Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas (2024)

Looking for super cheesy ground beef quesadillas? You’ve come to the right place! Well-seasoned ground beef, lots of ooey gooey cheese and a crispy golden brown exterior make these quesadillas simply irresistible! They’re sure to become a favourite in your home as they are in ours.

Hi friends! If you’re looking for an easy quesadilla recipe, you’ve come to the right place!

If you know me, you know that I’m a huge fan of quesadillas. One of the reasons is, like grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas are a method of getting more cheese into my pie hole, LOL.

Seriously, though, hubby and I enjoy quesadillas on the regular. They’re super easy to whip up, you can put as little or as much as you want in them and they always taste amazing. I’ve made lots of varieties, like chicken, turkey, and breakfast quesadillas.

Today though? Ground beef quesadillas.One thing they all have in common: cheese (and lots of it). You gotta have quesadillas with cheese! Tell me you don’t wanna grab some through your screen (if only, right?!).

These cheesy quesadillas come together in no time at all with some pretty basic ingredients you probably already have on hand. I’m pretty confident they’ll be in regular rotation in your home as they are in ours.

How To Make Ground Beef Quesadillas

Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

1. Heat oil in a pan, then add ground beef, spices, salt and pepper.
2. Cook the ground beef.
3. Once the ground beef is fully cooked through, stir in tomato paste.
4. Pour in beef stock/broth (or you could use water). Once stock/broth is absorbed, remove the ground beef from the pan.
5. Place some cheese on one half of each tortilla.
6. Top with cooked ground beef.
7. Add a little more cheese.
8. Fold over each tortilla so it’s a half-moon shape.
9. Gently cook quesadillas (in batches) in a greased pan until they’re golden brown on the outside and the cheese has melted. Watch that they don’t burn. They cook quickly! Once they’re done, cut in half and enjoy.

What Type of Tortilla Should I Use for Quesadillas?

For quesadillas, I prefer flour tortillas over corn tortillas.They’re readily available (more so than corn tortillas here in Newfoundland). Plus, they’re hearty, flexible and withstand all those delicious toppings.

If you like, try homemade flour tortillas instead of store-bought. If using that recipe, just make them a little bigger for these quesadillas.

What Size of Tortilla Is Best?

I typically use flour tortillas that are about 7 to 8 inches in diameter.

What’s the Best Cheese for Quesadillas?

Cheese not only tastes awesome in these beef quesadillas, but also acts as a “glue” to keep things together. Cheese, is there anything you can’t do?

When making quesadillas, pick a nice melting cheese, like cheddar, pizza mozzarella or Monterey Jack (or a combo of them).

I’ve made these quesadillas a bunch of times with different varieties of cheese, as well as with a store bought blend of cheddar, Monterey Jack and pizza mozzarella. I don’t often go for pre-shredded cheeses, but by buying a blend, you get a variety without having to buy multiple blocks of cheese.

Having said that, in the event that you do have odds and ends of cheese in your fridge, now would be the time to use them!

Other nice melting cheeses are Manchego, Havarti, fontina, Swiss, Gouda and provolone. For added flavour (even though it doesn’t melt well), I’ve even added crumbled feta to the mix (queso fresco also works great).

It’s cheese. As a cheese obsessed person, there is no going wrong in my book!

Can Leftover Quesadillas Be Reheated?

Yes! You can reheat leftover quesadillas in a non-stick frying pan on the stovetop over about medium-low heat (this will yield the crispiest reheating results) until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

Alternatively, place quesadillas on a sheet pan in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven and heat for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

They may not be quite as crispy as freshly made, but they are still pretty awesome.

Tips and Variations for Making the Best Quesadillas

• Watch those quesadillas in the pan! They are burn quickly. It’s better to have the heat on the lower side so you get a nice golden brown colour (without burning) and still melt the cheese.
• Carefully flip the quesadillas so the filling doesn’t spill out. Use two spatulas (or one really large one) to flip, or cut into pieces before browning. It may make things a little more manageable.
• I like to keep these beef and cheese quesadillas simple, but you could add sliced avocado, hot peppers (patted dry before using), corn or cilantro (or whatever you please).

What To Serve With These Ground Beef Quesadillas

You can certainly enjoy these quesadillas on their own or serve with any of these:

• Sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Salsa
• Pico de gallo
• Guacamole
• Green salad, like this chopped Mexican salad with pepitas
• Rice
• Mexican street corn

Like These Cheesy Quesadillas? You May Enjoy These Too!

• Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
• Cheesy Ground Turkey Quesadillas
• Veggie and Egg Quesadillas

Hope you love these ground beef quesadillas as much as we do! Stay tuned for more easy cheesy quesadillas recipes coming your way!

If you make these cheesy beef quesadillas, be sure to leave a comment below!