices without burning. When your quesadilla is done cooking, transfer it to a plate to cool for just a minute before cutting into triangles.