Ground Beef Quesadilla with Cheese is a must-try dish! Quesadilla is a flour tortilla or corn flour tortilla filled with cheese, perfectly seasoned ground beef, chicken, or vegetables and is cooked on a flat pan or skillet. You can not resist the combination of beef and cheese plus the crunchiness of grilled tortillas. It is by far the fastest to make and a convenient dish that you can enjoy with your friends and family on picnics, at parties, or pack it in your lunchbox. Do not forget to watch the video to learn how to make this great-tasting Mexican dish.
Quesadilla
Think of Quesadilla (pronounced ke.sa.de.ia) as a sandwich, and you can change the filling with whatever your heart desires. Quesadilla is a tortilla filled with any filling you prefer and then cooked on a griddle with a bit of oil. The dish originated in Mexico, but it got popular in America, and the Americans became creative in making different delicious varieties of it. The recipe I share today is for a ground beef quesadilla, and it’s my take on the quesadilla.
Ingredients you will need to make Quesadilla
Ground beef – I like to use chuck, but you can also go for lamb meat and get a great result. Follow the steps in the recipe card below to brown the meat.
Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese – You can use either or both, or skip both and use the cheese you prefer, like gouda and Monterey Jack. The cheese adds flavor, but it also prevents the quesadilla filling from spilling out of the tortilla when flipping it on the griddle or frying pan.
Blend of warm spices – Cumin, black pepper, red chili powder, and oregano.
Onion – As always, I use purple or red onion, but you can go for yellow onion too. If possible, avoid using onion powder.
Bell pepper – Use green or red, yellow, and orange are on the soft side, and although they will taste good in cooking, I would avoid using them unless I’m making a Chinese dish.
Black olives.
Salt.
Flour tortillas – I prefer using flour tortillas because it is more manageable and go well with the filling. Corn flour tortillas will come out dry.
How to make Ground Beef Quesadilla?
- In a pan, add the ground beef and brown it.
- Add the onion to the browned beef and cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add the bell pepper, olive oil, and the rest of the ingredients except the cheese and black olives to the previous mixture.
- If you feel the mixture is too dry, add a quarter cup to a half cup of boiling water and continue cooking.
- Remove from heat, and now is the time to assemble the quesadilla.
- Add on one side of the tortilla a layer of cheese, a layer of cooked ground beef, black olives, and finally, a layer of cheese.
- Close the tortilla and cook it on a greased pan or griddle until light brown from the bottom, then flip it and cook the other side.
- Serve with guacamole or your favorite salsa.
What cheese to use?
There is no specific cheese for quesadilla but if you like melty, gooey cheese, then go for cheddar and mozzarella or mozzarella alone. In my house, we keep changing the cheese, and at times we use goat cheese. Quesadilla looks good with melting cheese in photos, but any cheese you prefer will taste good in this recipe. However, these are the cheeses I would go for, Havarti, Monterey Jack, Provolone, Gouda, and Queso Fresco.
What type of tortilla is best for this recipe?
Flour tortillas are what I always go for when making Ground Beef Quesadilla or any variation of quesadilla. Corn flour tortilla will taste good, but it is drier and might break when flipping it on the griddle.
How to safely store Ground beef quesadilla?
You store the beef quesadilla or any quesadilla in the fridge for up to 3 days. Place the quesadilla in a Ziploc bag making sure to get rid of as much air from the bag as possible.
The best way to store the quesadillas is by freezing. To freeze the cooked quesadillas, place them on a baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours and then put them in a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 2 months.
To reheat, microwave the frozen quesadillas for 2 to 3 minutes or place them while frozen in a preheated oven 180C/350F.
How to serve Ground Beef Quesadilla?
You can serve the quesadilla with salads or salsa; it tastes incredible with guacamole. You can also serve it with Greek yogurt or cheese sauce.
Can I bake the Quesadilla?
Yes, this recipe is excellent if you want to bake it instead of cooking it on the stovetop. After filling the tortillas, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven 180C/350F. Make sure the oven was on 20 minutes before using it.
More dinner ideas
📖 Recipe
Ground Beef Quesadilla with Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup chopped bell pepper
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 onion cut into thin slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- 4 flour tortillas
Instructions
- In a hot pan, add the beef and cook until it releases all the water. Brown the ground beef and then add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add the green bell pepper and cook for two minutes, then add the olive oil and the rest of the ingredients (except the cheeses and olives).
- Stir every few minutes to avoid burning the beef. Cook on medium heat until the beef is fully cooked.
- If you find the mixture dry, add a quarter of a cup of boiling water and let it cook until the water evaporates.
- Add cheddar cheese and mozzarella on one half of the tortilla, add the beef on top, and then add few olives. Top with both cheeses. Flip the bare half of the tortilla over the filling and press it down gently.
- Oil the skillet or a flat pan, place the filled tortilla on the hot griddle. Cook until the cheese melts and the bottom of the tortilla is golden and crisp. Flip and cook the other side.
- Place the quesadilla on a cutting board and cut it into three or two wedges.
- Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salad, or salsa.
Video
Notes
- Use ground meat if that is what you have.
- How to safely store the quesadilla is mentioned in the post.
- The baking method is mentioned under (Can I bake Quesadilla)
- This post was originally posted in 2016 and is now updated with new images and more information.
David @ Spiced
What a great idea! It's almost like a hamburger inside of a quesadilla...and I love me a good hamburger! I have no idea why I've never put ground beef in a quesadilla before. You're making me hungry now, Muna...
munatycooking
To me it tastes better than burger 🙂 .. I'm glad that I made you hungry, now you know how I feel when I visit your blog and see mouth watering clicks of your food!
Chris Scheuer
Such a quick easy and delicious looking dinner. Just what everyone seems to be looking for!
munatycooking
Thanks Chris, hope you give it a try!
AiPing | Curious Nut
I just had some quesadilla for dinner yesterday. I love it. This ground beef quesadilla of yours looks out of this world. I'd like to just take a bite of it right now. :p
munatycooking
Wish I can send you some 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes
I wish my hubby ate cheese...these quesadillas look really delicious, Muna.
munatycooking
Thanks Angie 🙂
Shelby @ Go Eat and Repeat
This quesadilla looks delish! I love all those great spices and flavors you add to them!
Alison
These look lovely. I like the fact you can put them in your lunchbox
munatycooking
Thanks Alison 🙂
Nagi@RecipeTinEats
I love anything with cheese...and beef! Wow! This quesadilla looks really yummy!
munatycooking
Thanks Nagi, it tasted really good, I will add more cheese for hubby next time though 🙂
lisa
I make the cheese ones all the time. Never thought to add hamburger. Next time we will be kicking it up anotch with this recipe.
munatycooking
Hey Lisa, I'm sure you'll love this version, it's delicious and tastes like a cheesy beef burger 🙂
Angie
This recipe sounds great , I’m always looking for quick and easy recipes to make and this fits the bill. I can make the beef on this weekend!
munatycooking
Thanks for your kind words, and thanks for stopping over! I hope you like my recipe 🙂
Karly Campbell
Love that you used homemade tortillas! Yum city!!
munatycooking
Hey Karly! Homemade tortillas always taste better 🙂
Sandra | Sandra's Easy Cooking
You make all the food that I really, really love. This is an amazing idea, and clicks are mouthwatering. YUM!!!
munatycooking
Thanks for your kind words Sandra, you are so sweet 🙂
Henry Hunt III
I made this the other day and it was fantastic!
munatycooking
I'm glad you liked it 🙂
Tara
This sounds delicious. I will be making these with ground turkey.
munatycooking
Thank you, Tara! They will taste so good with ground turkey too 😊
Richelle Milar
This looks absolutely delicious, this is perfection. I would really love to try his one, it looks easy to make.
munatycooking
It is really easy to prepare and it's a perfect dinner too. Thanks for your comment 😃
Beth Pierce
Wow, I haven't had this for a while. It would be great to make it again. homemade tortillas are great!
munatycooking
Nothing beats homemade tortillas 😊, Hope you enjoy my recipe!
MELANIE
These sound so good. I normally make them with cheese and bacon and a few other things. Must try your version.
munatycooking
Bacon and cheese sound great too 😊. Thanks, Melanie!
Lynndee
We love Mexican food and we love a good quesadilla, for sure. That looks delish!
munatycooking
Thank you so much Lynndee! 😊
Tasheena
This looks like a recipe my family would love. Looking forward to making it for them.
munatycooking
I hope they like it and please let me know what they thought 😊
Everything Enchanting
This looks so good! Sadly, I don't eat beef 😞 Can I make it with any other meat?
munatycooking
You can replace beef with chicken, turkey, or even mushrooms, it will still taste good, I promise!
Swathi
Ground beef quesadilla cheese looks delicious. I need to try it.
munatycooking
Please do, it was an amazing dinner 😊
Jim
Do you use whole onions?
munatycooking
Hi Jim, I have used whole onion!