Easy Beef Quesadillas

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These easy beef quesadillas are a family favorite and for good reason, they’re delicious. Who doesn’t love a crispy tortilla loaded with flavorful ground beef and gooey cheese! We sure do. This is a perfect quick dinner or lunch with little prep and packed full of flavor and are simply irresistible. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed.

We love Mexican food, and though a lot of Mexican recipes take considerable amount of time, these easy beef quesadillas DO NOT! If you opt for a premade seasoning packet, they are even quicker. I make my own seasoning blend most of the time, but I also use the packets found in most grocery stores, for those times when I’m in a rush, or to be honest just don’t feel like making my own.

If you prefer chicken to beef, then by all means, substitute the ground beef for ground chicken, or chicken breast (I would suggest dicing it up, seasoning it and cooking it the same way you would the beef).

picture of easy beef quesadillas

I make quesadillas quite often because, well, my family and I love them. The are super easy, super adaptable and simply delicious. You can fill them with just about anything and make them super loaded or simple meat and cheese, or even just cheese! I mean who doesn’t love ooey gooey melty cheese on a crispy golden tortilla? It’s like a grilled cheese sandwich goes Mexican. I am confident you will love these as much as we do, they’ll soon be a part of your regular rotation.

I have a vegetarian in the household, so this is one of those recipes where I don’t really have to make something different for her. Just omit the meat. With the addition of the onions and peppers, she still gets that hint of Mexican seasoning, without the addition of meat. If you don’t want to use the onion and peppers then I suggest sprinkling a bit of taco or seasoning blend on the cheese as it melts, just to mimic that Mexican vibe (otherwise, it really is just a grilled cheese).

The best thing about these easy beef quesadillas is that they really do come together quite quickly and with items you probably already have on hand. You can make quesadillas with just about anything, but one thing you really can’t skip is the CHEESE! Cheese Please! and more cheese.

Serve these alongside all of the usual suspects for a Mexican meal. We like sour cream (or a lime crema, salsa, avocado or guacamole (depending on how ambitious I feel), cilantro, lime, jalapenos…just use your imagination, and what you have on hand!

RELATED: Homemade Flour Tortillas

Making easy beef quesadillas

The directions are in the recipe card below:

  1. Heat a pan, then add ground beef, scramble fry until no longer pink
  2. Once the ground beef is fully cooked through, drain and then add the seasoning blend
  3. Pour in beef stock/broth (or water). Once stock/broth is absorbed, remove the ground beef from the pan and set aside.
  4. Optional: cook the peppers and onions, if using.
  5. Place some cheese on each tortilla.
  6. Top half with cooked ground beef.
  7. Add a little more cheese (and peppers/onions if using)
  8. Fold over each tortilla so it’s a half-moon shape.
  9. Cook quesadillas (in batches) in a lightly greased pan or griddle until they’re crispy and golden brown on the outside and the cheese has melted. 
  10. Once brown on both sides, remove and cut into 3 triangles, serve and enjoy!

Easy Beef Quesadillas

These quick and easy ground beef quesadillas are perfect for an easy weeknight supper or lunch
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course anytime, Beef, dinner, lunch, main
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • 1 or 2 frying pan I like to use a cast iron pan for the beef and onion/pepper blend
  • 1 griddle or flat pan for cooking the quesadillas

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef (I prefer lean)
  • 1 packet quesadilla seasoning or make your own *see below
  • ¼ cup water or beef broth

Quesadilla Seasoning Blend

  • 1 tsp Chili powder
  • 1 tsp Smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp dried Oregano
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp Salt and pepper (each)
  • ¼ tsp Cayenne pepper Optional for heat

For the Onions and pepper (Optional)

  • 2 medium Peppers (red, yellow or red), sliced thinly into strips (about ⅛" thick) *you could even add sliced jalapenos for a little kick here too.
  • 1 large white or sweet onion, sliced into strips the same size as the pepper (quarter the onion, then slice)
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp reserved seasoning blend or packet seasoning

For the quesadillas

  • 6 large Flour tortillas 10-12"
  • 3 cups shredded cheese blend I like monterey jack and cheddar

For Serving (suggestions)

  • Sour Cream
  • Avocado (sliced or made into guacamole)
  • lime juice
  • lime or chipotle crema (store bought or homemade)
  • salsa
  • fresh or pickled jalapeno slices

Instructions
 

  • In your first frying pan, scramble fry the ground beef until it is no longer pink, drain if necssary.
  • Add 1 packet quesadilla seasoning or the seasoning blend from above, reserving ½ tsp to use on the onion and peppers (if making) to the ground beef, along with ¼ cup water or beef broth and stir to combine, cook for a minute or two, then remove from the heat. If you are using the same pan for the onions and peppers then remove the seasoned ground beef to a bowl and set aside.
  • In a pan (I prefer cast iron), add 2 Tbsp neutral oil and the sliced peppers and let cook for a couple of minutes (2-3) until they start to soften, then add the onions, stir to combine.
  • Sprinkle with the 1/2 tsp of reserved seasoning blend
  • Cook until the onions and peppers are soft and slightly charred, set aside once they are done

To make the quesadillas

  • Taking one tortilla at a time, place the tortilla on your griddle or pan over medium heat and sprinkle with about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese blend, covering most of the tortilla (leave a bit of an edge).
  • top the cheese with ground beef mixture, covering only 1/2 of the tortilla, then top with some of the onions and peppers, then anoother 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, then fold the tortilla in half, pressing down a bit with your spatula and let the tortilla cook until golden brown then flip it over to brown the other side.
    Once nice and brown, remove to a cutting board and cut into 3 triangles
    repeat with the remaining 5 tortillas
  • 3 triangles per serving
  • Top with your favorite Mexican toppings

Notes

This recipe sounds complicated, however it really isn’t.  I make enough seasoning blend that I keep a jar in my pantry so its pretty quick to come together.  If you make the seasoning blend, you can easily double, triple or quadruple the recipe so you have leftovers on hand.
If you want to just taco seasoning from a packet for easier prep, by all means do.  I do that if I don’t have time to fuss with homemade seasoning blend.  
The onions and peppers are delicious add-in to these quesadillas but they can be omitted if you are not a fan or don’t have them.  Beef and cheese quesadillas a delicious even without the addition of onions and peppers.
Keyword beef, cheese, dinner, easy, easy recipe, ground beef, lunch, quesadillas, weeknight

Substitutions and Additions:

  • You can use any kind of tortilla that you like. I like using flour but you could use corn, as well. Also don’t be intimidated by flavored tortillas like sundried tomato or spinach. Why not!
  • To bulk up your quesadillas or for a vegetarian friendly version, add in some black or refried beans. Use them to replace the meat in a vegetarian one and for extra flavor to the beef ones.
  • Want more spice? Add some chopped jalapeños to the mix! I like to add fresh jalapenos to the pepper and onions when I cook them, but you could also leave them raw and thinly sliced for even more heat.
  • Cheese: I like a Tex-Mex shredded cheese, but feel free to use whatever cheese you like or have on hand. Sprinkle some Cotija or queso fresco on top for an extra kick. Note: do not use queso fresco inside the quesadillas as it doesn’t melt.
  • Beef strips: If you have leftover steak or beef you can use it instead of ground. If you have uncooked beef like Sirloin, season it with Taco seasoning then cook it in a pan or on the girll then thinly slice into stips before adding it into the quesadillas.
  • If you’ve got the time, add a side of Mexican rice or beans for a complete meal. Or alternatively serve them with a little fresh salad mix. TIP: mix sour cream and salsa for an easy Mexican salad dressing.

Storing Easy Beef Quesadillas:

IF and I do mean if (it doesn’t happen often at my house), you do happen to have leftovers, they can be kept in an airtight container (or zip lock freezer bag) in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days. When you want to reheat them, if you are in a hurry the microwave will work, however you will definitely not have crispy quesadillas. If you have an airfryer, it works amazingly at reheating and recrisping your leftover quesadillas.

If you want to freeze the cooked quesadillas then i suggest letting them cool completely, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil for extra protection, then pop them all into a large freezer safe zip top bag. When you want to eat them just let them thaw then either air fry or oven bake for crispy or microwave, for not crispy but still tasty leftover quesadillas.

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