Taco Quesadilla

A taco quesadilla is the happy marriage of perfectly flavorful taco meat and the crunchy, cheesy goodness of a quesadilla. Use leftover taco meat and you’re just moments away from a meal everyone will love!

Taco meat filled quesadillas sliced on cutting board

I promise that I haven’t been holding out on you, friends. We make quesadillas with the best ever taco meat at least once a week – for lunches, dinners, late night snacks, our boys happily make and eat these all day long.

We keep that taco meat on hand pretty much at all times. If there isn’t a container of it tucked in the fridge, I can guarantee you that portions in the freezer are just waiting to be used.

quesadillas with ground beef, corn, and black beans

To make today’s taco inspired quesadillas, you’ll need the following ingredients:

tortillas
butter
shredded cheese
taco beef
cilantro

open tortilla in skillet with ground beef and cheese on half

Ground Beef Quesadilla

Preheat a large non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Lightly butter a single side of one tortilla with about ½ a teaspoon of butter and place it in the hot pan.

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of cheese, ¼ cup of the taco meat, and an additional 2-3 tablespoons of cheese on just one half of the open tortilla. Sprinkle with cilantro.

cheese piled over meat on tortilla in skillet

Fold the tortilla over on itself and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. When the cheese has begun to melt and the bottom tortilla is browning slightly, flip the folded quesadilla over to cook the other side.

Continue to cook until all the cheese is melted and the tortilla is crisp around the edges.

Using a spatula, transfer the quesadilla back to a cutting board and cut into wedges while it is hot and serve warm.

Repeat with additional filling and tortillas as desired.

stacked taco quesadillas on cutting board with red and white napkin

Quesadilla Recipes

Quesadillas are a long time favorite both for snacking and for full meals, with 14 quesadilla recipes here clearly they are a regular thing for us. To make a meal of a stack of quesadillas – just dig in! OR if I’m your mom, the suggestion to add a salad or a handful or two of fresh vegetables with ranch dip is always going to happen.

From hearty classics like pulled pork quesadillas, chicken fajita quesadillas, steak quesadillas, and shrimp quesadillas to more unique combos like pizza quesadillas and zucchini quesadillas, we have them all!

We even have a “choose your own adventure” type Everything Quesadillas formula for you!

Servings: 4

Preheat a large non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Lightly butter a single side of one tortilla with about ½ a teaspoon of butter and place it in the hot pan.
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of cheese, ¼ cup of your taco meat, and an additional 2-3 tablespoons of cheese on just one half of the open tortilla. Sprinkle with cilantro. Fold the tortilla over on itself and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
When the cheese has begun to melt and the bottom tortilla is browning slightly, flip the folded quesadilla over to cook the other side. Continue to cook until all the cheese is melted and the tortilla is crisp around the edges.
Using a spatula, transfer the quesadilla back to a cutting board and cut into wedges while it is hot and serve warm. Repeat as desired.

Calories: 365kcal · Carbohydrates: 16g · Protein: 27g · Fat: 21g · Saturated Fat: 10g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g · Monounsaturated Fat: 7g · Trans Fat: 1g · Cholesterol: 82mg · Sodium: 610mg · Potassium: 284mg · Fiber: 1g · Sugar: 1g · Vitamin A: 315IU · Vitamin C: 0.03mg · Calcium: 539mg · Iron: 3mg