Pumpkin Quesadillas
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.
Turn a simple cheese quesadilla into the cutest Halloween lunch ever with Pumpkin Quesadillas! Crispy, cheesy, and finished with a fun Jack-o-lantern face cutout, these spooky treats are perfect for kids and Halloween parties alike.
Every year on Halloween I like to make a themed dinner before we take our son trick or treating.  It’s never anything that requires too much work because I feel like we are always rushing to go out the door.
One of my favorite things to make is a jack-o-lantern pizza where I use pepperoni and peppers to make a jack-o-lantern face on the pizza before baking. Last year I made Halloween Cheeseburgers and they were easy as well. I’ve made these creepy but nutritious fruit Monster Mouths as a side dish several years in a row. Another fun kid friendly side dish is Candy Corn Fruit Parfaits.
However, I’ve been on the look out for a few more Halloween themed main dish recipes.  One I found that I thought would be easy to make and totally customizable were these Pumpkin Quesadillas.
What are quesadillas?
Quesadillas are a popular Mexican dish that consist of either a corn or flour tortilla that is filled with cheese and other ingredients like meat, vegetables, and sometimes beans. The tortilla is folded in half and cooked on a griddle or pan until the cheese melts and the tortilla becomes crispy on the outside.
I’m a big fan of quesadillas because they are so customizable.  However, for these quesadillas I went with the basics.  I used cheddar cheese, American cheese, and a tortilla.
What type of cheese should I use?
You can use a single type of cheese or a combination of cheeses.  Basically any cheese that melts and would taste good with taco toppings would work. That might mean cheddar, American, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or queso fresco would work well.
You can also include already cooked meat that will just get heated up as you cook the quesadilla.  Add in some sauteed vegetables as well.
I didn’t do any of that because to me that takes a lot more time and I just wanted the basics. So my recipe literally only used 4 ingredients and took about 5 minutes to make from start to finish.
Ingredients:
- flour tortilla
- shredded cheddar cheese
- American cheese
- salted butter
To make the Pumpkin Quesadillas take two tortillas and use a small, sharp knife to cut out Jack-o-Lantern faces on each of them. I used a paring knife which worked well.
Place half a tablespoon of butter in a skillet and heat until melted.  Add the jack-o-lantern face tortilla, face down, on the butter.  Cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated. Remove from pan. Place another half tablespoon of butter in the pan and allow it to melt.Â
Place a regular tortilla in the pan, sprinkle with cheddar cheese, then top with the American cheese.  Put the jack-o-lantern face tortilla (face side up) on top of the cheese.   Cook for 2 minutes then cover with a lid and cook for another minute or until the cheese has melted.  Remove from pan.
Repeat with the other quesadilla.  If desired put a piece of green pepper at the top before serving to make a pumpkin stem.
What can I serve with Pumpkin Quesadillas?
Serve them with a side of rice.  You can also serve them with refried beans. For something a little different try them with Mexican Corn Salad.
Pumpkin Quesadilla
Equipment
- 1 skillet
Ingredients
- 4 flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 slices American cheese broken in half
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- green pepper strips optional
Instructions
- To make the Pumpkin Quesadillas take two of the flour tortillas and use a small, sharp knife to cut out Jack-o-Lantern faces on each of them.
- Place half a tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet and heat until melted. Add the jack-o-lantern face tortilla, face down, on the butter in the skillet.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated and starting to brown. Remove from pan.
- Place another half tablespoon of butter in the pan and allow it to melt.
- Place a regular tortilla in the pan, sprinkle with half the cheese, then top with 4 half slices of American cheese. Put the jack-o-lantern face tortilla (face side up) on top of the cheese.
- Cook for 2 minutes then cover with a lid and cook for 1 minute or until the cheese has melted. Remove from pan.
- Repeat with the other quesadilla. If desired put a piece of green pepper at the top before serving to make a pumpkin stem.
Notes
