Steak Quesadillas (Ready in 28 Minutes)
Our Steak Quesadillas are an amazing blend of cheese, steak, veggies and spice packed together in a crispy tortilla. And making these quesadillas is simple and painless, coming together in just 28 minutes! Top with a dollop of sour cream or guacamole and enjoy the best steak quesadillas as a whole family tonight!
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Quesadillas are always a hit in our house, and this best steak quesadillas recipe tops the chart. If you love them as much as we do, be sure to try our ground turkey quesadillas or our other Mexican-inspired dishes, like our Southwest chicken bowl, picky-eater friendly enchilada skillet, chicken fajita tacos and red enchiladas!
Why these Steak Quesadillas are the Best!
- Quick and simple! Straightforward process with a short cook time of 28 minutes.
- Customizable. Switch out the cheese or veggies. Serve with rice, bean salad, chips or whatever your family likes.
- Fun toppings. You can put anything you like on your steak quesadillas: sour cream, chipotle crema, guacamole, salsa…you name it!
🥩 Best Steak for Quesadillas
The best steak for quesadillas is skirt or flank steak — both are thin, flavorful cuts that cook quickly and slice easily against the grain. If you’re working with leftovers, sirloin or NY strip work great too. To ensure the juiciest and most tender outcome, check out our tips for avoiding tough and chewy steak.
- Skirt steak – thin and quick-cooking, big beefy flavor, our top pick
- Flank steak – similar to skirt, easy to find at most grocery stores
- NY strip or sirloin – a good option if you already have leftovers or want a more tender bite
For thicker cuts of steak, it might be best to tenderize the meat before slicing for faster cooking. To tenderize your steak, cover a cutting board with plastic wrap. Lay down the meat and cover it with one more layer of plastic wrap. Pound the meat with the flat side of a meat mallet until the thickness is half of what it was originally (this may vary, depending on your meat).
Note: You can also use steak from our Carne Asada dish if you feel inspired!
🛒 Steak Quesadillas Ingredients
Notes on key ingredients are provided below. Please see the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
- Sliced steak- Skirt steak, flank steak or New York Strip.
- Veggies– We think sautéed onions and peppers go hand in hand with our Mexican-style steak quesadillas!
- Seasoning– Pepper, garlic powder and cumin to season the steak.
- Filling– Corn, green chilis and beans coated in lime juice adds tons of flavor to the quesadillas.
- Tortillas- We use 8-inch medium flour tortillas.
- Cheese– We love shredded cheddar for its sharp flavor and its ability to melt easily. Other great options would be Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, Oaxaca or Chihuahua.
👨🏼🍳 Instructions
Step 1: Season onions and peppers with salt and cook in a skillet coated with olive oil for 5 minutes on low-medium heat.
Step 2: Season steak with pepper, garlic powder and cumin, and cook together with veggies for another 4-5 minutes. Set aside.
Step 3: In a separate pot combine and season beans, green chilis and corn with lime juice and cook one low until warmed through.
Step 4: Heat a skillet on on low-medium. Assemble quesadillas in this order: Add 1/4 cup cheese, 1-2 scoops of steak/veggie mix, 1 scoop of bean/corn mix, and then top with another tortilla. Cook for 2 minutes, flip over, and cook for 2 minutes on the other side, flattening the quesadilla down with a spatula as it cooks.
Step 5: Transfer quesadilla to a plate. Once the quesadilla has cooled a bit, cut into 4 wedges (cut like a pizza). Repeat 3 more times to make a total of 4 steak quesadillas.
✔️ Expert Tips & Tricks
- Top steak quesadillas with guacamole, cilantro, pico de gallo, sour cream or hot sauce!
- Use leftover steak for quesadillas if it’s more convenient. Leftovers from carne asada or steak fajitas would be perfect!
- If steak is too thick, tenderize it by pounding it with a meat mallet.
- Add heat to these quesadillas by adding a pinch of cayenne, red pepper flakes or a drizzle of hot sauce.
- Incorporate more of your favorite veggies, like chopped tomatoes, olives, green onion or mushrooms.
- If you aren’t a fan of peppers/onions, you can substitute these veggies for caramelized onions.
🥗 Side Options
Much like our ground turkey quesadillas, these vey best steak quesadillas go with a number of delicious sides, like:
- Spanish or Mexica rice
- Bean salad or other side salads
- Chopped carrots, celery or cucumbers
- Vegetarian chili
- Chips and guacamole
Tips for Picky Eaters
- Steak on the side. Although this quesadilla is pretty simple, some kids will still only eat a cheese quesadilla! If this is the case, just plate the steak and veggies on the side.
- Kids pick the side dish. Let kids pick their favorite side, like chopped veggies, chips and guacamole or Spanish rice.
- Change the mix-ins! If kids aren’t fans of beans or corn, have them pick another veggie option for their steak quesadillas, like chopped tomatoes or mushrooms!
Plan dinners more easily with our Platein28 Picky Eater Dinner Planner.
🧊 Storing and Reheating
Store steak quesadillas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-4 days. Our quesadillas are best when eaten crispy right off the pan. However, they can certainly be reheated in the following ways:
- Stovetop: Heat on a non-stick frying pan on medium-low heat until heated through.
- Oven: Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
- Microwave: The microwave may not yield a crispy finish, but it will certainly reheat your steak quesadillas. Place on a microwave safe dish and heat at 20-30 second intervals until heated through.
❓FAQ
Any non-stick or cast iron skillet is ideal for this dish so that ingredients don’t stick to the pan. Be sure to coat and heat the pan with cooking oil before cooking your veggies and steak.
Any stringy, melted cheese will work nicely for quesadillas. We recommend Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, Oaxaca or Chihuahua.
Yes, our best steak quesadillas can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Once cooked and cooled, simply wrap them in plastic wrap and place in the freezer.
Yes, these quesadillas can be made in the oven! Simply assemble quesadillas on a a cookie sheet and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Take cookie sheet out and flip over the tortillas. Pop back under broiler for another 1-2 minutes. Repeat until all quesadillas are cooked.
Craft For This Recipe
Colored Tortillas
Have extra tortillas leftover? Color tortillas with edible paint! Your quesadillas and soft tacos never tasted AND looked so good!
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🥩 Steak Quesadillas
Equipment
- 2 medium pans
- 1 Small pot
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 1/2 large red bell pepper (diced)
- 1/2 large green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (divided)
- 1/2 lime
- 1 1/2 lbs steak (skirt, flank, strip, or sirloin) (trimmed & cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 15 oz can black beans (drained & rinsed)
- 11 oz can golden sweet corn with green and red peppers
- 4 oz can mild, roasted diced green chiles
- 8 8" flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or "Mexican" blend cheese
Instructions
- Heat pan on low-medium and add cooking oil. Once heated, add onion and bell peppers, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally.
- Add steak to the veggie pan and sprinkle with pepper, garlic powder and cumin. Stir everything together and cook for 4-5 mins, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, add beans, corn and green chiles to a small pot and heat on low. Squeeze the 1/2 lime and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue heating on low until it's time to make the quesadillas.
- Time to assemble quesadillas! Heat a clean pan on low-medium. In this order, add one tortilla, a 1/4 cup cheese, 1-2 scoops of steak/veggie mix, 1 scoop of bean/corn mix, and then top with another tortilla. Cook for 2 mins, flip over, and cook for 2 mins on the other side. While cooking, use a spatula to flatten down the quesadilla.
- Transfer quesadilla to a plate. Once the quesadilla has cooled a bit, cut into 4 wedges (like a pizza). Repeat 3 more times to make a total of 4 quesadillas. Optional garnishes: cilantro, sour cream, salsa
Video
Notes
- Top quesadillas with guacamole, cilantro, pico de gallo, sour cream or hot sauce!
- Use leftovers steak for quesadillas if it’s more convenient. Leftovers from carne asada or steak fajitas would be perfect!
- If steak is too thick, tenderize it by pounding it with a meat mallet.
- Add heat to these quesadillas by adding a pinch of cayenne, red pepper flakes or a drizzle of hot sauce.
- Incorporate more of your favorite veggies, like chopped tomatoes, olives, green onion or mushrooms.
- If you aren’t a fan of peppers/onions, you can substitute these veggies for caramelized onions.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
