This cheesy ground beef quesadilla with chipotle seasoning is a quick Mexican-inspired game-day food or the perfect late-night snack. It's served with mixed bell peppers and corn, also Mexican cheese on tortilla.
Today, I am going to show you how to make an easy ground beef quesadilla with few ingredients. The homemade quesadilla seasoning from ingredients that you could easily find in your pantry.
I chose ground beef as a quesadilla filling over steak because it's inexpensive and cooks up fast. The left over meat (browned, un-seasoned) can be used in many recipes such as chili, pasta, lasagna, hamburgers, meatloaf, etc. This would make a perfect game-day food on a budget.
Mexican party food can be prepared in so many ways, whether traditional Mexican food or a Mexican inspired dish like this one or this delicious Shrimp Ceviche With Avocado. The well-seasoned ground beef would also be great for casserole, burrito bowl, tostadas or tacos. If you decide to make ground beef quesadilla casserole, simply place ½ portion of browned and seasoned ground beef on a 13 inch baking tray, top with 3 flour tortilla, repeat the process once then finish up with some cheese of your choice (such as Mexican Cheese or Cheddar Cheese).
Ground Beef Quesadilla Seasoning and Ingredients:
Let's talk about the ground beef quesadilla ingredients. I used browned ground beef and seasoned it with homemade chipotle seasoning, a mix of bell peppers and corn, mixed Mexican cheese, all atop a 10-inch soft flour tortila.
To make the homemade quesadilla seasoning, I used a canned Chipotle sauce in medium heat, cumin, tomato sauce, garlic, onion powder, dried oregano, ancho chili powder, and olive oil.
I added about 4 tablespoons of chipotle sauce to the 1.5 pounds of ground beef. Surprisingly, both of my kids didn't even notice the heat on those quesadillas. I would highly recommend this chipotle sauce over chipotle pepper in canned because you have more control to adjust the spiciness during cooking. If Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce is the only option you have, you can use about 1-2 peppers for this recipe.
CHECK OUT MORE DELICIOUS MEXICAN-INSPIRED RECIPES:
- MEXICAN BREAKFAST TOAST
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- SHRIMP AVOCADO MANGO SALAD
- INSTANT POT CARNITAS (TENDER AND CRISPY)
- INSTANT POT CILANTRO LIME RICE
- CHORIZO SOUP (WITH BLACK BEANS AND VEGGIES!)
- TOFU RANCHEROS (LOW CARB AND HIGH IN PROTEIN!) - WITH RECIPE VIDEO 🎥
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To brown the ground beef for a crispier and juicier protein, add the meat to a lightly oiled skillet pan and leave it for about 2 minutes before break it up. That way the meat will have enough time to gain some texture. You will also need to season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Once the ground beef is fully browned, it's time to remove the juice and grease. You can do this by carefully tilting the pan so you can remove the liquid (then use a paper towel to absorb the remaining fat).
📖 Recipe
Ground Beef Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- 4 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1½ tablespoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 tablespoon chipotle sauce medium (add more according to your liking)
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder (add more according to your liking)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 1 green bell pepper (diced)
- ½ cup frozen roasted corn or fresh corn
- 10-inch soft flour tortillas
- 2 cups Mexican Blend Cheese or Cheddar Cheese (use less or more according to your liking)
- fresh Avocado or Guacamole
- jalapeños
Method
- In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until the meat is brown inside and no longer red or pink. Transfer to a plate and remove excess grease if necessary.
- In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the remaining seasoning ingredients and cook for 1 minute. Add ground beef and keep stirring until the meat is well-coated. Taste and season with salt/pepper if needed. Set aside.
- In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the red bell pepper and green bell pepper for about 3-4 minutes. Add roasted corn and cook for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt/pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add one piece of tortilla on a lightly buttered skillet and layer with a generous amount of cheese on the bottom of the tortilla. Add seasoned ground beef, mixed bell peppers, and corn. Finish up with some cheese and top with a second tortilla. Cook the tortilla until it is golden on the other side and repeat this process on the second side until both sides of tortilla are crips and golden and the cheese inside is melted. Serve with fresh avocado or guac and jalapeno.
Nutrition
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Let us know how it was!
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
These turned out terrific looking. My oldest son loves quesadillas. I have made them for him and they didn't look anywhere near as good as yours look.
Farida says
We have tried doing something similar at home and it was lovely. This recipe is absolutely a must try because it is not only easy to make but healthy too!
robin rue says
This sounds like a wonderful meal. I think these would be a nice change of pace on Taco Tuesdays in our house.
Amber Myers says
I must try these out for dinner soon! I usually just make cheese quesadillas, but I think I'd enjoy this one too. There's so many goodies in this.
Jeanette says
That looks absolutely amazing! I definitely need to try this. It has everything in it that I love to eat.
Alison Rost says
This looks amazing and I love the flavors in this recipe. It's definitely a recipe that we'll enjoy and I'd love to make it for me and my husband.
Terri Steffes says
Oh yum yum. I love this flavor profile. I think this is my favorite kind of food. There's something so homey and rich about it!
Angelic Sinova says
Ground Beef Quesadillas with Chipotle Seasoning? SOLD! I LOVE quesadillas so I can't way to try this recipe out. There's something about homemade quesadillas that I just love.
Candy says
Easy and quick. Makes a bunch and fills everyone up. Perfect meal
Emily says
Oh wow, I need to make this! We love making quesadillas in our house but for some reason I never think to put in ground beef. I will be making these for sure!