These ground turkey quesadillas are seriously cheesy, hearty and straight-up delicious! They’re super easy to prepare and can be enjoyed as is or with guacamole, salsa and sour cream and your favourite side dish!
Hi friends!
Today I’m sharing another easy quesadilla recipe: ground turkey quesadillas, to be exact!
If you follow Girl Heart Food you know how we love quesadillas. A couple of our faves are these cheesy ground beef quesadillas and black bean corn quesadillas.
I mean, crispy tortilla, hearty protein and plenty of melty cheese. Sounds yummy, right?
Plus, these are totally do-able for a simple weekday dinner (hello taco Tuesday!) or Friday night eats. The recipe can easily feed up to 6 people when combined with a side. And, if you don’t feel like sharing, there’s always leftovers to be had!
I love to serve with a big helping of homemade guacamole and maybe a frozen margarita, if I’m feeling extra fancy. What’s your favourite thing to enjoy with quesadillas?
Why We Love These Ground Turkey Quesadillas
- They’re made with lean ground turkey.
- They’re jam-packed with veggies and hearty beans.
- This recipe is super simple to prep.
- Leftovers? They reheat well.
- These quesadillas are totally delicious!
Filling for Quesadillas
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- In a pan, cook some onion in a little olive oil until softened.
- Next, add ground turkey and break any larger pieces into smaller pieces.
- Mix in your veggies, beans and seasonings. Cook until the turkey is fully cooked through.
- Stir in tomato paste and broth. This will kinda make things stick together for one delicious quesadilla filling. Give it a little cook.
- Now everything is ready to be used in your turkey quesadillas!
Assemble and Pan Fry
Full details on how to make turkey quesadillas are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Spread half of the cheese onto one half of each tortilla.
- Top with the cooked ground turkey mixture.
- Then pile on more cheese.
- Fold over the tortillas so they are a half-moon shape.
- Cook the quesadillas in batches in a greased pan.
- Flip the quesadillas to cook on the other side. They’re done when the outside is golden brown and crispy and the cheese is nice and melty inside!
- Cut in half and enjoy these super scrumptious turkey quesadillas!
Best Cheese To Use
Use a good melting cheese. A marbled cheddar was used, but you can use mozzarella, fontina, Gruyere, provolone, Monterey Jack, Gouda, Asiago or regular Swiss. There’s pretty much a bunch of different options here. If you want to go all out, use a combo of your faves!
Another delicious add-in is crumbled feta cheese (in conjunction with a melty cheese). Feta doesn’t melt well but does add a lovely salty flavour. Queso Fresco would be another yummy option.
What To Serve With Them
Classic dips or sauces for quesadillas are salsa, guacamole or sour cream. Honestly, though, the possibilities are endless! Other delicious goodies to serve with this turkey quesadilla recipe are:
- Greek yogurt
- Hot sauce
- Wedges of lime
- Quinoa salad
- Rice
- Simple green salad
Reheating the Quesadillas
Quesadillas are crispiest when they’re freshly made. Having said that, if you can’t devour the whole batch in one sitting, you can totally reheat leftovers!
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.
Another option is to place leftover turkey quesadillas on a microwave-safe plate and heat on 30-second intervals until heated through.
Just keep in mind that the oven or microwave will not yield the same crispy results as pan-frying. Your quesadillas will be softer.
Tips and Variations
- It’s better to have your pan over a lower heat setting and cook these gently. The turkey quesadillas crisp up fast (and can burn quickly) so don’t have your heat too high or leave them!
- Though there is ground cayenne pepper in the taco seasoning, these are not overly spicy. If you want to add a little heat, add an extra pinch or so of cayenne or a drizzle of your favourite hot sauce.
- No salt was added to this recipe because the taco seasoning has salt in it, but you can add some to taste if you wish.
- You can totally omit the beans if you like. Beans add a little heft and nutrition but can be omitted.
- Don’t have canned corn? Use frozen corn instead.
- Try corn tortillas instead of flour.
More Delicious Recipes
If you make these cheesy ground turkey black bean quesadillas, be sure to leave a comment below!
Cheesy Ground Turkey Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and minced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 bell pepper, cut into small dice
- 1 cup canned no salt added black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup canned corn kernels, drained
- 1.5 to 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoons ground chipotle chili pepper
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup low sodium chicken broth, or low sodium vegetable broth
- 12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, 3 cups
- 10 flour tortillas, each about 7 to 8 inches in diameter
- 3 to 3.5 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil, to grease pan (about 2 teaspoons per batch)
- Salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole, for serving with (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (to keep quesadillas warm while cooking batches).
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add ground turkey and break any larger pieces into smaller pieces. Add bell pepper, beans, corn, taco seasoning and chipotle chili pepper, stirring to combine everything. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is fully cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and broth and cook 1 to 2 minutes.
- Distribute half of the cheese among all tortillas (on one side of them).
- Distribute ground turkey mixture on top of cheese (about half a cup per tortilla). Then, sprinkle remaining cheese on top of ground turkey. Fold over each tortilla so it's a half-moon shape.
- To cook quesadillas, heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil or olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Gently swirl the oil around to coat the pan.Note: If you're using the same pan that you used for cooking the turkey, just wipe out before adding the oil 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 2 quesadillas in the pan. Cook quesadillas for about 2 minutes or so on one side.
- Carefully flip the 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 baking sheet and place into a preheated oven to keep warm while you are continuing to cook the remaining quesadillas.
- Repeat process to cook remaining quesadillas.
- When all quesadillas are cooked, cut each half-moon (quesadilla) in half so you end up with 20 pieces. Serve with salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream (if desired). 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.
Notes
- It’s better to have your pan over a lower heat setting and cook these gently. They crisp up fast (and can burn quickly) so don’t have your heat too high or leave ’em.
- Cook quesadillas in batches (about two at a time), while keeping the cooked quesadillas warm in a preheated oven.
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!
