Made with some pretty humble ingredients, these cheesy tuna quesadillas take a simple can of tuna up a notch and turn it into something extra special! Made in under 30 minutes, this tuna quesadilla recipe is sure to be a favourite for your next taco Tuesday!
If you’ve been following along for a little bit, you know how we love canned fish recipes and we love quesadilla recipes.
So, something awesome was bound to happen.
Enter these cheesy tuna quesadillas!
These quesadillas are a delicious collision of all the yummy things.
It’s like tuna salad meets tuna melt meets cheesy quesadillas.
Whatever it is, it’s freaking awesome!
When I started to dream up these seafood quesadillas (because I’m pretty much always thinking about food), I was thinking, “What goes with tuna melt or tuna salad?”
Then it came to me. Like I always do, I have a big pickle and side of potato chips with my sandwich. So, instead of having a pickle or chips on the side of the tuna quesadillas, I put them inside!
Man, oh man. Talk about good.
Just try them for yourself and you’ll see just how yummy they are!
Invite some friends over, or not; I mean, I guess it really depends on how hungry you are, right?!
Why We Love This Tuna Quesadilla Recipe
- These tuna quesadillas are made with some pretty simple pantry and fridge items.
- This recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes.
- They taste so freaking good!
How To Make Tuna Quesadillas
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- In a bowl, mix together the tuna quesadilla filling ingredients (canned tuna, dill pickle, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, chives and cayenne pepper).
- To assemble the quesadillas, distribute half of the cheese on top of one half of each tortilla, then top with the tuna tuna salad mixture, the remaining cheese and potato chips (so good for crunch).
- Fold over each tortilla so it’s a half-moon shape, then cook on both sides in a greased frying pan until the outside gets all crispy, golden and delicious and the cheese is melted inside.
- Once the quesadillas are cooked, you can cut them in half.
I just love that little cheese skirt on the exterior of the quesadillas. As the cheese melts, some of it seeps into the pan and gets all crispy and delicious. Oh the little things!
Best Canned Tuna To Use
For this tuna quesadilla recipe, use a quality canned tuna packed in water, not oil.
You can use either a chunk or flaked canned tuna. If you use a chunk tuna, just break up the tuna a bit when preparing your quesadilla filling.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- You don’t have to add the potato chips to these tuna quesadillas, but I just love the flavour and texture they add. You want something crunchy, like a kettle chip, versus a more delicate potato chip.
- The potato chips are crispiest when the quesadillas are enjoyed as they are made.
- I used a combo of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese in these quesadillas, but you could use all of one or the other if you prefer.
- Ensure your canned tuna is drained well so it doesn’t make things soggy.
- I didn’t use a whole lot of mayonnaise to bind the quesadilla filling, but if you’d like to use another tablespoon, go for it.
Sides To Serve With These Quesadillas
Enjoy these seafood quesadillas on their own or with any of these sides:
- Potato chips (potato chips in these tuna melt quesadillas and potato chips alongside; delicious, right?)
- French fries
- Simple side salad
- Quinoa salad
Quesadilla Dipping Sauces
Enjoy these tuna quesadillas as they are or serve with any of these dipping sauces:
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Hot sauce
- Tzatziki (this isn’t a traditional quesadilla dipping sauce, but it pairs lovely with these tuna quesadillas)
More Easy Quesadilla Recipes
- Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
- Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
- Cheesy Ground Turkey Quesadillas
- Black Bean Quesadillas
- Refried Bean Quesadillas
If you make these cheesy tuna quesadillas, be sure to leave a comment below!
Tuna Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 2 (6-ounce or 170-gram) cans flaked tuna in water, drained well
- ⅓ cup chopped kosher dill pickle (chopped small), about 1 small to medium pickle
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- pinch salt
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1.5 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided (about 6 ounces)
- 1.5 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided (about 6 ounces)
- 1 (40-gram) bag kettle salt & vinegar chips, about 1 small bag
- 6 flour tortillas, each about 7 to 8 inches in diameter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil, for pan frying the quesadillas
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. This is used to keep your quesadillas warm while you are pan frying your batches.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the tuna with kosher dill pickle, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, chives, and cayenne pepper until well combined.
- Distribute ½ of both Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese (¾ cup or 3 ounces of each) among one half of each tortilla.
- Top cheese with tuna mixture (about ⅓ cup per tortilla).
- Top tuna mixture with remaining Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese (¾ cup or 3 ounces of each) and distribute potato chips over top (crush any larger potato chips if needed).
- Fold over each tortilla so it's a half-moon shape.
- To cook quesadillas, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil or vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat and gently swirl around to coat.Note: Cook the quesadillas in batches, two quesadillas at a time, adding more oil to the pan between batches.
- Place two quesadillas in the pan. Cook quesadillas for 2 minutes on one side.
- Carefully flip the quesadillas to the other side and continue to cook for another 2 minutes or until they're golden brown and crispy on the outside and the cheese has melted inside (carefully watch to ensure they don't burn). Once done, transfer the quesadillas to a sheet pan and place into your preheated oven to keep warm while you are continuing to cook the remaining quesadillas.
- Repeat process to cook remaining quesadillas.
- Once the quesadillas are done, cut each in half so you end up with 12 pieces. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce or enjoy as is!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Linda
I can’t wait to try this. We love quesadillas and tuna melts what a perfect combination. Thanks.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you, Linda – hope you love the recipe!!
Kathleen
These were delicious. Always trying to eat less meat. Perfect for dinner on a random Tuesday night. Yum 😋
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Kathleen! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Dawn D.
Love love this recipe!! Tried recipe as is and then Made some changes just to boost the flavor even more; crushed fire roasted pita chips instead of potato chips. Used dill pickle relish (didn’t have pickles), added black beans, sweet bell peppers and onions. Soooo, good!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you so much, Dawn!! Sounds like some delicious additions!!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
What a great lunch idea! I do love a good quesadilla and turning it into a flavor packed quesadilla is perfect. I can’t wait to bite into those crunchy chips! What a great idea. 🙂
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
What a fantastic idea putting chips into the quesadilla! And you are the queen of the stacked foods, my friend!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Those potato chips in this are the BEST!! I can’t wait to try this for lunch soon Dawn! We’ve always got canned tuna on hand too.
Valentina
Dawn, this will be a big hit at my house. We love tuna melts and who doesn’t love a good quesadilla!? And those chips! Brilliant! 🙂 ~Valentina
David @ Spiced
What a fun idea, Dawn! I love a good tuna fish sandwich, and I also love quesadillas…but I’ve never combined them together into one. This definitely needs to happen. Definitely!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I love this idea! I am a big fan of tuna melts and this is just a fabulous hand-held version. And love the addition of chips 🙂