This Taco Quesadilla recipe is a simple, 30 minute recipe everyone loves! Made with a few pantry ingredients, this meal is quick, easy, and gluten free. Serve cheesy ground beef quesadillas with guacamole for a snack or roasted corn and salad for a healthy, family friendly dinner.
Jump to:
- The Best Taco Quesadillas
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients In A Taco Quesadilla
- How To Make A Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadilla
- What To Serve With Taco Quesadillas
- Expert Tips
- Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Taco Quesadilla Toppings
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Recipes
- Did you make this recipe?
- Taco Quesadilla
The Best Taco Quesadillas
If you need a quick and delicious dinner, then you have to make this taco quesadilla recipe! It's super simple, completely customizable, and ready in just 30 minutes.
Soft, gluten free flour tortillas are filled with a cheesy ground beef filling flavored with taco seasoning, onion, garlic, and lime then toasted until golden brown. Not only is this meal packed with protein, it's also a healthy dish that both kids and adults love!
I can almost guarantee that this simple, yet incredibly yummy, quesadilla will become a weeknight staple in your house. Be sure to also check out my classic air fryer quesadilla or spicy buffalo chicken quesadilla for more variety!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's quick and easy, and can be made in 30 minutes
- You only need a handful of pantry ingredients
- Super versatile, you can make it with ground beef, chicken, or turkey
- It's gluten free and can be made dairy free if needed
- A delicious recipe that the whole family will love
- This taco quesadilla recipe can be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd!
Key Ingredients In A Taco Quesadilla
*full ingredients list and measurements can be found in recipe card below*
- Tortillas: This is the base for your taco quesadilla. I like to use homemade gluten free tortillas, but store bought flour tortillas also work.
- Ground beef: For this I prefer to use lean (93/7) ground beef but 85/15 also good, just drain some of the excess grease
- Taco seasoning: I think that homemade taco seasoning adds so much more flavor, but a high quality store-bought seasoning is a good time saving option. Just make sure it's gluten free!
- Cheese: Cheddar cheese is my preferred taco cheese, but use your favorite!
- Onion: Sauteed onion adds SO much flavor to the ground beef filling!
- Bell Pepper: This is optional, but I really like it in the quesadilla. It adds some Vitamin C and extra flavor to the meat filling. Any color works!
Substitutions:
- Tortillas: Store-bought flour tortillas, either gluten free or regular, will work. You cannot use corn tortillas in this recipe since they're too fragile and break easily
- Ground beef: Substitute with ground turkey or ground chicken for a leaner option
- Taco seasoning: Sometimes I like to switch it up and season with Elote seasoning!
- Cheese: You can use Pepper Jack, Gouda, Muenster, or even Cooper Sharp. If you're dairy free, try it with a non-dairy cheddar cheese
- Veggies: Don't like veggies? Keep it simple with just ground beef and cheese. If you want to add more vegetables, diced tomatoes, corn, zucchini, and mushrooms can all be sauteed with the onion.
How To Make A Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadilla
1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, break it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink
2. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ground beef from the pan, then add chopped onions and bell pepper to the pan and cook for about 7 minutes until no longer soft. Add minced garlic into the pan during the last 2 minutes of cook time so it doesn't burn
3. Turn the heat down to medium/low and add the ground beef back into the skillet. Season with taco seasoning, salt, and lime juice, and mix well. Once everything is coated in seasoning, turn the heat off, and remove skillet from the stovetop.
4. Lay 1 flour tortilla on a flat surface, spread cheese on top, add some of the ground beef mixture on top of that, sprinkle with a little more cheese, then top with another tortilla. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
5. Cook the quesadillas in a greased skillet in batches over medium heat. They only take 2-3 minutes a side, so watch they don't burn!
6. Once they're all cooked, cut into quarters (or halves) and serve!
What To Serve With Taco Quesadillas
You can enjoy these taco quesadillas as a snack or appetizer and serve it with guacamole or eat as a dinner and serve with once of these sides.
Expert Tips
- Substitute the ground beef with ground turkey or chicken for a leaner option
- Adjust the seasoning to your taste
- Meal prep your quesadillas by making the filling ahead of time and storing in the fridge until needed
- Add cheese to the top and bottom of the quesadilla to help the ground beef stick
- You can make 3 large taco quesadillas or 6 halves
- Serve the cheesy ground beef filling in lettuce wraps or over salad for a low carb option
Storing and Reheating Instructions
STORING: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them by flash freezing on a baking sheet first, then wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and storing in a freezer safe bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.
REHEATING: To reheat from the fridge, place taco quesadilla onto a baking sheet and bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes. You can also reheat in a pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes a side.
If reheating from frozen, allow to thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat by one of the ways listed above.
Taco Quesadilla Toppings
The sky's the limit when it comes to taco quesadilla toppings! You can add as few or as many as you'd like, but here's some ideas to get you started:
- Taco sauce
- Sour cream
- Greek yogurt
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Pico de gallo
- Diced avocado
- Extra tomatoes
- Black olives
- Extra cheese
- Squeeze of lime
- Chopped cilantro
Frequently Asked Questions
No, tacos and quesadillas are two different things.
A taco is a tortilla with a filling (generally beef in America) loaded up with toppings and folded in half.
A quesadilla is a tortilla with a filling (usually cheese) that is cooked on a griddle or stove until the filling is warm and the tortilla is crisp.
I don't suggest making the quesadillas ahead of time because the tortilla can get soggy if they sit too long. What you can do, is prepare the filling and all of the toppings ahead of time so all you'll need to do is assemble and cook.
Sure! This is a great recipe to double or even triple if you need to feed a large crowd.
When I'm making this for my family, I double it and it turns out great!
Yes, you can freeze quesadillas. Once they're cooked, allow them to cool completely then place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze until the quesadillas are firm, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe bag in the freeze for up to 2 months.
Related Recipes
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PrintTaco Quesadilla
This Taco Quesadilla recipe is a simple, 20 minute recipe everyone loves! Made with a few pantry ingredients, this meal is quick, easy, and gluten free. Serve cheesy ground beef quesadillas with guacamole for a snack or roasted corn and salad for a healthy, family friendly dinner.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
- Category: Quesadilla
- Method: Pan Frying
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef (93/7)
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion- diced
- ¼ cup diced bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic- minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons taco seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (omit if using taco seasoning packet)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 6 gluten free flour tortillas
- 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Avocado oil spray
Instructions
Make The Quesadilla Filling (can be done ahead of time)
- Set a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, then add the ground beef to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to break it up and cook until no longer pink
- Once the ground beef is cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan into a bowl and set aside. To the hot pan, add ½ tablespoon of olive oil, the diced onion, and diced bell pepper.
- Cook the veggies for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. After 5 minutes, add in the minced garlic, sauté for another minute, and turn heat down to medium/low
- Add the ground beef back into the pan and season with taco seasoning, salt (if needed), and lime juice. Stir well then turn off the heat.
Make The Quesadillas:
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F and set a large skillet over medium heat and spray it with avocado oil spray
- Once the skillet is hot, lay 1 tortilla in the bottom of the pan, add ¼ cup of shredded cheese, spoon enough ground beef over to cover the cheese, then add another ¼ cup of shredded cheese on top along with another tortilla
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the bottom is nicely golden brown, then use a rubber spatula to carefully flip the quesadilla and cook another 2-3 minutes to brown the other side
- When both sides are golden and crispy, carefully take the quesadilla out of the pan, place it onto a baking sheet, and let it stay warm in the oven while you make the rest of the quesadillas
- Once they're all cooked, serve with your favorite garnishes and enjoy!
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Reheat in the oven or a pan, I don't suggest microwaving them
- Substitute the ground beef with ground turkey or chicken for a leaner option
- Adjust the seasoning to your taste
- Meal prep your quesadillas by making the filling ahead of time and storing in the fridge until needed
- Add cheese to the top and bottom of the quesadilla to help the ground beef stick
- You can make 3 large taco quesadillas or 6 halves
- Serve the cheesy ground beef filling in lettuce wraps or over salad for a low carb option
Keywords: quesadilla taco, cheesy ground beef quesadillas, quesadilla with taco meat
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