The Frozen Food That Makes For An Unexpectedly Delicious Quesadilla Filling

Quesadillas are among the best quick-and-easy meals you can whip up, whether you're making a small snack with your favorite cheese or feasting on what might have once been two burritos. But, the usual fillings can start to feel tired over time. When you need to shake things up, reach for a handful of frozen dumplings.

It does sound odd at first, but taking advantage of frozen dumplings for a quesadilla is no different than any other frozen food hacks, including using frozen fajitas or frozen vegetables between your tortillas. It's all about finding the easiest, most flavorful ways to make the best quesadillas. Plus, frozen dumplings' fillings are rarely too complex, meaning that there's space, flavor-wise, to add the other fillings you love without much risk of a weird-tasting combination. Additionally, depending on how you prep the dumplings for your quesadilla, their wrappers can have just as much of a positive effect as their fillings.

Frozen dumplings are packed with a variety of delicious fillings, including various kinds of meats, vegetables, and seasonings. Making those fillings on your own for a quesadilla would take time and effort, and that's sometimes a bit antithetical to the dish (not to mention messy). It doesn't hurt that most frozen dumplings' fillings play well with cheese. Kimchi-stuffed dumplings pair brilliantly with mozzarella, for example, nodding to South Korea's rising interest with mozzarella and cheese in general.

Then, there's the wrapper. If you only thaw the dumplings, or maybe steam if you're in a rush, the wrapper gets soft and chewy, giving your quesadilla a wonderful, al dente–like texture. Or, you can toss the dumplings in a pan for a quick flash fry before cooking them further in the quesadilla. This will give your finished dish some extra crunch when you get to the crispy dough.

The first step in using frozen dumplings for a quesadilla is to get them soft enough to actually add to your tortilla. You can do this just by leaving them on the counter while you gather up the rest of your ingredients, grate your cheese, and prep your other quesadilla elements. You can cook the dumplings, too, especially if you want to get that flash-fried crunch or if they aren't pre-cooked before freezing.

Once they're soft enough, the best way to get them quesadilla-ready is to chop them up into little pieces. You can dice them with a knife or cut them in ribbons with a good pair of kitchen shears. You could use them whole, but you'll likely need to smash them down pretty hard while cooking so that the quesadilla stays melted together.

As for what kinds of frozen dumplings to use, you can truly use any, including kinds from various countries that you might not expect. Poland's potato dumplings, or pierogi, are excellent for a vegetarian quesadilla, or go Italian by complementing frozen ravioli with Parmesan and fresh tomato.