Quesadillas de Rajas con Elote (Pepper and Corn Quesadillas)
Crisp flour tortillas filled with soft charred pepper strips, sweetcorn and melting cheese, dunked in elote sauce.
Made with Flour tortillas and Elote sauce (street corn crema). Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time35 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £1.23 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Cook the peppers, jalapeños and onion for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and blistered. Stir in the sweetcorn for 2 minutes and season. Tip into a bowl.
10 min - 2
Warm your flour tortillas (see the base recipe) so they fold without cracking.
- 3
Lay a tortilla in the clean pan on a medium heat. Cover half with a quarter of the cheese, a quarter of the pepper mixture, then fold over.
- 4
Press down and cook for 2 to 3 minutes each side, until golden and the cheese has melted. Repeat for all 8, keeping the cooked ones warm in a low oven.
2 min 30 s - 5
Cut into triangles and serve with your ready made elote sauce (see the base recipe) in a bowl for dunking.
Tips
- Poblano peppers are the traditional choice for rajas. Green peppers with a jalapeño is the UK shop version.
- Oaxaca cheese melts in strings. Mozzarella is the best UK stand in, and mild cheddar blends well with it.
- Do not overfill, or the filling squeezes out and burns in the pan.
- Use a lid for the first minute so the cheese melts before the tortilla colours too much.
Storing and freezing
Best eaten fresh. Cool leftovers within 1 hour and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot dry pan until the cheese is melted and the middle is steaming hot.
Questions
Can I use corn tortillas instead?
Yes. Use 12 small corn tortillas and fold them around less filling. Warm them first so they do not crack.
What are rajas?
Rajas are strips of roasted chilli or pepper cooked with onion, a classic Mexican filling for quesadillas and tacos.
Can I freeze them?
You can freeze the cooked filling for up to 2 months. Freshly cooked tortillas are better than reheated ones.
More made with flour tortillas
Burritos de Birria (Birria Beef and Rice Burritos)
EFNFHPBurritos de Rajas con Queso y Frijoles (Roasted Poblano, Cheese and Bean Burritos)
EFNFChimichangas de Pollo al Horno (Baked Chicken Chimichangas)
EFNFQuesadillas de Camarón al Adobo (Adobo Prawn Quesadillas)
EFNFDouble check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.