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These delicious, easy cheesy beef quesadillas are ready to eat in just 20 minutes, making them a perfect weeknight dinner option. Loaded with seasoned ground beef and gooey melted cheese inside a crispy tortilla, everyone will love this simple Mexican classic.
Serve with our homemade salsa, Spanish rice and Mexican corn salad. For other delicious quesadilla recipes, check out our steak quesadilla recipe and our spinach artichoke quesadillas.
MORE MEXICAN RECIPES
Sheet Pan Quesadillas | Chicken Enchiladas
CHEESY BEEF QUESADILLAS INGREDIENTS
You will need:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce with basil, garlic, oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 8 (10-inch) flour tortillas
- 4.5 cups Colby jack cheese, shredded
PRO TIP: This is a great recipe to buy pre-shredded cheese for as it makes prep time even quicker for your easy meal.
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
CHEESE: You could also use sharp cheddar cheese, pepper jack, Mexican blend, Monterey jack or another favorite in this recipe.
BEANS: Add a can of black beans into the mix if you’d like!
RICE: We love serving rice on the side but it’s delicious tucked inside as well!
VEGGIES: Add a can of corn, spinach, bell peppers, or mushrooms.
SPICE: You can add more red pepper flakes, chili powder or even diced jalapenos if you’d like a kick of heat while you eat.
TORTILLAS: We definitely prefer this recipe with flour tortillas, but you could substitute corn tortillas if you wanted.
CILANTRO: We LOVE fresh cilantro and this is a great recipe to enjoy it on!
LIMES: Serve fresh lime wedges on the side to kick up your presentation a notch.
HOW TO MAKE THIS CHEESY BEEF QUESADILLAS RECIPE
STEP ONE: In a large skillet over medium heat add the ground beef. Cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain grease and return beef to skillet.
PRO TIP: I recommend using lean beef or draining the excess grease off when you’re done cooking the meat so that your quesadillas don’t get soggy.
STEP TWO: Continue to brown beef. Add garlic paste, onion powder, salt, tomato sauce, and red pepper flakes. Stir beef mixture well to combine.
STEP THREE: In a separate large skillet over medium-low heat add ½ tablespoon of butter and allow to melt.
STEP FOUR: Place a tortilla in the skillet. Sprinkle cheese, add ground beef filling, and then more cheese to the whole tortilla. Lay another tortilla on the top and spread butter over the tortilla.
STEP FIVE: Flip the quesadilla over and continue cooking until all of the cheese is melted.
PRO TIP: Watch it cooking closely so that you don’t burn them at the last second!
STEP SIX: Repeat steps for each quesadilla and serve with your favorite toppings, like salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
HOW TO SERVE
This recipe is warm and hearty and ideal for a quick lunch or dinner. Kids seem to love anything inside a quesadilla so you can fill it with all kinds of goodies. Quesadillas are also the perfect dish for dipping. We have lots of recipes that you can use alongside them including our homemade guacamole, salsa and white queso dip.
STORAGE
IN THE FRIDGE: You can store leftover quesadillas in the fridge for up to three days after making.
IN THE FREEZER: You can make these cheesy ground beef quesadillas ahead and store them in between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-safe container for up to two months.
REHEATING: Skip the soggy leftovers and use the oven to warm these back up! To reheat, place on a cookie sheet in a 375-degree oven for about 10 minutes until they’re heated through and crispy again.
These cheesy beef quesadillas are a classic Mexican food that will become a homemade favorite. They’re packed with delicious seasoned ground beef and lots of gooey cheese all served in a perfectly toasted flour tortilla and your favorite toppings. Plus, they’re ready in just 20 minutes!
FAQ
This ground beef quesadilla recipe can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen for up to 2 months.
You can use whatever meat you prefer. Try ground pork, turkey or chicken. You can also use ham, pepperoni or plain cheese. Veggies are always a great addition to quesadillas too!
You can use either flour or corn tortillas, whichever you have available.
MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
Cheesy Beef Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 can tomato sauce with basil garlic, oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 8 10-inch flour tortillas
- 4 ½ cups colby jack cheese shredded
Instructions
- 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.
I love these. It’s an easy, hearty dinner and it’s a good shake up from having regular tacos.