Ground Beef Quesadillas with Tender Taco-Seasoned Beef and Melty Cheese
By Emma Collins
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Prep two or three times the amount of seasoned ground beef filling called for. Refrigerate. As wanted for a quick meal, assemble the six tortillas. Ground beef quesadillas include seasoned ground beef and melted Mexican cheese in a tortilla. You can make the ground beef filling ahead of time.
The filling consists of chopped ground beef cooked in a heavy pan. Add salt and taco seasoning mix. Cook chopped onions until tender. Add tomato paste and cook for an additional minute. Place shredded Mexican cheese both above and below scoops of beef filling in folded flour tortillas to help keep the fillings from falling out. This helps ensure that each piece has an even amount of beef and cheese.
Cook quesadillas at medium to medium-low heat, or according to the heat of your stove, to keep the tortillas from burning before the cheese has melted. Possible indicators of fully cooked quesadillas include golden-brown tortillas and melted cheese. Other issues to watch out for when making quesadillas include excess grease from rich meat or other fillings and overcooked tortillas.
Serve quesadillas with sour cream or salsa and guacamole and other menu items, such as salads, tortilla chips, and cilantro lime rice. Refrigerated leftovers will be soggy. Bake or air-fry leftover quesadillas until tortillas are crispy and cheese is melted.
Why this recipe works
- Cook additional beef filling in batches and store it in the refrigerator. Use cooked beef filling during the week to brown tortillas fresh.
- Leftover quesadillas can be reheated in the oven or air fryer to restore the hot cheese and crispy tortilla texture of freshly made quesadillas without a microwave.
- Six tortillas make serving portions of the dish easier. Adding cheese to both sides of the beef helps keep the folded tortillas together when serving.
- Beef mixtures can be used to make several meals because tomato paste, onion, salt, and taco seasoning are cooked with other ingredients before the tortillas are added.
- The suggested preparation method helps avoid issues with frozen quesadillas by refrigerating extra filling and frying quesadillas on demand.
- For planning larger meals, two recipes per meal mean you can prepare the beef filling once and make enough quesadillas to serve with each planned meal.
Ingredients
- •1 lb ground beef
- •1 medium onion
- •1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- •1 tbsp taco seasoning
- •2 tbsp tomato paste
- •8 oz Mexican cheese (shredded)
- •6 large flour tortillas
- •4 tbsp oil (avocado or olive oil)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat a large heavy-bottomed skillet.
- 2
Add the ground beef and brown it, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks.
- 3
Season the beef with salt and taco seasoning.
- 4
Add the onion and sauté until translucent.
- 5
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute longer.
- 6
Remove the skillet from the heat.
- 7
Preheat a separate pan with a bit of oil.
- 8
Place a flour tortilla in the pan.
- 9
Sprinkle cheese over half of the tortilla.
- 10
Add a spoonful of ground beef and a bit more cheese.
- 11
Fold the tortilla over.
- 12
Cook on both sides until the cheese is melted and the quesadilla is golden brown.
- 13
Serve and enjoy.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
514
Protein
25g
Fat
38g
Carbs
18g
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