These cheesy ground beef quesadillas are tasty and simple to make! With the crazy, chaotic world that we live in nowadays, it’s so nice to have a reliable recipe that you know is going to knock it out of the park, every single time!
My family always gets excited when I start prepping to make any of my quesadilla recipes. Meaty, cheesy, and so easy, recipes like my cheesy chicken quesadillas are always a big hit for my family, and because I don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen, they’re a big hit with me, too!
The best part about quesadilla recipes like this one is that the family actually likes to hop in and help. Anytime I can get them cooking with me in the kitchen, it’s always a good sign!
The way I see it, when they take an interest in a recipe, it means they’re also going to enjoy eating it without issues. That means fewer leftovers and wasted food to have to deal with, and I’ll be keeping my “gold medal status” as head chef in the house, too!
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: These quesadillas are made with just a few simple ingredients and spices you can find in your kitchen and at any grocery store.
- Easy: It only takes a few simple steps and about 30 minutes to make these cheesy, beefy quesadillas.
- Customizable: You can easily change up the ingredients in this recipe to make it your own.
- Versatile: These quesadillas are the perfect dinner or party food.
- Big, Big Flavor: Every bite of these quesadillas is loaded with the bold flavors of seasoned ground beef, beens, jalapenos, and cheese.
Ingredients
I’ve included a brief overview of the ingredients below. You can find their exact quantities in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Lean ground beef
- Onions – chopped
- Garlic – minced
- Ground cumin
- Pepper
- Salt
- Red pepper flakes
- Rotel tomatoes
- Jalapenos – diced
- Black beans – drained and rinsed
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Cheddar cheese
- Flour tortillas – burrito-sized
- Butter – divided
Variations
- Ground Beef: Use ground chicken or turkey for a lighter version. For even more meaty flavor, try a blend of ground beef and pork or spicy chorizo sausage.
- Mild: Omit the jalapenos and red pepper flakes for a mild version of this recipe.
- Cheese: I used Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, but you could also use cheeses like Mexican blend and taco blend.
- Olives: Black olives work very well in this recipe and pair perfectly with the other ingredients.
How to Make Ground Beef Quesadillas
This is a brief overview of the recipe to give you an idea of how it’s made. The full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Cook the ground beef and onions until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Then, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Drain the grease, then add the seasonings, Rotel, and black beans. Continue cooking until heated through.
- Add a tortilla to a large frying pan with butter over medium heat. Top the tortilla with Monterey Jack, some of the meat mixture, and cheddar. Then, fold the tortilla in half and cook until golden on both sides.
- Repeat until all the quesadillas are made, cut them into thirds, and top with your favorite toppings.
Tips
- I recommend using flour tortillas for this recipe. Corn tortillas have a nice flavor, but they tend to break when used in this way.
- Stop cooking the ground beef as soon as it’s no longer pink. Overcooking it will make it tough and rubbery.
- Flip your tortilla just one time if possible. This gives the filling plenty of time to get melty as the outside browns.
- Always wash your hands after handling hot peppers and never touch your face.
Ground Beef Quesadillas FAQ
Some great toppings for quesadillas include sour cream, chives, cilantro, fresh jalapenos, avocado, guacamole, salsa, and pico de gallo.
Keep your heat at medium. This is the sweet spot for getting golden quesadillas with a melty filling. Gently lift up the corn of your quesadilla every 2 to 3 minutes to check for a golden color. Flip when one side is done, and continue cooking the other side.
Quesadillas are best with flour tortillas. Corn tortillas are much crispier and fall apart very easily, making them difficult to prepare and eat.
More Delicious Quesadilla Recipes
If you try this recipe and love it, please be sure to leave a 5 ★★★★★ rating below and leave a comment! You can also pin it to your favorite Pinterest boards and save it for later.
Also, follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Remember to “like” or “follow” us on all social media.
Ground Beef Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 10 ounce Rotel®, drained (I used about ½ of can)
- 2 tablespoons diced jalapenos
- 15 ounce black beans, drained, rinsed
- 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 flour tortillas, burrito size (about 8 inch)
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- Optional: sour cream, green onions, cilantro, avocado
Instructions
- In a large frying pan or skillet, cook ground beef with onions over medium heat until there is no pink and onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute or two.
- Drain grease, return to pan.
- Add cumin, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and jalapenos, half a can of Rotel® and black beans into meat mixture, stir.
- Continue cooking over medium heat until heated through.
- Using a large frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
- Place one tortilla in pan, add Monterey Jack cheese, then 3-4 tablespoons of meat mixture, followed by cheddar cheese on one half of tortilla.
- Fold in half and cook over medium heat until browned, then flip and brown the other side. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until all quesadillas are cooked.
- Cut each quesadilla in half or thirds, garnish with sour cream, sliced green onions, cilantro and avocado slices, optional.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Wrap individual quesadillas in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
- Defrost overnight if frozen. Then, microwave at 1-minute intervals until heated through.
- I recommend using flour tortillas for this recipe. Corn tortillas have a nice flavor, but they tend to break when used in this way.
- Stop cooking the ground beef as soon as it’s no longer pink. Overcooking it will make it tough and rubbery.
- Flip your tortilla just one time if possible. This gives the filling plenty of time to get melty as the outside browns.
- Always wash your hands after handling hot peppers and never touch your face.
When are the black beans added ?
Thanks Clare, I fixed it. :)