Open-faced Fried Egg Quesadilla

At last, the days are lengthening, and I no longer feel the need to curl up on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and clutching the TV remote, at the young hour of 7pm. The bears have it right: winter is for hibernating.

And the approach of spring finds me backing away from the stove, as well. Long, languorously stewed dishes fade in favor of snappy meals. If it’s more than a half hour from pan to table, it’s probably not going to be made.

Eggs often take center stage in my meals. It was last summer when I first cracked an egg over a quesadilla and ever since, it’s been a staple, fit for any meal of the day.

Fried Egg Quesadilla on the Half Shell

Why open-faced? For a couple of reasons. Tortillas are fabulous foundations, but two in one dish is a bit too much tortilla — it overpowers the yummy goodness inside, and makes the whole works unnecessarily chewy (even with soft, fresh, homemade tortillas). One tortilla is the perfect amount. And once you fry up the egg, the tortilla stiffens nicely so you can hold the fried egg quesadilla like a slice of pizza — no need to fold it over into a taco.

And, I’m also happy to have the calorie savings. I’d rather add more guac or an extra sprinkling of cheese!

Avocado season will be starting soon {squee!}, and this homemade guacamole stuffed fried egg quesadilla will be making many appearances at my table.

Karen xo

Print Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes

Open-faced Fried Egg Quesadilla

This recipe makes one serving, but is quite easy to scale up!

Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

• olive oil or olive oil spray
• 1 corn tortilla
• guacamole use your favorite, or make homemade*
• cherry tomatoes chopped
• palmful grated cheese use your favorite, or a nice melting cheese, like Monterrey Jack or Mexican queso
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Coat the bottom of a small skillet (or a large skillet, if you're making more than one) with a very, very thin film of oil (wipe out excess with a paper towel if you've used too much). A seasoned cast iron pan works great here. Heat over medium until the oil shimmers.
• Lay the corn tortilla in the pan and allow to heat for one minute, and then flip. Smear some guacamole on the now "up" side of the tortilla (an offset spatula works well here), and sprinkle some tomatoes and cheese over the guacamole. Let the cheese melt. (If you can, create a low, raised ring of ingredients around the edge of the tortilla. This will help hold in the egg whites.)
• Very carefully crack an egg over the center of the tortilla. The egg whites might stretch out into the pan — that's okay, most of them will stay put.
• Allow the egg to cook until the whites begin to set (you'll notice that they lose some of their transparency). Slip a spatula or turner under the tortilla and gently flip. For a soft set yolk, cook for about 30 seconds. For a hard set, cook for 45 seconds to one minute. Gently insert the spatula under the egg, being careful not to break the yolk, and flip again, yolk-side up. If the spatula meets resistance as you're moving under the egg, let it cook for a few seconds more.
• Plate the quesadilla and season with salt and pepper.
• *Quick homemade guacamole: spoon out the flesh of half of an avocado into a small bowl. Add a squeeze of lemon and/or lime (I use both) and a big pinch of salt. Smash the avocado with a fork until smooth, or to your preferred texture.

Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.