This Arizona cheese crisp recipe skips the flour tortilla entirely and lets the cheese do all the work. A layer of shredded Parmesan bakes directly on a pizza pan until it crackles into a golden, lacy, deeply savory crust. A Mexican cheese blend melts on top with roasted green chiles and fresh cilantro. The chipotle ranch drizzle finishes it in a spiral. The result is the cheesiest version of an Arizona cheese crisp possible. Plus it’s naturally low-carb! The Arizona cheese crisp has been a staple of Sonoran-style cuisine in Southern Arizona for more than 50 years. It sits somewhere between a Mexican pizza and an open-faced quesadilla. This version is for the days when you want maximum cheese with minimum compromise.

What Is an Arizona Cheese Crisp?

The Arizona cheese crisp is one of the most distinctive dishes in Sonoran cuisine. Southern Arizona restaurants started selling cheese crisps more than 50 years ago and it’s become a staple of the local Sonoran style cuisine. At its most traditional, a cheese crisp is a large flour tortilla loaded with cheese and broiled until the cheese bubbles and the tortilla crisps at the edges. This version replaces the tortilla with Parmesan using the same technique as Italian frico – baked hard cheese that sets into a crispy wafer. The advantage is a crunchy base and an intense cheese flavor. For the traditional flour tortilla version, see my  recipe for a traditional flour-tortilla-based Arizona cheese Crisp.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Arizona Cheese Crisp: No Tortilla Recipe

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Jackie Alpers

Sonoran style cheese crisp made without the tortilla and served with chipotle ranch on the side as a dipping sauce if you don't have a squeeze bottle available. I used a blend of jack, cheddar, and queso quesadilla for the Mexican cheese blend.

Ingredients

• 2 Hatch or Padilla green chiles or one of each
• Olive oil spray
• 2 ½ cups shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves

Ingredients for the Chipotle Ranch Salsa Drizzle

• 1 cup prepared ranch dressing
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a jar of chipotles chilies

Instructions

• Preheat the broiler to 475 degrees. Wash the chiles and spray them with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and broil, turning occasionally until the chiles are brown and the skin is blistered; about 10-15 minutes.
• While the chiles are roasting, mix together the ranch dressing and the adobo sauce. Transfer to a plastic squeeze bottle and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Remove chiles from the oven, peel off the blistered skin, remove the seeds and stems, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-1/8 inch wide strips. Set aside.
• Line a round 12-14" pizza pan with a round silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Cover with a layer of shredded Parmesan cheese. You should just barely see the bottom of the pan through the cheese. Broil for 5-7 minutes or until crisp. Remove from oven. Set the oven to "bake" and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.
• Sprinkle the Mexican cheese blend on top of the crisp Parmesan "crust", then arrange the chile strips on top. Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Top with fresh cilantro leaves, then drizzle with chipotle ranch in a spiral pattern. Cut with a pizza wheel and serve.

Notes

What is an Arizona cheese crisp? An Arizona cheese crisp is a Sonoran-style dish made by loading a large flour tortilla with shredded cheese and broiling it until the cheese melts and bubbles and the tortilla crisps at the edges. It's been a staple of Southern Arizona restaurants for more than 50 years and is considered a signature dish of Tucson's food culture. This version makes the cheese crisp without the tortilla for a lower-carb alternative.

What makes this Arizona cheese crisp different from the traditional version? The traditional Arizona cheese crisp uses a large flour tortilla as the base. This version replaces the tortilla with a layer of Parmesan cheese baked directly on a pizza pan until it crisps into a golden, lacy crust. The result is crunchier and more intensely cheesy than the tortilla version. For the classic flour tortilla version, try my traditional Arizona cheese crisp recipe.

Is this recipe keto or low-carb? Yes. Because this Arizona cheese crisp uses no tortilla, it is naturally very low in carbohydrates. The only significant ingredients are Parmesan, Mexican cheese blend, green chiles, and chipotle ranch which are all low-carb. 

Do I need a silicone mat or parchment? Yes. The Parmesan will stick to an unlined pan and tear when you try to remove it. A round silicone baking mat cut to fit your pizza pan gives the cleanest release. Parchment paper also works well.

What other toppings could I add? Yes. Traditional Arizona cheese crisp toppings include guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, jalapeños, or shredded chicken. Add them after the cheese crisp comes out of the oven to preserve the crunch of the Parmesan base. 

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Sonoran Style Mexican, Taste of Tucson cookbook recipes

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword Arizona cheese crisp recipe, cheese crisp recipe, Chipotle ranch drizzle salsa, Keto Arizona cheese crisp recipe, the cheesiest Arizona cheese crisp

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