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Want to make incredibly delicious quesadillas with ground beef? You made the right choice!

These quesadillas are impossible to refuse because they have well-seasoned ground beef, tons of ooey gooey cheese, and a crispy golden brown outside. They’re sure to become a favourite in your home as they are in ours.

Introduction

Hi friends! You came to the right site if you want a simple quesadilla recipe!

If you know me, you know that I’m a huge fan of quesadillas. One explanation is that quesadillas, like grilled cheese sandwiches, are a way for me to eat extra cheese, LOL.

Seriously, though, hubby and I enjoy quesadillas on the regular. You may put as little or as much as you want in them, and they always taste great. I’ve prepared a number of different kinds, like breakfast quesadillas, chicken quesadillas, and turkey quesadillas.

But what about today? Quesadillas with ground beef. Cheese (and a lot of it) is one thing they all have in common. You have to put cheese in your quesadillas! Tell me you don’t wanna grab some through your screen (if only, right?!).

These cheesy quesadillas come together in no time at all with some pretty basic ingredients you probably already have on hand. I think they’ll be a regular part of your home, just like they are in ours.

How to Make Quesadillas using Ground Beef

Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

• To cook the ground beef, heat oil in a skillet and then add the spices, salt, and pepper.
• Cook the ground beef.
• Stir in the tomato paste after the ground beef is fully cooked.
• Add beef stock or broth (or water) to the pan. Once stock/broth is absorbed, remove the ground beef from the pan.
• Put some cheese on one side of each tortilla.
• Put cooked ground meat on top.
• Put in a little more cheese.
• Make a half-moon shape by folding each tortilla in half.
• Put some oil in a pan and cook the quesadillas in batches until they are golden brown on the exterior and the cheese has melted. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. They cook fast! When they’re done, split them in half and enjoy.

Quesadillas with Ground Beef and Cheese

Want some really cheesy quesadillas with ground beef? You’ve come to the right place! These quesadillas are impossible to refuse because they have well-seasoned ground beef, a lot of gooey cheese, and a crispy, golden brown outside. They’re sure to become a favourite in your home as they are in ours.

Prep Time10minutes mins
Time to cook: 25 minutes
Total Time35minutes mins

Course: Main Course Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 12 pieces; Calories: 227 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground beef, I use extra lean ground beef, and ½ tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted beef stock/broth, or low sodium or regular
• 12 ounces shredded cheese blend, divided (about 3 cups. I used a mix of cheddar, Monterey jack, and pizza mozzarella.
• 6 wheat tortillas, each about 7 to 8 inches across
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, to grease pan (about 2 teaspoons of oil per batch)
• Salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream, for serving (optional)

How to do it

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (to keep quesadillas warm while cooking batches).
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan (about a 10-inch or 12-inch pan) over medium heat. Add ground beef, chili powder, chipotle pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper (if using). Cook, breaking the ground beef into small pieces and stirring occasionally, until the ground beef is fully cooked through (the ground beef should no longer be pink and be browned all the way through), about 8 to 10 minutes.



3. Stir in tomato paste and beef stock/broth and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove beef from the pan and place into a bowl. If there is too much grease, get rid of it.
4. Distribute about 8 ounces (or 2 cups) of cheese among all tortillas (on one side of them).
   Note: Reserve the remaining 4 ounces of cheese (or 1 cup of cheese).
5. Distribute ground beef on top of cheese. Then sprinkle remaining 1 cup (or 4 ounces) of cheese on top of ground beef. Fold over each tortilla so it’s a half-moon shape.
6. To cook quesadillas, heat about 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Gently swirl the oil around the pan to coat.
   Note: If you’re using the same pan that you used for cooking the ground beef, just wipe out before greasing and cooking your quesadillas.
   Note: Cook the quesadillas in batches, two quesadillas at a time, adding more oil to the pan between batches as necessary.
7. Place two quesadillas in the pan. Cook quesadillas for about 2 minutes on one side.
8. Carefully flip quesadillas to the other side and continue to cook for another 2 minutes or until they’re golden brown and crispy on the outside and the cheese is melted inside (carefully watch to ensure they don’t burn). Transfer cooked quesadillas to a sheet pan and place into your preheated oven to keep warm while you are continuing to cook the remaining quesadillas.
9. Repeat process to cook remaining quesadillas.
10. Once done, cut each quesadilla in half so you have 12 pieces. Great served with salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream. Enjoy!
    Note: If you have any leftovers, properly store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 3 to 4 days. Reheat before serving.

What Type of Tortilla Should I Use for Quesadillas?

For quesadillas, I prefer flour tortillas over corn tortillas. They’re easy to find here in Newfoundland, even more so than corn tortillas. They are also strong, flexible, and can handle all those tasty toppings.

If you like, try homemade flour tortillas instead of store-bought. If using that recipe, just make them a little bigger for these quesadillas.

What Size of Tortilla Is Best?

I typically use flour tortillas that are about 7 to 8 inches in diameter.

What’s the Best Cheese for Quesadillas?

The cheese not only tastes great in these beef quesadillas, but it also holds everything together. Is there anything you can’t accomplish, cheese?

Choose a cheese that melts well, like cheddar, pizza mozzarella, or Monterey Jack, or a mix of these.

I’ve made these quesadillas a bunch of times with different varieties of cheese, as well as with a store bought blend of cheddar, Monterey Jack and pizza mozzarella. I don’t usually buy pre-shredded cheese, but if you buy a blend, you can obtain a lot of different kinds without having to buy a lot of blocks of cheese.

That being said, if you do have some cheese scraps in your fridge, now is the time to use them!

Other nice melting cheeses are Manchego, Havarti, fontina, Swiss, Gouda and provolone. I even added crumbled feta to the mix for more flavor, even though it doesn’t melt properly (queso fresco works wonderfully too).

It’s cheese. As a cheese obsessed person, there is no going wrong in my book!

Tips and Variations for Making the Best Quesadillas

• Be careful with those quesadillas in the pan! They catch fire immediately. It’s better to have the heat on the lower side so you get a nice golden brown colour (without burning) and still melt the cheese.
• Carefully flip the quesadillas so the filling doesn’t spill out. Use two spatulas (or one really big one) to flip, or chop into pieces before browning. It may make things a little more manageable.
• I like to keep these beef and cheese quesadillas simple, but you could add sliced avocado, hot peppers (patted dry before using), corn or cilantro (or whatever you please).

What to serve with these quesadillas made with ground beef

You can eat these quesadillas by themselves or with any of the following:

• Greek yogurt or sour cream
• Salsa
• Pico de gallo
• Guacamole
• Green salad, like this chopped Mexican salad with pepitas
• Rice

Leftovers

Properly store leftover quesadillas in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 3 to 4 days. Before serving, heat it up again.

How to Reheat Quesadillas

You can reheat leftover quesadillas in a non-stick frying pan on the stovetop over about medium-low heat until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through. This way of reheating will give you the crispiest results.

Alternatively, you can reheat the quesadillas in an oven. To do this, turn the oven up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the quesadillas on a sheet pan and bake them for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and everything is hot.

They may not be quite as crispy as freshly made, but they are still pretty awesome.

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