I recently discovered this combination strictly on accident. I had some left-over spaghetti, and was craving a buttered slice of garlic bread to go with my lunch. Realizing I was out of bread, I knew I had to think outside the box; the craving for garlic bread would not leave my mind!

The only thing I had in the fridge that was remotely close to bread was white corn tortillas. Unsure of the end result, I skeptically decided to create my own version of garlic bread without the bread. I had to laugh at the thought; how do you create garlic bread without bread?

To my surprise, these little gems turned out not only delicious, but much more healthy for you, too! Extra-virgin olive oil replaces the butter in these Italian-Style Quesadillas, and the fatty cheddar or jack cheese is replaced with a Parmesan/mozzarella combo. I hope your family loves them as much as ours did! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 white corn tortillas
1/8 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (I did half Parmesan, half mozzarella)
Garlic powder to drizzle
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
pinch sea salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (The kind from a spritzer bottle)

Directions:

1) Heat a skillet over medium heat on the stove for one minute. While skillet is heating, spritz one side of 1 tortilla with the extra virgin olive oil spray. Place tortilla in skillet, oiled-side down in pan.

2) Next, drizzle all of the shredded cheese over the tortilla in the skillet. spread cheese out evenly to cover the center, stretching to the edges of the tortilla.

3) Next, lay the 2nd tortilla down over the cheese-covered tortilla in the skillet. spritz the top of the tortilla with a little more extra virgin olive oil.

4) Next, gently sprinkle a few pinches of each sea salt/ Italian seasoning, and garlic powder over the tortilla.

5) Check underside of bottom tortilla. As soon as it's a golden brown color, flip the entire quesadilla over with a spatula. Continue to cook over medium heat until tortilla is slightly browned. Remove from pan and place onto a wooden cutting board.

6) Slice quesadilla into 4 slices with a pizza roller or knife so that you end up with 4 pizza-shaped quesadilla slices. Serve as an accompaniment to spaghetti, or serve with a warm Italian sauce.

*Recipe makes one serving.

Additions:

I have also experimented and enjoyed adding the following ingredients to the top of the cheese in my Italian-Style Quesadillas:

Shredded carrot
Steamed mashed broccoli spears
Sautéed garlic
Roasted garlic
Black or green olives
Fresh basil
Diced tomatoes
Roasted tomatoes
Fresh spinach
Sautéed mushrooms
Chopped artichokes
Sautéed onion
Red pepper flakes
Extra Italian seasonings
Bell peppers, raw or sautéed
Zucchini, raw or sautéed
Kale, minced
Salami
Peperoni
Ham
Parmesano Regiano cheese
Goat cheese
Feta cheese
Asiago cheese
Soft mozzarella cheese

*Topping & Dipping Suggestions:

Bruschetta topping:tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar
Pesto
Tomato sauce
Spaghetti sauce
Cannellini beans
Hummus
Black bean dip
Guacamole
Spinach artichoke dip
Italian dressing
Diced green and black olives
Olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette with Italian seasonings
Roasted smashed garlic (sweeter flavor)