A breakfast quesadilla is a simple, quick and easy breakfast idea! This recipe is easy to mostly make ahead of time, which makes mornings so much more fun!
These breakfast quesadillas are filled with eggs, cheese, and diced ham. Hearty! Healthy! And Easy!
When my kids are headed out the door on extra busy mornings I hand them Ham and Cheese Breakfast Quesadilla’s and feel like a super hero because I they actaully got breakfast that wasn’t out of a box!
Hey, I’m all about anything that makes me feel like I’m a super hero! Because when you’re the mom, you don’t feel like a super hero very often!
This recipe was updated in 2019 to include new text and images, however it’s the same old recipe you’ve always known and loved!
Ham and Cheese Breakfast Queadillas are one of the most popular recipes on my site! They are also one of the recipes my family enjoys over and over again…and we don’t repeat very many recipes!
How can I prepare to make Breakfast Queadillas ahead of time?
- Dice your ham the night before. If I’m really on top of it, I dice leftover ham right after serving and before I even stick it in the fridge. Check out this tutorial on how to freeze ham for later (the best time saver)!
- Hard boil and dice eggs the night before. I actually do this during the day when the kids are at school becauese evenings are crazy too.
- Shred lots of cheese at once and store it in a ziplock bag in the fridge. It’ll be waiting for you in the morning! See my Dairy Farmer’s Wifes Cheese Guide for more awesome tips all about cheese!
How to assemble quesadillas?
- Warm a skillet over medium heat.
- Add butter
- Set one tortilla in skillet
- Layer cheese, ham, and eggs on tortilla
- Be sure to use plenty of cheese
- Set the other tortilla on top
- Let cook until bottom tortilla is golden brown
- Flip and try not to let fillings fall out!
- Cook until second side is golden brown
- Remove from skillet and set on cutting board
- Let rest for a few minutes then cut into wedges and serve
What kind of frying pan should I use?
Justin gave me a cast iron skillet like this one {amazon affiliate link} for Christmas and I’ve been loving it! I used to be a bit scared of cast iron, but you know what? It’s not scary at all! In fact, it’s awesome!
What kind of cheese should I use in quesadillas?
There are so many fun options for making breakfast quesadillas exactly how you like them. Here are some of our favorite combinations!
- Sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms (okay, I’m the only one that likes that)
- Add fried and crumbled sausage
- Sprinkle some crumbled bacon on there.
- Diced tomatoes are yummy too!
- Of course you can use different kinds of cheese. Pepperjack, cheddar, Swiss, and mozzarella are all great!
Ham and Cheese Quesadillas are the perfect way to use leftover ham!
You guys Ham and Cheese Breakfast Quesadillas are on of the most popular posts on my site! They are cheesy, gooey, hearty, and EASY! What more could a mamma ask for in the morning? Well, let’s not start talking about that! We want to think good thoughts here!
What can I serve with egg and cheese quesadillas?
- My boys like them with salsa and sour cream. Try this Tomatillo Lime Salsa for a little extra flavor!
- Perfect Fresh Fruit Salad is a nice healthy breakfast side.
- Raspberry Vanilla Fruit Salad is a fun one.
- Orange Banana Smoothies are awesome if you need to hand breakfast to your family on their way out the door!
Sometimes my kiddos are headed out the door on their way to school, sometimes they are headed out the door to go to work on the farm.
Either way they are always starving and looking for something to fill their tummies first thing in the morning! Quesadillas are just the thing!
Breakfast Quesadilla Recipe
Ham and Cheese Breakfast Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 2 flour tortillas
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 eggs hard boiled
- 1/2 cup ham diced
- 1/2 cup cheese grated
Instructions
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Lay one tortilla in skillet. Sprinkle grated cheese, ham, and eggs over tortilla. Then sprinkle another layer of cheese on. Top with remaining tortilla.
- Fry in skillet until tortilla is golden brown. Carefully flip tortilla. Let me know if you figure out how to do this without spilling all the yummy inside ingredients! If you do spill…just scoop them up and put them back inside the tortilla!
- Continue cooking until second side is golden brown.
- Remove to a cutting board and cut into wedges.
- Serve warm! Garnish as desired
Notes
- Sour cream
- Salsa, or diced tomatoes
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Mozzarella
- Pepper jack
- Colby Jack
- Swiss
Nutrition
Vicky says
Looks good! Use a waffle iron for these.
Amy Engberson says
I love the waffle iron trick!
Melissa says
can you just use a quesadilla maker too if u have one. It works great for breakfast lunch pizza and other recipies besides just regual dinner quesadillas
Amy Engberson says
I should quit being cheap and buy a quesadilla maker since they are my go to meal. A waffle iron works pretty good too.
Christine says
I made the breakfast quesadillas this morning and they were very good and tasty. Following the recipe I was unsure if the tortillas to use were small ones or large ones plus the T of butter, was it a tsp. or tbs? I also filled half the tortillas with the ingredients and folded them in half and put them in the pan, easier to flip. Will definitely make them again.
Amy Engberson says
Christine, this is a super easy recipe to adjust to your liking. That’s one of my favorite things about it. If you have large tortillas you can use more fillings, if your tortillas are smaller you will obviously use less fillings. Folding them over is a great option, especially if you only want to make a half of a quesadilla. I do use about a Tablespoon of butter, if I’m feeling skinny! I’m a dairy farmers wife and so we eat lots of butter!!
brendan says
to flip…. place a plate on top and flip the entire pan and plate, then slide back into the pan.
Raven Starsja says
I tried these this morning for my kids. Success!! Thank you so much for the great idea. BTW, so all the ingredients didn’t spill out while flipping, I just put the whole thing in the waffle iron and no flipping required!
Amy Engberson says
I’m dying to try the waffle iron trick. Thanks for sharing!
Julie Fogle says
I love this tip for flipping quesadillas…it’s so easy, I wish I had known about it sooner! 🙂
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cpdzX8AMZ5o
Sandi says
Gonna make some of these for my adult, single son. Then I’ll zip lock bag them and freeze. Hopefully after nuking he will still have a great lunch or snack. Thanks much Amy.
Amy Engberson says
I haven’t tried freezing them, but you know I’m a fan of easy breakfasts! Let me know how it goes!
Christina says
Definitely gonna make these. We love bk burritos so this will be a hit. This for sharing. A tip to not lose ingredients. I use a plate. I put a plate over top upside down(one hand holding it) Take the quesadilla up and flip the plate.. Take spatula and take the quesadilla off the plate and put back in the pan. (the quesadilla should be reversed. I don’t lose any ingredients anymore.
Amy Engberson says
You are going to love these Christina! Another reader suggested the “plate” trick. I can’t wait to try it!
Desiree says
First time visitor. I just couldn’t resist sharing the idea I found that works amazing. You can put the quesadilla in a waffle maker and it will cook it the same way. This way you don’t have to flip or make a smaller quesadilla! We have learned that there are many uses for the waffle maker outside of making waffles. We will be trying these quesadillas this morning.
Amy Engberson says
Oh my goodness, I can’t wait to try this tip. I can already imagine how cute the quesadilla would be with waffle patterns on it, not to mention how easy!
Melanie says
Hmmmm, I wonder what hollandaise sauce would taste like drizzled over top,breakfast quesadilla Benedict
Amy Engberson says
Oh no! You’ve got me thinking! That would be amazing and probably worth the extra calories!
Nancy says
I use one of those green ceramic flippable fry-pans. It works great, no spillage. They are under $10.00 on Amazon.com. I use it for this recipe and for making omelets. Where the pan is non-stick I use about half the amount of butter, just enough to give it that yummy butter flavor.
Amy Engberson says
Sounds like that works perfect for you! I’m so glad to hear you are still using butter! Nonstick baking spray just doesn’t taste the same! (That’s coming from dairy farmer! Haha)
Joann says
These we’re delicious and great for breakfast! I was able to flip my quesadilla on the first try too, without spilling, with a good ol’ spatula!
Amy Engberson says
Yay for you! You must have resisted the urge to way over stuff your quesadillas! Thank goodness they are tasty even when they are a mess!
Stephanie says
When I make regular quesadillas, I always use my griddle (about 350). The large tortillas fit great and I use one tortilla, put all my ingredients on one side (chesse all over) then just fold it over and it’s so much easier to flip back and forth to brown each side.
Amy Engberson says
It seems like this is a popular method for keeping all the goodies inside the quesadilla! I’m gonna try it!
Margaret says
Hi, first time visitor here, I found this recipe on Pinterest. Had to tell you how much we loved it. I neglected to get a photo before we devoured these. To keep the stuffing from falling out I did one tortilla per person and folded it. I thought it gave one less side for things to escape from, and it worked perfectly. Breakfast is always a challenge for my diabetic spouse so I used carb steady tortillas, and making the hard boiled eggs in a batch was the best part. I really love this, and so did my DH
Amy Engberson says
I’m insulin resistant and know how hard it can be to find the right kinds of things to eat for breakfast without getting bored. That’s one reason I love these fun quesadillas. They are worth a little bit of mess!!
Jane Elaine Logan says
That was the idea I was thinking! I make these all the time for lunch…never thought about breakfast! They ARE yummy though!!!
Sarah says
THIS IS GREAT! QUICK EASY AND YUMMY. .I HAVE 5 KIDDOS AND ONE HUNGRY HUBBY THAT ARE GOING TO LOVE THESE ..THANKS 🙂
Amy Engberson says
Mom’s need a few quick and easy recipes that make everyone happy! These quesadillas are one of those! Glad you enjoyed it!
Berta says
I like the plate flip idea … But I made them by heating, filling and folding, so the flipping part is easy lol and the filling stays in and its perfect size for kids lol 🙂
Amy Engberson says
That’s a great idea Berta! If I’m only making a quesadilla for one I make a half and fold it over too!
Melody avena says
I am working as a maid.everyday I try to make something new for my employer. Making breakfast is very hard for me.it makes my day full of stress.thinking what would be their breakfast for their everyday living.but when I see this menu really it makes me feel good bcoz they like it.thank you.thank you
Amy Engberson says
I hope these quesadillas make your day a little less stressful! Have a great day!
Debbie Bryant says
can you make these ahead and freeze them?
Amy Engberson says
Debbie, I have never tried making these ahead of time and freezing them. I’m a huge fan of anything that can be made ahead so let me know how it goes if you try it!
Jeanine says
I learned this trick a few years ago from Martha Stewart: when one side of the quesadilla is cooked, invert a plate on top of the quesadilla, lift skillet and turn it over (quesadilla is now on the plate), then slide the quesadilla back into the skillet and cook until 2nd side is browned.
Amy Engberson says
Jeanine that is genius! Thanks for sharing a tip that is going to make my life so much easier!
Milo says
I put all of the stuffing on 1/2 of the tortilla, let it get a bit melted and fold the other half on top. When it gets brown on that side, I just flip it toward the fold and brown the other side. I get the same yield but I end up with 2 semi-circle tortillas instead of 1 round one. Also, I use cooking spray instead of butter when I’m trying to cut down on the fat.
Amy Engberson says
I have used the half quesadilla method before too! If I don’t stuff my quesadilla with too much yummy fillings I don’t end up with a mess. But, who could resist all the yummy fillings? Cooking spray is always an easy option, but since I live on a dairy farm I have to say real butter is still the best!!:)
Tambra says
I make sure I start and end with cheese and use a lid to cover so while the bottom is browning the heat is causing the top layer of cheese to melt to create a “glue” so flipping is alittle easier.
Amy Engberson says
Agreed! Every quesadilla must begin and end with cheese. Using a top lid is a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Linda says
That is how I do it too. Easy and no mess because the cheese does melt and keep it all together. I also use Pam instead of butter.
Amanda says
How about doing it on one of those sandwich toasters. That way you do both sides at the same time.
Amy Engberson says
I’m sure that would work great Amanda. Unfortunately, I don’t have a sandwich toaster in my enormous collection of kitchen appliances! Good luck with it!
catrina says
I just put mine on the grates in the oven and turn it on boil done in 3 min (healthier to no butter )
Amy Engberson says
Catrina, I love eating healthy foods but, I’m also a dairy farmer so I have no problem eating lots of butter 🙂 Your method would be fun to try though!
Starr says
I have a panini maker but get lazy. So I fill my tortillas, fold them in half like a taco and set in a hot skillet. Once everything starts to melt, a large spatula will flip it over to brown the other side. To prevent spillage, I make TWO quesadillas.
Amy Engberson says
I’ve done this before too and it works great. If I wouldn’t overfill them I don’t think I would have a problem at all!
David Dampier says
I’m not sure just how that would work. It seems to me the filling would all fall out between the grates. The Martha Stewart trick seems easier to me. Although if you allow the cheese to melt adequately between the tortillas without burning the undersides there should not be any fallout out when it is being flipped The other possibility is that there is far too much filing for the tortillas. Cut back on your fillings and it would won’t be necessary to scrape up bit and pieces that have fallen out.
Again, make sure the cheese is adequately melted to fuse both skies together and you won’t have any problems.
Amy Engberson says
It’s true David, if I can contain myself and not add too many fillings to my quesadilla it works just fine. Of course I always use lots of cheese to “glue” the quesadilla together. I just get too carried away with my fillings. Oh well, I never minded snacking on the pieces that fell out anyway!
Elaine Duckett says
Leftovers never looked so good. Being prepared the night before does make the morning goes so much smoother, and it sure beats having to eat a bowl of cold cereal for breakfast.
Amy Engberson says
My boys rarely “get” cold cereal for breakfast. When they do, they rant and rave like I’m the best mom on Earth. Every mom needs a few easy pleasing meals, like cold cereal, in the pantry!
Debra Bootier says
I use a divided omelet pan (top and bottom with a hinge), Cut the tortillas in half if you wish. I just fold and make a “breakfast calzone” using tortillas! You can make scrambled eggs, if you prefer, warmed in the microwave from the night before,,,then add ingredients as wanted.
Amy Engberson says
Great idea! My boys love scrambled eggs too!