Cheesy Beef Quesadillas

This Cheesy Beef quesadilla recipe is gooey, hearty, cheesy, and ready in 20 minutes.

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These Cheesy Beef Quesadillas are full of bold flavors, have a crispy shell, and are the perfect easy meal for a weeknight dinner.

Quesadillas are some of the easiest things to make and take minimal ingredients. You can make them with all sorts of meat like chicken, shredded pork, ground beef, and even steak! They are so customizable and make delicious meals and even snacks. If you want to make a full meal, you could serve some Mexican street corn as a side dish to this delicious dinner recipe. 

Authentic Mexican dinner recipes are often flavorful but very elaborate to make, so this cheesy quesadilla recipe perfectly blends flavor and ease. If you have any leftover ground beef when making this, it would be perfect to use in a Sloppy Joe’s recipe or even in a homemade spaghetti sauce!

Cheesy Beef Quesadillas Ingredients

• Butter
• Ground Beef
• Garlic Paste
• Onion Powder
• Salt
• Tomato Sauce with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Flour Tortillas
• Colby Jack Cheese

The tomato sauce, garlic paste, and onion powder are what really give this dish its flavor. Additionally, the red pepper flakes also add heat to the dish without overpowering the other ingredients. Having a melty cheese quesadilla with flavored ground beef and a crunchy shell is the best way to make a delicious quesadilla dinner. 

This recipe is so versatile and can be customized to how everyone likes it. Use pepper jack cheese instead of Colby jack to add some additional heat, or even add some Mexican blend in addition to the Colby jack cheese for more flavor. You could also make a shredded beef quesadilla if you have shredded beef instead of ground beef at home. The possibilities with this recipe are endless!

How to Make Cheesy Beef Quesadillas

FIRST STEP: In a large skillet over medium heat, add ground beef. Cook until no longer pink. Drain grease and return to skillet. 

SECOND STEP: Continue to cook beef until browned. Add garlic paste, onion powder, salt, tomato sauce, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine. 

THIRD STEP: In a separate large skillet over medium-low heat, add ½ tbsp of butter and allow to melt.

FOURTH STEP: Place a tortilla in the skillet. Add cheese, beef mixture, then more cheese to the tortilla. Lay another tortilla on the top and spread butter over the tortilla.

FIFTH STEP: Flip the quesadilla over and continue cooking until all of the cheese is melted. 

SIXTH STEP: Repeat steps for each quesadilla. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Cooking Tips 

When cooking the quesadilla and waiting for the cheese to become fully melted, you can flip the quesadilla repeatedly if it gets too browned on one side.

If you don’t have tomato sauce with the basil, oregano, and garlic, then you can use normal tomato paste. Just add in ½ tsp basil, ½ tsp oregano, and one clove of minced garlic, which is equal to ½ tsp. 

Add in a small can of diced green chiles for extra flavor and serve with your favorite salsa!

Storing this Recipe 

It is not recommended to store the whole quesadilla in the fridge after it has been cooked because the tortilla may become mushy. Instead, cook the meat and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Assemble the quesadilla and cook when ready to eat.

Cheesy Beef Quesadillas

This Cheesy Beef quesadilla recipe is gooey, hearty, cheesy, and ready in 20 minutes.

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5 from 15 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 4

Calories 1920 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tbsp butter (divided)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup tomato sauce ( with basil garlic, oregano)
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 8 10- inch flour tortillas
• 4.5 cups colby jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

 

• In a large skillet over medium heat add ground beef. Cook until no longer pink. Drain grease and return beef to skillet.
• Continue to cook beef until browned. Add garlic paste, onion powder, salt, tomato sauce, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine.
• In a separate large skillet over medium-low heat add ½ tbsp of butter and allow to melt.
• Place a tortilla in the skillet. Add cheese, beef mixture, then more cheese to the tortilla. Lay another tortilla on the top and spread butter over the tortilla.
• Flip the quesadilla over and continue cooking until all of the cheese is melted.
• Repeat steps for each quesadilla.

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Notes

When cooking the quesadilla and waiting for the cheese to become fully melted, you can flip the quesadilla repeatedly if it gets too browned on one side.

If you don’t have tomato sauce with the basil, oregano, and garlic, then you can use normal tomato paste. Just add in ½ tsp basil, ½ tsp oregano, and one clove of minced garlic, which is equal to ½ tsp.

Nutrition

Calories: 1920kcal | Carbohydrates: 173g | Protein: 81g | Fat: 99g | Saturated Fat: 48g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 237mg | Sodium: 3983mg | Potassium: 1185mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 2066IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 1401mg | Iron: 14mg

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