Cheesy Beef Quesadillas

Name: Cheesy Beef Quesadillas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1 tablespoon garlic paste; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons butter, (divided); 8 ounces tomato sauce, (with basil, garlic, oregano); ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, (optional); 8 (10-inch) flour tortillas; 4½ cups Colby jack cheese, (shredded)

These gooey, hearty cheesy beef quesadillas are so easy to make in just 20 minutes with seasoned ground beef, tortillas, and lots of cheese!

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Table of Contents

Cheesy Beef Quesadillas Ingredients
How To Make This Cheesy Beef Quesadillas Recipe
How To Serve
Storage
More Recipes You’ll Love
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These 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.

Cheesy Beef Quesadillas Ingredients

Cheesy Beef Quesadillas raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

1 pound of 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
4½ 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 jalapeños 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 with.

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 the skillet.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

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.

ingredients added to the ground beef in the skillet

STEP THREE: In a separate large skillet over medium-low heat, add ½ tablespoon of butter and allow it to melt.

STEP FOUR: Place a tortilla in the skillet. Sprinkle cheese, add ground beef filling, and then more cheese to the whole tortilla.

tortilla, beef mixture, and cheese added to the skillet

STEP FIVE: Lay another tortilla on the top and spread butter over the tortilla.

tortilla placed on top of the cheese mixture in the skillet

STEP SIX: Flip the quesadilla over and continue cooking until all of the cheese is melted.

PRO TIP:

Watch it closely while it is cooking so that you don’t burn the quesadilla at the last second.

STEP SEVEN: Repeat the steps for each quesadilla and serve with your favorite toppings, like salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

How To Serve

This recipe is warm, 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.

Serve with our homemade salsa, Spanish rice and Mexican corn salad.

MORE MEXICAN DISH RECIPES

Chicken Dinner Ideas

White Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Casserole Ideas

Mexican Beef and Rice Casserole

Storage

IN THE FRIDGE: You can store leftover quesadillas in the fridge for up to three days after making them.

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°F oven for about 10 minutes until they’re heated through and crispy again.

overhead shot of Cheesy Beef Quesadillas on a plate

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 with your favorite toppings. Plus, they’re ready in just 20 minutes.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I store these easy quesadillas?

This ground beef quesadilla recipe can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen for up to 2 months.

Can I use other ground meat in the quesadillas instead of ground beef?

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.

Can I use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas?

You can use either flour or corn tortillas, whichever you have available.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Cheesy Beef Quesadillas

4.75 from 4 votes

These gooey, hearty cheesy beef quesadillas are so easy to make in just 20 minutes with seasoned ground beef, tortillas, and lots of cheese!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings

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Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, divided
8 ounces tomato sauce, with basil, garlic, oregano
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
8 (10-inch) flour tortillas
4½ 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 tablespoon of butter and allow it 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.

Video

Notes

This is a great recipe to buy pre-shredded cheese for as it makes prep time even quicker for your easy meal.
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.
Watch it closely while it is cooking so that you don’t burn the quesadilla at the last second.