Mexican Street Corn Quesadillas with Avocado Crema

I just realized that this is the very first quesadilla recipe I’ve shared on this site! What?!

We LOVE quesadillas in this house.

For Dan and me, they’ve always been a sort of “treat” meal. Comfort food. Always guaranteed to be quick and easy while absolutely delicious and satisfying. And they’re so versatile! You can put almost anything in a quesadilla and it’s gonna be good.

My kids, LITERALLY, just started liking them last week. I was just venting to my fellow mom friend about how I couldn’t believe my kids wouldn’t touch quesadillas. It’s carbs and cheese. What’s not to like?!

I decided to test the waters out again last week when I was feeling lazy around dinner time. I made quesadillas for the kids and didn’t make a big fuss about it. Kieran gave me trouble at first (as he does with all food), but then both kids devoured their cheese-only quesadillas in record time. Kieran declared them to be “SO GOOD.” Finn, in his usual style, double fisted pieces of quesadilla until they were gone, grunting at me in satisfaction. So I am on cloud nine right now. I got my kids to eat a food that is easy and quick for me to make them. Totally winning this game called parenthood.

Don’t worry. My confidence will come crashing down at any given moment. Being a parent is truly the most terrifying, exhilarating, and satisfying rollercoaster ride of life. Whew.

Anyway. I digress. BACK TO THE QUESADILLAS!

I adore the flavors of elotes, or Mexican street corn. Every summer, we eat our weight in elotes. I think I grill corn with almost every meal come July all the way through early September when the corn starts to peter out. It is our absolute fave summer treat!

These quesadillas feature all the awesome flavors of elotes. Elotes sandwiched between layers of gooey melted cheese and crispy tortillas. Life really doesn’t get much better.

We take grilled corn and remove it from the cobs while it’s still warm. Add it to a bowl of cream cheese, mayo, cotija cheese, cumin, chili powder, scallions, and some jalapeños for heat. Mix it up until everything is creamy and combined. Most importantly, try to resist eating all of it with a spoon straight from the bowl. This mixture is DANGEROUS!

Sandwich the elotes mixture in a tortilla with some Monterey Jack cheese and cook them in a pan until crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside. It is pure heaven.

I have to say, as incredible as the quesadillas are themselves, the avocado crema really makes these shine. I love an avocado crema. I’ll never say no to an avocado crema.

This one is quick and easy and happens in the blender or food processor. I like the blender in particular because it gets the crema super smooth and creamy.

The crema is flavored with avocado (duh), sour cream (or yogurt!), lots of fresh lime (add more than you think it needs – the tanginess is so good!), and a drizzle of ranch dressing. I can’t help myself with the ranch dressing. I’m addicted. I put it in or on everything. If it isn’t your thing, you can leave it out. It just adds a little extra flavor to the crema. Your call!

While the quesadillas are rich and gooey with a little sweetness from the summer corn, the crema is tangy and bright and really makes the meal sing.

We also like to top ours with a little pico de gallo or salsa (I just use store bought!), another sprinkling of the cotija cheese, maybe some chopped cilantro, and sliced jalapeños for some heat. And me being the lime freak that I am, I squeeze a ton of fresh lime juice all over mine. So. Good.

This is the sort of meal that just gets me straight-up excited for dinner. I look forward to making and devouring meals like this!

These are ideal for a Monday meal. Quick and easy comfort food!

Mexican Street Corn Quesadillas with Avocado Crema

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• Author: Molly
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

These Mexican Street Corn Quesadillas with Avocado Crema are a filling and delicious dinner that features the traditional flavors of elotes! These are ideal for making in the summer when corn is at its sweetest!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Avocado Crema:

• ½ cup sour cream (plain Greek yogurt works great too)
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons ranch dressing (optional but we love the flavor it adds)
• 2 tablespoons water
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Corn Filling:

• 4 ears of corn, husks removed
• Oil, for rubbing on the corn
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons mayo
• ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 2 scallions, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Quesadillas:

• 1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
• 4 large flour tortillas (we use 8-10 inch)
• The corn filling
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Optional Garnishes for Serving:

• Additional crumbled cotija cheese
• Additional sliced jalapenos
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Pico de gallo or salsa
• Lime wedges

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Instructions

For the Avocado Crema:

1. To a blender, add the sour cream, avocado, lime zest and juice, ranch dressing, and water.
2. Blend on high until completely blended and smooth.
3. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
4. The crema can be made a few hours ahead and stored in the fridge in an airtight container.

For the Corn Filling:

1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat.
2. Drizzle the ears of corn with oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
3. Add to the hot grill/grill pan and cook, turning every 30 seconds, for about 5 minutes total. You want the corn to be tender and charred in spots.
4. Allow the corn to cool slightly and then cut the kernels from the cobs and place them into a mixing bowl.
5. Add the cream cheese, mayo, cotija, scallions, jalapeno, and spices and stir well to combine. The heat from the corn will melt the cream cheese and mayo just slightly so that the mixture becomes creamy. Season the mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper.

For the Quesadillas:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a drizzle of the oil.
2. Divide the corn filling between the four tortillas, spreading it over half of each tortilla. Sprinkle with the Monterey Jack cheese and then fold the tortilla over itself to form a half-moon shape. 
3. Carefully and gently place one of the filled quesadillas into the hot pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side until the tortilla is golden brown and crisp and the cheese on the inside is gooey and melted. I like to use two spatulas to help me flip the quesadillas.
4. Repeat with the remaining quesadillas.

To Serve:

1. Cut each quesadilla into wedges and garnish as desired. We love ours topped with a generous drizzle of the avocado crema, crumbled cotija, sliced jalapenos, a little chopped cilantro, salsa, and lime juice spritzed over top.
2. You can also serve the crema as a dipping sauce on the side.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: dinner

Keywords: Mexican street corn quesadillas, elotes quesadillas, quesadillas with Mexican street corn, quesadillas with avocado crema