Looking for super cheesy ground beef quesadillas? You’ve come to the right place! Well-seasoned ground beef, lots of ooey gooey cheese and a crispy golden brown exterior make these quesadillas simply irresistible! They’re sure to become a favourite in your home as they are in ours.
Hi friends! If you’re looking for an easy quesadilla recipe, you’ve come to the right place!
If you know me, you know that I’m a huge fan of quesadillas. One of the reasons is, like grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas are a method of getting more cheese into my pie hole, LOL.
Seriously, though, hubby and I enjoy quesadillas on the regular. They’re super easy to whip up, you can put as little or as much as you want in ’em and they always taste amazing.
I’ve shared other varieties before, like chicken, turkey, and even breakfast quesadillas.
Today though? Ground beef quesadillas. One thing they all have in common: cheese (and lots of it). You gotta have quesadillas with cheese! 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’m pretty confident they’ll be in regular rotation in your home as they are ours.
How to Make Ground Beef Quesadillas
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Heat oil in a pan and add ground beef, spices, salt and pepper.
- Cook the ground beef, breaking it up into crumbles.
- Once the ground beef is fully cooked through, stir in tomato paste.
- Pour in beef stock/broth (or you could use water). Once stock/broth is absorbed, remove the ground beef from the pan.
- Place some cheese on one half of each tortilla.
- Top with cooked ground beef.
- Add a little more cheese.
- Fold over each tortilla so it’s a half-moon shape.
- Gently cook quesadillas (in batches) in a greased pan until they’re golden brown on the outside and the cheese has melted. Watch that they don’t burn. They cook quickly! Once they’re done, cut in half and enjoy!
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What Type of Tortilla Should I Use for Quesadillas?
For quesadillas, I prefer flour tortillas over corn tortillas. They’re readily available (more so than corn tortillas here in Newfoundland). Plus, they’re hearty, flexible and withstand all those delicious toppings.
If you like, try homemade flour tortillas instead of store-bought. If using that recipe, just make ’em 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?
Cheese not only tastes awesome in these beef quesadillas, but also acts as a ‘glue’ to keep things together. Cheese, is there anything you can’t do?
When making quesadillas, pick a nice melting cheese, like cheddar, pizza mozzarella or Monterey Jack (or a combo of them).
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 often go for pre-shredded cheeses, but by buying a blend, you get a variety without having to buy multiple blocks of cheese.
Having said that, in the event that you do have odds and ends of cheese floating around in your fridge, now would be the time to use them! Waste not, want not, right?
Other nice melting cheeses are Manchego, Havarti, fontina, Swiss, Gouda and provolone. For added flavour (even though it doesn’t melt well), I’ve even added crumbled feta to the mix (queso fresco also works great).
It’s cheese. As a cheese obsessed person, there is no going wrong in my book!
Can Leftover Quesadillas Be Reheated?
Yes! You can reheat leftover quesadillas in a non-stick pan on the stovetop over about medium-low heat (this will yield the crispiest reheating results) until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through.
Alternatively, place quesadillas on a sheet pan in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven and heat for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through.
They may not be quite as crispy as freshly made, but they are still pretty awesome.
Tips and Variations for Making the Best Quesadillas
- Watch those quesadillas in the pan! They are burn quickly. 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 large one, like a fish spatula) to flip or cut into pieces before browning. It may make things a little more manageable.
- If the size of your tortillas are larger or smaller than the ones I used, the quantity you yield may vary.
- 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 Ground Beef Quesadillas
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Salsa
- Pico de gallo
- Guacamole
- Green salad, like this chopped Mexican salad with pepitas
- Rice
- Mexican street corn
Like These Cheesy Quesadillas? You May Enjoy These Too!
Hope you love these ground beef quesadillas as much as we do! Stay tuned for more easy cheesy quesadillas recipes coming your way!
If you make these cheesy beef quesadillas, be sure to leave a comment below!
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Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef, I use "extra lean"
- 1 teaspoon 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 salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted beef stock/broth, or low sodium or regular
- 12 ounces shredded cheese blend, a combination of cheddar, Monterey jack and pizza mozzarella (3 cups)
- 6 flour tortillas, about 7 to 8 inches in diameter each
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, to grease pan (about 2 teaspoons of oil per batch)
- Salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degree Fahrenheit (to keep quesadillas warm while cooking batches).
- 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, stirring occasionally and breaking the ground beef into crumbles (smaller pieces), 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.
- Stir in tomato paste and stock/broth and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove beef from the pan and place into a bowl. If there is any excess grease, drain/remove.
- Distribute about 8 ounces (or 2 cups) of cheese among all tortillas (on one side of them). Note: Reserve the remaining 4 ounces (or 1 cup of cheese).Also, if your tortillas are smaller or larger than the size I used, the quantity you yield may vary.
- 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.
- 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.
- Place two quesadillas in the pan. Cook quesadillas for about 2 minutes on one side.
- 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.
- Repeat process to cook remaining quesadillas.
- Once done, cut each half-moon (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 in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 2 to 4 days, reheating when ready to enjoy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
