Steak Quesadilla
Make the best Steak Quesadilla with this easy recipe that's loaded with flavorful carne asada, fajita veggies and tons of cheese! It only takes 30 minutes to make this delicious Mexican dish for an easy weeknight meal that's better than fast food or a restaurant chain.
Ingredients
For the steak
- ½ pound skirt steak, or flank steak
- ½ tablespoon olive oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon carne asada seasoning, click link for the recipe (or use steak seasoning or fajita seasoning)
For the fajita veggies
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the quesadillas
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded (or monterey jack cheese)
- 4 large tortillas, burrito-size
- cooking spray
Instructions
For the steak:
- Rub the skirt steak with olive oil, then cover on all sides with the carne asada seasoning. If you have more time, you can marinate the steak for up to 8 hours, using the carne asada marinade recipe in this post.
- Preheat a grill over high heat.
- Cook the steak for 3-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 135°F for a medium-rare steak. A skirt steak will cook faster than a flank steak. If using a skirt steak, plan for 3-4 minutes per side. If using a flank steak, plan for 5 minutes per side.
- Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board.
For the fajita veggies:
- While the steak is resting, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the sliced bell peppers, jalapeño, salt and pepper, cook for an additional 6-8 minutes.
- Thinly slice the steak into strips, the dice it into small pieces, and toss it in with the sauteed veggies. Remove the skillet from the heat.
For the quesadillas:
- Heat another large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Wait for the skillet to get hot, then spray one side of a tortilla with cooking spray. Place the sprayed side of the tortilla down in the hot skillet.
- Add about 1 cup of shredded cheese in an even layer on top of the tortilla. Top the cheese with about 1 ½ cups of the fajita veggie steak mixture in an even layer. Add another cup of shredded cheese on top of the steak and fajita veggies, then top with another tortilla and spray the outside of the tortilla with cooking spray.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, carefully flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the quesadilla from the skillet and repeat with the other two tortillas and the remaining ingredients to make one more quesadilla.
- Cut each quesadilla into 4 or 8 pieces per serving.
Notes
- Optionally serve the quesadilla with guacamole, salsa, Taco Bell copycat quesadilla sauce, sour cream, Pico de Gallo, or Chipotle Sauce for dipping.
- If you’d like to make four smaller quesadillas, instead of two large quesadillas, you have two options. Either use one large “burrito size” tortilla, and only add the cheese, steak, veggies and cheese to one half of the tortilla, then fold the other half of the tortilla over the fillings. This will make a “half quesadilla” instead of the whole quesadilla you see pictured throughout this post. You can also use 8 small “fajita size” tortillas and make them as described in this recipe, but only use half of the cheese and filling in each quesadilla.
- You can make the carne asada and fajita veggies ahead of time. Feel free to cook these up to 2 days in advance. Store them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the quesadillas. I recommend reheating the steak and veggies in a hot skillet on the stove for 2-3 minutes before preparing the quesadillas. They will reheat in the quesadilla, but not all of the way through during the quesadilla cook time.
- You don’t have to add the fajita veggies. If you just want a steak and cheese quesadilla, simply omit the fajita veggies and double up on the steak.
- If you don’t have a grill, you can cook the steak on the stovetop instead. Use a cast iron skillet or grill pan, if you have one available. If not, use the heaviest bottom, largest skillet you have. Turn the stove on to high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the carne asada and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 135°F. Remove from the skillet and rest for 10 minutes before slicing and dicing.
- To make this recipe gluten free, use 8 small corn tortillas to make 4 small quesadillas, instead of using the burrito size flour tortillas.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 818kcal (41%)Carbohydrates 38g (13%)Protein 45g (90%)Fat 54g (83%)Saturated Fat 26g (130%)Polyunsaturated Fat 4gMonounsaturated Fat 18gTrans Fat 0.2gCholesterol 143mg (48%)Sodium 1532mg (64%)Potassium 508mg (15%)Fiber 4g (16%)Sugar 7g (8%)Vitamin A 2966mg (59%)Vitamin C 83mg (101%)Calcium 924mg (92%)Iron 4mg (22%)
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