This smoky, savory, comforting Carne Asada Quesadilla features marinated steak nestled in rich melted cheese between crisp toasted tortillas. Make the carne asada in advance to have a quick, easy weeknight dinner ready in minutes!
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What You'll Need
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- One Recipe Ranchera Meat
- Tortillas I am personally a fan of flour tortillas, but use whatever tortillas you like best. For quesadillas with a lot of filling, use smaller tortillas. For less filled quessdillas, use a larger tortilla.
- Shredded Cheese You can shred your own cheese or use pre-grated cheese. Cheese you shred yourself will melt better, but I would be lying if I said I never used pre-grated cheese at home.
- Cooking Oil Try a cooking oil spray, or use a small amount of grapeseed oil, avocado oil, or olive oil to coat the pan before cooking each quesadilla. If using olive oil, use a lower heat to avoid scorching the oil and creating a bitter taste.
How to Prepare
Step One Prepare the carne asada. Recipe and instructions are shown on our Ranchera Meat post.
Step Two Heat a cast iron, stainless steel, or nonstick pan to medium to high heat. Cast iron pans and stainless steel pans will do well on high heat. Nonstick pans should not be heated above medium heat.
Step Three Drizzle or spray some cooking oil into the pan. Add the first tortilla, a later of cheese, a layer of carne asada.
Let melt for a minute or so, then add second tortilla to top. Press into the pan with a spatula.
Step Four Once the first side is golden brown and the cheese is mostly melted, flip and cook on the second side until a golden brown color and fully melted cheese is achieved.
The image below shows the color you are looking for.
Step Five Once the quesadilla is fully cooked, remove from the pan, slice, and top with whatever you would like: cilantro, sour cream or crema, salsa, guacamole, lime juice, hot sauce.
Step Six Serve while hot!
Variations
Chicken, Shrimp, or Fish Try using the marinade for the Ranchera Meat on chicken, shrimp, or fish. Only marinate for an hour or so if using seafood to preserve its delicate texture.
Spicy Add some thinly sliced jalapeños or hot sauce to the finished dish.
Grilled Vegetables You can use the marinade above on vegetables like zucchini, summer squash, or bell peppers for an hour or so, then grilled the vegetables and add to your quesadilla.
How to Store
Cool and then store in an airtight container, making sure to transfer to the fridge within 2 hours of cooking for food safety reasons.
FAQ
Carne Asada means grilled meat. Most commonly, carne asada refers to marinated, grilled beef used as a main dish or filling for tacos, burritos, and other Mexican fare.
The carne asada on most menus and most frequently associated with the term is the Northern Mexican variety. This recipe utilizes those flavors.
This will last for 3 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container.
You can. This is a great make-ahead lunch or dinner.
Reheat this dish in a pan with a little bit of oil or in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. Reheating in the pan will offer a more crisp exterior.
Expert Tips
- Make the meat ahead of time and store in the fridge so you're prepared to make a quick meal.
- Shred your own cheese for superior melting. Pre-shredded cheeses have anti-caking agents to keep the individual bits of cheese separate so, unsurprisingly, it doesn't melt together as well as hand grated cheese.
- If using a cast iron or stainless steel pan, feel free to use high heat. If using a nonstick pan, do not go above medium heat. This will preserve the pan's nonstick qualities for longer.
How to Serve
While this quesadilla will be the big ticket item on your dinner table, it's complemented well by a variety of side dishes. Here are some suggestions for how to fill out your plate:
Chips and Salsa - Try your hand at these homemade tortilla chips and some fresh salsa.
Grilled Vegetables - Serve this quesadilla with some easy, healthy grilled vegetables.
Salad - Have a side salad alongside this quesadilla. I like a salad dressed with this cilantro lime dressing. For something truly delicious, add some smoked pineapple, too.
Beans and Rice Add some black beans and Mexican Rice to your plate for a filling dinner.
More Recipes You'll Love
For some additional quesadilla toppings, try these recipes:
📖 Recipe
Carne Asada Quesadilla
Equipment
- Large Frying Pan Cast Iron Pan, or Nonstick Pan
Ingredients
Carne Asada
- 1 prepared recipe for
Ranchera Meat
Quesadilla
- 8 tortillas
- avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or other vegetable oil
- 2 cups shredded cheese such as cheddar, jack, asadero, or whatever you have on hand
Instructions
Carne Asada
- Prepare the Ranchera Meat in advance or have another precooked carne asada on hand.
Quesadilla
- Heat a cast iron, stainless steel, or nonstick pan to medium to high heat. Cast iron pans and stainless steel pans will do well on high heat. Nonstick pans should not be heated above medium heat.
- Drizzle or spray some cooking oil into the pan. Add the first tortilla, a later of cheese, a layer of carne asada. Let melt for a minute or so, then add second tortilla to top. Press into the pan with a spatula.
- Once the first side is golden brown and the cheese is mostly melted, flip and cook on the second side until a golden brown color and fully melted cheese is achieved.
- Transfer to a cutting board, cut, and top with desired toppings. Serve hot.
Notes
- Make the meat ahead of time and store in the fridge so you're prepared to make a quick meal.
- Work in batches to create each quesadilla depending on the size of your pan. Two small quesadillas will likely fit in a large pan at a time.
- Cool and then store quesadillas in an airtight container, making sure to transfer to the fridge within 2 hours of cooking for food safety reasons. They will last in the fridge for 3 days.
- Reheat in a pan with a bit of oil or in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.
- You can make this meal ahead of time and reheat as instructed above when ready to eat.
- Shred your own cheese for superior melting. Pre-shredded cheeses have anti-caking agents to keep the individual bits of cheese separate so, unsurprisingly, it doesn't melt together as well as hand grated cheese.
- Be sure to cut your meat against the grain for a tender dish. Instead of cutting with the direction of the long fibers running through the steak, cutting across these fibers shortens them and makes the meat easier to chew.
- Patting your meat dry before cooking will ensure you get attractive grill marks and prevent the meat from boiling in the marinade.
Rupali says
I made these for my daughter's school lunch, and she loved them and wants me to make again. I like how easy it is to prepare and scale up for multiple meals.
Genevieve says
What a lucky girl! Thank you Rupali.
k says
I have to confess, I've been on a quesadilla kick lately. We had some leftover carne asade from a bbq the other day and this recipe totally inspired me to have fun with the leftovers!
Genevieve says
We love quesadillas, too - so easy! Thanks K.
Sherry says
I made your Carne Asada Quesadillas and they were a hit with my family. Your quesadilla recipe was super easy to follow they requested that I make it again for them.
Genevieve says
So glad they enjoyed it!
Sherrie says
One word: DeLish!! This came out so perfectly. My family practically inhaled them. A definite winner!
Genevieve says
Yay! Thanks Sherrie!
MacKenzie says
I am always looking for new recipes and this one was perfect. My entire family loved it. The carne asada inside the cheesy tortilla is the best combination.
Genevieve says
Happy to hear they enjoyed it!
Dana says
These easy quesadillas pack a lot of flavor into each bite! Next time I'm going to have to make extra so we have some left over for lunches the next day.
Genevieve says
Thanks Dana!
Lara says
These quesadillas are right up my alley! I'm going to make them with low carb tortillas to make them keto. Can't wait!
Genevieve says
Ooh, good idea! Thanks Lara
Erica says
Steak quesadillas are my favorite!! These are so easy and your asada recipe is absolutely on point! Thank you!
Genevieve says
Thank you, Erica!
Cami says
Can't wait to try this as i love quesadillas so much!
Genevieve says
Hope you enjoy!