Ground Beef Quesadillas

A stack of quesadillas topped with sour cream.

Quick and easy to make, these cheesy ground beef tacos are loaded with flavor and are super easy to make. It's the perfect game day Mexican appetizer!

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Servings quesadillas

Calories 401kcal

Author Slow The Cook Down

Ingredients

For the taco seasoning

1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cumin

To make the ground beef filling

1 tablespoon oil (more as needed)
14 ounces (400g) lean ground beef
1 red onion (sliced)
seasoning mix from above

For the quesadillas

5 10 inch flour tortillas
9 ounces (2¼ cups / 250g) shredded cheese ( I used a Tex Mex blend)
fresh cilantro (chopped)
fresh lime juice
5 green onions (sliced)

Instructions

Mix together the herbs and spices for the taco seasoning.
Heat the oil in a skillet on a medium high heat, and add in the sliced red onion and ground beef.
Once the beef has browned, stir in the seasoning mix and cook until the onions are soft.
Remove the cooked beef from the pan and place on kitchen towel to drain excess fat.
Wipe out the skillet and return to the heat. Add in a little oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
Place a tortilla into the skillet, place a couple of tablespoons of shredded cheese on half of the tortilla. Top with a 3 to four tablespoons of ground beef mix, top with cilantro, green onions, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of grated cheese.
Fold the tortilla in half, and press down with a spatula.
Cook for a couple of minutes, then flip over the tortilla to brown the other side.
Once browned on both sides, remove from the pan, and place on kitchen towel to remove excess oil.
Repeat with the other tortillas, adding a little oil to the pan if needed.
Cut each quesadilla in half and serve.

Notes

These ground beef quesadillas are fairly mild in spice. If you prefer yours on the hotter side, simply add in a little more cayenne to the spice mix.
Don't have the pan on too high a heat or the tortillas will cook too quickly and the cheese won't have chance to melt.
Don't overfill your quesadilla or it will spill out during cooking. Leave a gap around the edge of each tortilla to allow the filling to spread.

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