Skip boring old cheese quesadillas! Add steak and veggies and you’ll have the dreamiest, meatiest Steak Quesadilla that’s a filling dinner all on its own.
An easy dinner idea like this one is great to add to the dinner rotation, especially when you want something good but want it made in less than an hour! Or, serve them as an appetizer for a fiesta, or along with a nacho bar or taco bar for friends and family!
Tuesday isn’t just for crispy chicken tacos or even the best-ever beef and cheese burritos. I like to mix things up! It’s easy to meal plan that Tuesday is Mexican, but then go ahead and get creative with exactly how you interpret that!
These steak quesadillas remind me of fajitas with peppers and onions, and I think it’s great to think of them as pre-assembled fajitas! You can also use the steak to make some amazing fajita wraps.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Amped up flavor: Use your favorite taco seasoning to add flavor to the steak.
- Make-ahead recipe: Did you know you can freeze quesadillas? Freeze them cooked so they stay together and you’ll have a great heat and eat meal another day.
- Perfect for picky eaters: You can mix and match fillings when griddling your quesadillas. But because a quesadilla is familiar territory, you might be able to introduce new ingredients inside.
Ingredients Needed
I’ve highlighted a couple of ingredients below with some relevant notes. Aside from this, the ingredients needed are pretty basic.
- Beef – Skirt steak is the perfect cut here. You can usually get it already cut into “ribbons” at the store, so it is perfectly cut against the grain to not be too tough.
- Cheese – Colby jack gives a great blended flavor and melts really well to hold everything together.
- Veggies – Bell peppers and sweet onion add flavor without being overwhelming. Prefer more bite? Use red onions.
- Tortillas – Select large burrito-size tortillas to hold everything in.
- Taco Seasoning – I like to use this to season my meat and veggies.
Substitutions
Sometimes substitutions are necessary because of ingredients that are unavailable or needed for dietary restrictions. Here are some suggestions that can help:
- Cheese – use any variety that you enjoy the taste of. I recommend cheddar, Colby, or Monterey Jack for their great melting capabilities!
- Meat – feel free to use diced chicken or even shrimp. Flank steak is another option if you can’t find skirt steak.
Variations
Instead of folding each tortilla in half, you could spread the filling over the entire tortilla and top it with another tortilla to make a large quesadilla. When I do it this way, I like to double the filling in each. So you would be getting 3 large quesadillas instead of 6 smaller ones.
Equipment
You can use 1 or 2 skillets here – either make the filling then place it in a large bowl and wipe out the skillet to reuse, or you can just leave the filling in the skillet and use a second one to cook the quesadillas.
How to Make Skirt Steak Quesadillas
A quesadilla dinner is only a few steps away:
- make the filling
- cook up quesadillas
- add all the fun toppings!
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
STEP 1. Slice the veggies. Slice the veggies and heat them up with the garlic until just softened (Image 1).
Tip: Slice the veggies all the same size, as well as being similar to the steak. This way everything will cook evenly and will also give you the perfect filling ratio.
STEP 2. Cook the steak. Cook the steak quickly over high heat, then add the taco seasoning and water. Stir in the veggies so everything is coated in seasoning (Image 2).
STEP 3. Layer it up. In a clean skillet, add a tortilla and place filling and cheese on one half (Image 3).
STEP 4. Cook and flip. Carefully fold the tortilla in half and flip over to finish cooking and seal everything in (Image 4).
Recipe Pro Tips
- Cook filling first. Make sure your veggies are cooked to your preferred texture and the steak to your favorite doneness. The quesadilla is only cooked long enough to melt the cheese, and you won’t be able to cook the other ingredients from raw.
- Better your knife skills. Try and slice all the veggies the same size so they cook evenly. The same goes for the steak.
Recipe FAQs
I find that using a single tortilla folded will keep the fillings inside better! This gives you less area for filling to escape, and you can use that edge to help flip the quesadilla over. Also making sure that the cheese is melted before flipping will “glue” things together.
Cheddar, Colby, and Monterey Jack are all really great melting cheeses and will hold everything together as well as give you a great cheese pull. To add more traditional flavor, try combining some oaxaca or chihuahua with your cheddar.
The cheese is obvious, but then you’ll want to add some more protein to “beef” it up, whether that is beef, chicken, or beans. Peppers and onions are classic, and I used bell peppers to appeal to the most people, but you can use spicier options like poblano or jalapeño. Make it vegetarian by using black beans with cubed, cooked sweet potato.
Try adding some cheese in the pan on the outside of your tortilla for extra color and texture. Use multiple colors of peppers to add a visual flair. Get creative with your toppings such as lime crema.
What to Serve with Steak Quesadillas
I love to add a whole spread to make a meal. While the quesadilla can be filling on its own with yummy toppings, you can make it serve more people by adding sides. A great taco dip isn’t only for game day! Add even more protein with a 3 Bean Salad, and my elote dip is also really popular.
Storage
One option is to prepare the whole recipe from start to finish and freeze the quesadillas (see below). Alternatively, you can prepare the individual components (just the sautéed veggies and beef), freeze them separately, and, when the hankering strikes, assemble and cook the quesadillas for a fresher finished product.
- Refrigerator. Once the quesadillas have cooled completely, seal them in an airtight container or a large Ziplock and store them in the freezer for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. Allow the quesadillas to cool to room temperature before sealing them in a large Ziplock bag and storing them in the Freezer. They will stay good for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat. Arrange the quesadillas in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, cover them with more aluminum foil, and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes or until heated through. You could also pop a quesadilla in the microwave. Heat in 30-second intervals until warm.
More Steak Recipes You’ll Love
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
Steak Quesadilla
Ingredients
For the quesadillas
- 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds skirt steak thinly sliced
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1 small sweet onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 6 large flour tortillas
To serve
- 1 cup salsa We love this Rotel Salsa recipe.
- 1 cup guacamole
- 1 cup sour cream
- Fresh cilantro
- Limes
Instructions
- Sauté the veggies. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy bottom skillet and add the bell peppers and onion. Sauté until the onion becomes translucent and slightly caramelized. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Cook the steak. Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil in that same skillet over medium-high heat and add the skirt steak. Sauté until cooked to your preferred level of doneness and then add the taco seasoning and water. Combine well and then add the sauteed veggies to the steak and give it a good stir.
- Fill the tortilla. Place a tortilla into a clean skillet over medium heat and add ¼ cup of the steak, ¼ cup of the sauteed veggies mixture, and a handful of the cheese to one side of the tortilla. Give the tortilla about 30 seconds to toast and then fold the the empty half of the tortilla over to close all of the ingredients inside.
- Cook the quesadilla. Allow the quesadilla to cook for a couple of minutes before flipping and cooking for an additional couple of minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tortilla is golden brown.
- Repeat. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the remaining ingredients.
- Serve. Slice the quesadillas into triangles and serve topped with salsa, guac, sour cream, cilantro, and lime.
Notes
- Nutrition information is for quesadilla only, without toppings.
- Try chicken if you don’t have steak on hand.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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