What to Make With Tortillas

Quesadillas are the fastest thing a tortilla can become. For one large quesadilla, lay a 10-inch flour tortilla in a dry skillet over medium heat, scatter 1 cup of shredded cheese over half, add whatever filling you have — leftover chicken, black beans, sautéed peppers — and fold it over. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the tortilla is golden in spots and the cheese is fully melted.

The trick is restraint: an overfilled quesadilla steams instead of crisping, and the filling falls out when you cut it. Keep the filling to a thin layer, and use medium rather than high heat so the cheese melts before the tortilla burns. Cheese you grate yourself melts more smoothly than pre-shredded, which is coated to keep it from clumping.

Tacos are less a recipe than a format: warm tortilla, filling, toppings. For dinner, plan on 3 tacos per person — double up corn tortillas for each taco, or use 1 large flour tortilla per soft taco. Fill with seasoned ground meat, shredded leftover chicken, fried eggs, or roasted vegetables, and finish with diced onion, cilantro, and lime.

The trick is warming the tortillas properly. Lay them in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds per side, until pliable with a few browned spots, or char them directly over a gas burner for 10 seconds per side. Cold tortillas crack and taste flat; warm ones are flexible and taste like something. For juicy fillings, doubling up corn tortillas keeps them from falling apart.

Chilaquiles turn stale tortilla chips into a proper breakfast. Toss 4 cups of sturdy tortilla chips with 2 cups of warm salsa — red or green — in a skillet over medium heat, and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until the chips soften at the edges but still hold their shape. Top each serving with a fried egg, crumbled cotija or feta, diced onion, and cilantro.

The trick is timing: pull the pan while the chips are softened but not disintegrating, because they keep absorbing salsa off the heat. Serve immediately — chilaquiles wait for no one. If your chips are homemade from stale tortillas, they hold up even better than bagged ones.

Enchiladas are the weekend project of the tortilla world. For a 9x13-inch pan, you need 8 to 10 corn tortillas, about 2 cups of enchilada sauce, and 3 cups of filling — shredded chicken, beans, or cheese. Fill and roll each tortilla, arrange them seam-side down, cover with the remaining sauce and a layer of cheese, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20 minutes, until bubbling at the edges.

The trick is warming the tortillas in the sauce first: dip each one in warm enchilada sauce, or flash-fry 10 seconds per side in hot oil, before filling. Cold corn tortillas crack when rolled; warm, sauce-coated ones roll cleanly and soak up flavor as they bake.

Stale tortillas make better chips than most bagged ones. Cut 4 to 6 tortillas into wedges, toss with 1 tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt, spread in a single layer on a sheet pan, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crisp. For tostadas, bake or fry whole tortillas flat instead of cutting them, then pile on refried beans, lettuce, and cheese.

The trick is the salt timing: season the chips the moment they come out of the oven, while the oil is still wet, so it sticks. Let them cool 5 minutes before serving — they crisp further as they cool. Fried in 350°F (175°C) oil, strips take just 1 to 2 minutes; watch them closely, because they go from golden to burnt fast.

Tortillas that have gone stiff and dry are not done — they are just waiting for the right job. Beyond chips, tear them into strips and fry them for tortilla soup, or make migas: fry torn tortilla pieces in a little oil until crisp, then scramble 6 eggs right in the pan with them for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, and finish with salsa and cheese. Layered into a casserole with beans, sauce, and cheese, stale tortillas bake up like a lasagna.

The other move is the freezer burrito. Fill flour tortillas with beans, rice, and cheese, wrap each tightly in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes. One afternoon of rolling gives you weeks of lunches.

Unopened tortillas keep in the pantry until the date on the package. Once opened, squeeze the air out of the bag, seal it tight, and refrigerate: flour tortillas keep about 2 weeks, corn tortillas about 1 week. Keep them sealed — air is what turns them stiff and stale.

For longer storage, freeze them. Stack tortillas with a small piece of parchment between each one so they don't freeze into a brick, slide the stack into a freezer bag, press out the air, and freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or microwave a short stack for 20 to 30 seconds. If tortillas smell sour, feel slimy, or show any mold spots, throw them out — when in doubt, throw it out.