These fun and festive Jack O Lantern Quesadillas are a cinch to make, and require just 3 basic ingredients to make!
Jack O Lantern Quesadillas
October is a fun and festive time of year, and in our home we love to make Halloween Themed Foods!
If you are attending a Halloween Party, Fall Festival, School Halloween Classroom Party, making food for the PTA/PTO for a teacher’s luncheon, etc. these Pumpkin Quesadillas are a great item to take.
You can quickly and easily assemble these Halloween Quesadillas at home, prep the ingredients and allow the recipient to assemble their own (great for customization or variation ingredients), or just send the ingredients with some cookie cutters & necessary tools and allow the recipients to express their creativity in creating their own jack o lanterns!
If time is short, you can use a pumpkin cookie cutter and just have Pumpkin Shaped Quesadillas, but if you have some spare minutes, it’s so fun to use a small paring knife to create unique jack o lantern faces for the tops of the quesadillas.
You could also make jack o lantern tops and full pumpkin bottoms.
If you have a selection of Halloween Themed Cookie Cutters, you can also use this idea to make Ghost Quesadillas, Bat Quesadillas, Spider Quesadillas, etc.
Suggested Kitchen Tools for making Jack O Lantern Quesadillas:
Ceramic Skillet (previously we used a non-stick skillet. After my cancer diagnosis, the oncologist suggested we move to ceramic instead. They’re an investment, but should last!)
Jack O Lantern Quesadilla Variations:
- Add the protein of your choice. We enjoy adding chicken, fajita style beef strips, ground beef, etc.
- Make them into mini pizzas and add pizza toppings such as pepperoni, sausage, ham, etc.
- Add vegetables (easier with larger quesadillas) such as tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, onions, bell peppers, green chiles, jalapenos, poblano peppers, olives, black beans, refried beans, etc.
- Use the cheese of your choice! Each person in our house has their favorite blend of shredded cheese. Don’t be afraid to personalize to individual tastes and preferences.
- Include herbs or taco seasonings, such as chili powder, oregano, cilantro, parsley.
- Top with sour cream, taco sauce, lettuce, etc.
Jack O Lantern Quesadilla Tips and Suggestions:
- Don’t waste the extra tortilla pieces! We love using ours to make Mexican Lasagna.
- Make these as Gluten Free Jack O Lantern Quesadillas by using Gluten Free Ingredients, such as Gluten Free Tortillas!
- If you don’t have a jack o lantern cookie cutter handy OR want to make larger quesadillas (I have teenagers, I understand!) just use a small knife to cut out the jack o lantern design of your choice.
- Don’t overstuff or the excess will overflow. For larger appetites, larger tortillas (which requires larger cutters or cutting by hand) will hold more fillings.
- We serve our Pumpkin Shaped Quesadillas with Refried Beans and Mexican Rice.
Quesadillas are also excellent served with quesadilla sauce!Mayo is the base component that really gives the sauce its creamy consistency. Cayenne and hot sauce make it spicy, ketchup lends its sweet flavor, and apple cider vinegar transforms it into being a slightly tangy sauce — no one can accuse this recipe of being one dimensional.
I would be so appreciative if you took the time to COMMENT BELOW with any thoughts, RATE the recipe, and SHARED on Social Media!
Jack O Lantern Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 2 flour tortillas
- ½ cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
- Pumpkin cookie cutter
- Knife
Instructions
- Use the cookie cutter to cut out 8 pumpkin
shaped tortillas. - Use the knife to cut jack o lantern faces into
four of the pumpkin shaped tortillas. - Heat a skillet or griddle over medium high heat.
- When the griddle is hot, place the remaining four pumpkin tortillas on the griddle.
- Top with shredded cheese and place the pumpkin tortillas with faces on top of the cheese.
- Cook for five minutes, until cheese is melted, then flip and cook an additional two to three minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving.
How to store leftover Jack O Lantern Quesadillas
Place any leftover quesadillas in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If sending leftovers with kids to school for lunch, you can also store in a ziplock bag in their lunch box with an ice pack.
Can Pumpkin Quesadillas be frozen?
Yes! To prevent them from sticking together, freeze individually on a cookie sheet for about an hour. Remove and stack, separating with wax paper. Store in a ziplock bag or freezer safe container. Be sure to clearly DATE AND LABEL items before storing in the freezer. Freeze for up to 2 months.
How to reheat Halloween Themed Quesadillas:
I prefer to quickly reheat mine on the stovetop, in a skillet for a couple of minutes on medium heat, just until heated through. You (and kids at school) can reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds, but they aren’t as crispy this way. I’ve also used our air fryer to reheat, it takes about 3 minutes at 400 on my model though it may vary depending on the type of air fryer you have.
These are a few items I find helpful in my own kitchen when preparing this Jack O Lantern Quesadillas Recipe:
Don’t miss these additional fun Halloween Themed Recipes here at When Is Dinner:
- Scarecrow Pudding Cups
- Scarecrow Treat Bags
- Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats
- Pumpkin Spice Playdough
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Apple Dump Cake
- Frankenstein Brownies
- Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Pie
- Homemade Pumpkin Bread
- Jumbo Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Halloween Tic Tac Toe Printable
- Mummy Brownies
- Mini Mummy Pizzas
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Bat Bites
- Oreo Acorns
heather
Monday 2nd of August 2021
These are so fun and clever and the kids would so love these this Halloween thanks for sharing this one.