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 them 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, then add ground beef, spices, salt and pepper.
- Cook the ground beef.
- 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.
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 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?
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 in your fridge, now would be the time to use them!
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 frying 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) to flip, or cut 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 Ground Beef Quesadillas
You can certainly enjoy these quesadillas on their own or serve with any of these:
- 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!
Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef, I use extra lean ground beef
- 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, divided (about 3 cups. I used a combination of cheddar, Monterey jack and pizza mozzarella)
- 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).
- 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.
- 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 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 of cheese (or 1 cup of cheese).
- 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 before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition (estimate only)
Nutrition information 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 estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Crissy
These were delicious! I used the street taco size flour tortillas and taco seasoning! Very good and an easy dinner!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Crissy! Thanks so much! Happy you enjoyed the recipe!
John Foro
Wow I justade this quasadia recipie and it was fantastic!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, John!! Happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Ela
I tried this recipe the other day and I loved it! It was super easy to make and delicious. I will definitely make these again in the future.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Ela – thanks for stopping by! So happy you enjoyed! Have a wonderful weekend!
Hallie
Discovered this recipe on Pinterest and tried it tonight- very good! So easy and inexpensive to make. Thanks for sharing!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Hallie! Thanks for stopping by. Happy you enjoyed the recipe…thanks very much!!
Michelle
This is a new fave for me! It took me no time to make and it is absolutely delicious!!! I substituted Kroger’s Fire Roasted Salsa Style dices tomatoes for the tomato paste and it is packed with flavor! My 5 and 7 year old loved these too! Thank you so much for a new great recipe! This will definitely be my new go to!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Michelle – So happy to hear that you guys enjoyed! Thank you very much.
Wayne O’Quin
This recipe is amazing and easy. I have cooked it about 4 or 5 times with my granddaughter and my family loves it!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you so much, Wayne! So happy to hear that! 🙂
Carly Rivera
These are yummy! I used ground turkey because I was trying to find ways to use it up. I also added some black beans to the meat mixture. Delicious and super easy!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you, Carly! So happy you enjoyed! I have a ground turkey quesadilla recipe that you may enjoy too. 🙂
Don
Hi I have beef stock but not salt free what should I do
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Don! Regular stock will work here. It will just slightly impact the sodium. There’s not much stock used in this recipe anyway. Hope you enjoy. 🙂
Marilyn
These are so good. First time we oohed and ahhed over them even though the outside was oily. My non stick pan had Spanish rice in it to accompany the quesadillas. They were so good. Yesterday I made them again but in the right pan. They were easier to handle and just as delicious. Thanks so much for this great quick recipe!!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Marilyn!! So happy you enjoy the recipe!!
Angela
This was a winner all round! My 9 yr old has a milk allergy so I omitted the cheese and she enjoyed it just as much as the others. My 12 year old & hubby also loved it, I served with homemade guacamole A+++
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Angela – thank you very much!! So happy that you all enjoyed! These are definitely delicious with guacamole…good choice. 😉 Have a lovely weekend!
Stacy
I’m making these now and reading everyone’s comments. I didn’t even think about adding guac. I hope my picky eater is going to love these as much as I know I’m going to so I can make them again with guac!!! It smells sooooooo good.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hope you all enjoy, Stacy!! Serving with guacamole is a delicious idea. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Lisa
New family favourite!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Lisa – thank you very much! So happy to hear that!!
Kate
Holy moly this recipe is good! I didn’t have chipotle pepper powder but ancho and it was outstanding. I can’t wait to try it when I have the correct paper powder. Thank you for this recipe!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Kate! Thanks for stopping and the kind words! So happy you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Dianna
Can this be done with shredded chicken?
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Dianna, cooked shredded chicken should work too 🙂 Enjoy!
Caden
Wow! Made these for the first time (did it without tomato paste) and these were so good! I recommend making these 100%.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you so much, Caden. 🙂 So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Deborah
This recipe was easy, came out as perfect. loved the flavor, not overwhelming and not bland. Will definitely make again!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Deborah! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂 Have a wonderful day!
Tammy Pieniazek
If you use the homemade taco seasoning in place of the separate ones how much do you use?
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Tammy, about 1.5 tablespoons should be good and just omit the salt. Enjoy!
terry decoster
These were amazing. Thank you.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
So happy to hear that you enjoyed. 🙂 Thanks Terry!