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I know, two posts in a row starting with “The Best”… it’s like, who do I think I am!? But seriously, you guys, these breakfast quesadillas are worthy of the title. I taste tested exactly 8 pieces just to be sure they were the real deal. They are are are.
These past few weeks have been pretty rad. I’ve been on the West Coast, and you know what that means… THE BEST MEXICAN FOOD EVER! Oh. And sunshine. So much brilliant sunshine. It makes my heart happy and my shoulders red. I really must remember sunblock more often… But I digress. The food. Back to the food!
On one of my first days in LA we popped in a cool little dive taco joint that was so heavily tinted in the window department I doubted they were even open. Thank goodness they were. We sat down, ferociously scarfed down chips and margaritas, then got to the important part of ordering. Which leads me to a question! Are you a brave orderer? Or do you tend to stick to things you know and love? I am the latter, but trying hard to shake it up and be BRAVE. It’s just so scary trying new things…!
So, in an attempt to step out of the box – and skip on the fish tacos (waaah) – I ordered from the all day breakfast portion of the menu. They had some seriously bomb ass looking tacos and enchiladas, but once I saw our waitress deliver a breakfast quesadilla to a near by table, I knew my decision had been made for me. A quick once over of the description sealed that fate.
A soft tortilla stuffed with perfectly scrambled eggs, the best cilantro spiked black beans, soft red bell pepper, scallions, and pickled jalapeños?! There was no turning back. And even if there was… I knew my happiness was all wrapped up in that soft tortilla just waiting for me to take a bite. And yes – it was everything I dreamed it would be. And more!
After basically (ok… literally) licking my plate clean and polishing off my third SPICY margarita, I knew I needed to replicate this recipe at home for you. And me. For us! Because we are brunch buddies after all!
I played around with the bean and egg recipes a million and one times, and although you might be thinking… how hard can those two be to perfect? Lemme tell you, it wasn’t easy! But I did it. And I’m pretty sure you’ll agree they’re absolute perfection when you make them in your own kitchen.
The reason I stressed on perfecting the beans and eggs is because the rest of this recipe is so pure and simple. Shredded cheese (I like using cheddar), chopped scallions, cilantro, and red pepper make up the rest of the cast, and they take really no work at all. I do recommend shredding your own cheese verses buying the pre-shredded stuff, but that’s totally up to you.
I choose to keep the toppings very simple when plating these sassy, flavor packed quesadillas, but you can absolutely top them with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or all three! Just be aware that they already pack quite a lot of flavor, so maybe take a little bite before you get heavy with the toppings 😉 You can always add more… but taking it off can get tricky.
I hope you’re off to a beautiful weekend, friends! xoxo
The Best Breakfast Quesadillas
Ingredients
- Makes 2 large quesadillas; double as needed.
- 4 large flour tortillas
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 very small red onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 whole sprigs cilantro, washed and dried
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- (1) 15 oz can black beans
- 6 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter; divided
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 large ripe avocado, smashed
- *Salsa, sour cream, guacamole optional
Instructions
- In a small sauté pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic powder and a big pinch of salt, stir, and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding a splash of water to the pan if it gets dry. The peppers will be charred and soft when finished.
- In a separate sauté pan heat the remaining olive oil over medium flame. Add the red onion and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, cilantro, and crushed red pepper, stir to combine and cook for another minute before adding the beans. Simmer on low for 12 minutes. Add salt and pepper according to taste.
- While the beans are simmering away, make your eggs! In a medium size bowl, beat eggs, milk, water, salt and pepper until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes. Using a nonstick frying pan, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and cook eggs over very low heat, stirring almost constantly. Cook until you reach desired consistency; I find this is about 4-5 minutes for us.
Assembly:
- Heat a large skillet over medium flame until very hot!
- While the pan is warming up, place a hearty portion of eggs, beans, peppers, cheese, scallions, and jalapeños on two tortillas. You can layer them anyway you like, but I do recommend beginning AND ending with the cheese; it's like glue in this recipe. Top with the remaining two tortillas and press down lightly.
- Once the skillet is sufficiently hot, add 1 tablespoon of butter, then carefully add the quesadilla to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side before CAREFULLY flipping over. Cook on the other side for an additional 2-3 minutes - or until the cheese has begun to melt and the tortillas are nice and crispy.
- Add another tablespoon of butter and repeat with additional quesadilla. Add more butter if and when needed.
- Cut quesadillas into 4 pieces, and top with smashed avocado and any other toppings you may be using. Serve at once!
These are just amazing. I love breakfast tacos!!
Breakfast quesadilla are THE.BEST. I’m such a sucker for Mexican breakfast dishes. Or basically, any Mexican food.
Hope you had a great time in California!!!
My hubs is OBSESSED with breakfast tacos. So these quesadillas? HE WILL LOVE THEM. They totally do look the bomb dot com! Pinning!