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Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadilla Recipe

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Let’s make cheesy beef quesadillas! Our whole family loves this meal. And there’s a lot to love – this ground beef quesadilla recipe is comforting and delicious; easy and ready in 20 minutes. The ground beef is made just like my ground chicken tacos and then it’s layered with two layers of cheese for the ultimate layered gooey cheese quesadilla, just like my chicken fajita quesadillas, steak quesadillas and shrimp quesadillas. Serve it with quesadilla sauce if you want to be extra. 🙂

If you love Tex Mex meals like this one, be sure to try my bean and cheese burritos, turkey taco skillet, beef enchilada casserole, refried black beans, black bean tostadas, air fryer chicken flautas, and my virgin margarita mocktail next time!

Beef quesadilla with fresh toppings on a platter.
Photo Credit: Loren Runion for My Everyday Table.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

What You’ll Love About Beef Quesadilla Recipe

  • Quick and easy dinner
  • Delish cheesy beef flavor
  • Made with simple ingredients
  • Just 5 minutes prep time
  • Just 20 minutes total time

Ingredients

  • Lean ground beef – Use whatever type of ground beef you like. If you use a higher fat content, drain off some of the fat if necessary. You can also use ground turkey, ground chicken, or your favorite plant-based ground beef.
  • Tomato paste – This is a secret ingredient that gives the beef rich and deep flavor. You could also use tomato sauce, but the paste adds a much deeper flavor.
  • Spices – Sea salt, chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder – we’re making a quick homemade taco seasoning that’s full of flavor.
  • Cheese – Use pre-shredded cheese as a shortcut or shred your own for the BEST quesadilla. You can use a Mexican blend, cheddar cheese, Monterey jack, or Chihuahua (quesadilla cheese). The most important factor is that you find a perfect melting cheese.
  • Tortillas – I’ve used flour tortillas, but you could also use corn tortillas or whole wheat tortillas.
  • Toppings – Lettuce, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, etc. (See a full list below)
Ingredients to make ground beef quesadilla recipe.

How to Make Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas

This is an overview on how to make beef quesadillas, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.

Brown ground beef. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with spoon. Drain grease if necessary.
Season ground beef. Add tomato paste, sea salt, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder to ground beef and stir to combine. Cook until beef is cooked through.
Ground beef in skillet for beef quesadillas.
Assemble quesadillas. Add tortilla to hot pan and sprinkle cheese over one side of a tortilla, top with ground beef mixture, and another layer of cheese to tortilla. Fold over and cook until both sides are golden brown and cheese is melty.
Layer of cheese and ground beef on a tortilla.
Top beef quesadillas. Top your quesadillas with your favorite toppings.
Hand holding ground beef quesadilla.

Beef Quesadilla Topping Ideas

FAQs

Are beef quesadillas healthy?

As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and someone with a nutrition degree…this question makes me cringe and so I’m always trying to offer up a different perspective when it comes to this question! This quesadilla recipe with ground beef is a great source of protein and makes for a filling and satisfying meal. Top it with some fresh vegetable toppings to round it out and add some fresh produce and you’ve got a meal that offers energy, protein, fat, produce, and flavor!

What goes inside a quesadilla?

I prefer to keep quesadillas pretty simple – and then going crazy with toppings. So this quesadilla with ground beef has just cheese and ground beef inside.

Are quesadillas authentic Mexican food?

Yes, cheese quesadillas are authentic but this beef quesadilla recipe reminds me of gringo-style tacos (aka ground beef tacos) so probably not something you would see in Mexico.

Storage Instructions

These beef quesadillas are best served fresh. If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

How to reheat

For best results, reheat in a hot skillet until heated through. You can also microwave them, but the tortillas won’t be crispy.

Can you freeze quesadillas?

You can also freeze beef quesadillas for 2-3 months if you need to.

Stack of ground beef quesadillas with tomato topping.
Photo Credit: Loren Runion for My Everyday Table.

What to Serve with Beef Quesadillas

Wondering what to serve with these easy ground beef quesadillas? Here are some simple sides:

How to Feed Beef Quesadillas to the Whole Family

I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.

I would recommend serving the quesadillas in a pinch bowl (taster bowl) if it’s a new or learning-to-like it food and let everyone build their own tacos. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter.

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Stack of ground beef quesadilla with fresh toppings.

More Easy Quesadilla Recipes

If you love this cheesy ground beef quesadillas recipe, you’ll probably like some of my other easy quesadilla recipes:

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Stack of ground beef quesadillas with tomato topping.

Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadilla Recipe

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Description

This ground beef quesadilla recipe is the ultimate comfort food with multiple cheesy layers! Made with simple ingredients and ready in 20 minutes, too!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. onion powder
  • 12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 large tortillas (burrito size)
  • Fresh toppings: lettuce, cilantro, salsa/tomato, sour cream, etc.

Instructions

  1. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook 3-4 minutes, breaking up with a spoon.
  2. Add tomato paste, sea salt, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder to skillet and mix everything well. (Depending on fat content, add a splash of water if it’s dry.)
  3. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 3-4 more minutes, stirring frequently, until ground beef is cooked through. Set aside.
  4. Assemble quesadillas. In large skillet over medium heat, layer 1/3 cup shredded cheese on one half of the tortilla. Top with 1/2 cup ground beef mixture and another 1/3 cup shredded cheese.
  5. Fold over top and cook for about 2-3 minutes, and when cheese starts to melt, carefully flip over with large flipper and cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with remaining 3 quesadillas.
  6. Cut into wedges and serve with toppings. (See topping ideas in post or below)


Keywords: ground beef quesadillas, ground beef quesadilla recipe, beef quesadilla recipe

Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.

This post may contain affiliate links. They do not add any charge to you, but I will make a very small commission from them. I only link to products I use and recommend. Thank you for your support!


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