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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Why You'll Love This Recipe
These easy carne asada quesadillas are filled with tender steak and creamy, gooey melted cheese held together with crispy tortillas.
Make this recipe anytime you have leftover carne asada on hand, or make our extremely delicious carne asada marinade and use it for your favorite cut of steak.
Plus, it's versatile. You can serve this dish to family for dinner or impress your friends with a full spread of Mexican-inspired dishes, including homemade pico de gallo and some blackened cod tacos.
What You'll Need
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Carne Asada
- Steak: Use flank steak, skirt steak, or flap steak. These are all excellent choices for carne asada steak quesadillas.
- Jalapeños: You can buy pre-roasted jalapeños at the store if you like.
- Olive Oil: Any olive oil will work for this recipe.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic and don't substitute with garlic powder.
- Cilantro: Stick to fresh cilantro. Dried won't work well in this recipe.
- White Onion: Yellow or sweet onion is fine here. I have not tried this recipe with a red onion.
- Orange Juice: Freshly squeezed is ideal, but a carton of orange juice works too.
- Lime Juice: Use bottled lime juice if you don't have fresh limes.
- Soy Sauce: Opt for reduced-sodium soy sauce for better taste control.
- Cumin: It adds an earthy, warm, somewhat citrusy taste – don't skip it!
- Chili Powder: Chipotle powder works too, giving a smokier and spicier flavor.
- Kosher Salt: I recommend using kosher salt for better control over your seasoning. It is less salty by volume than table salt and sea salt.
Quesadilla
- 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 quesadillas, use a larger tortilla.
- Shredded Cheese You can shred your own cheese or use pre-shredded cheese. Cheese you shred yourself will melt better. I like using cheese like Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack, Oaxaca cheese, or even cheddar cheese.
- 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.
Recommended Equipment
Frying Pan or Cast Iron Skillet
How to Make this Carne Asada Quesadilla Recipe
Step One: Prepare the carne asada. First, marinate the meat. The recipe and instructions for using flap meat/flap steak are shown on our ranchera meat post. Recipe and instructions for using skirt steak or flank steak are shown on our carne asada marinade post.
Step Two: Cook the steak in a pan or on the grill.
Step Three: Heat a cast iron, stainless steel, or nonstick pan to medium-high heat. Drizzle or spray some cooking oil into the hot pan. Add the first tortilla.
Step Four: Add a layer of cheese.
Step Five: Add a layer of carne asada.
Step Six: Let melt for a minute or so.
Step Seven: Add the second tortilla to the top. Press into the pan with a spatula
Step Eight: 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 are achieved.
Step Nine: Slice and serve while hot!
Variations
Leftover Carne Asada: Rather than making your own carne asada, you can use leftover steak you have on hand.
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.
Corn Tortillas: Feel free to use corn tortillas in place of flour tortillas.
How to Store
Cool and then store in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap, making sure to transfer to the fridge within 2 hours of cooking.
To reheat, you can add it to a pan over medium heat and cook until everything is heated through, or try placing it in the air fryer for a few minutes.
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. You can 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.
- Choose the correct heat. 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.
- Use a pizza cutter. Try using a pizza cutter to cut your quesadillas. It creates easy slices for less cleanup.
- Let the steak come to room temperature. If you are using leftover steak, let it come to room temperature before adding it to the quesadilla. This will help everything cook more evenly.
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 pineapple pico de gallo or pineapple habanero salsa.
Grilled Vegetables: Serve this quesadilla with some easy, healthy grilled vegetables or spicy roasted vegetables.
Salad: Have a side salad alongside this quesadilla. I like a salad dressed with this jalapeno vinaigrette. For something truly delicious, add some smoked pineapple, too.
Beans and Rice: Add some black beans or refried beans and this Mexican rice recipe to your plate for a filling dinner.
Soup: Have a cup of this wonderful sopa de lima!
Condiments: Try this delicious quesadilla with some cilantro lime crema or this tangy chimichurri aioli. I also love them with spicy pickled onions and chipotle southwest sauce. If you're a fan of spicy good, try this bold pineapple habanero sauce.
Looking for a drink to make? Try this Mexican Margarita! How about dessert? These gluten-free churros are always a hit.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment 💬 and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! You can also tag us @twocloveskitchen on Instagram or follow us on Facebook!
More Toppings for Quesadillas
📖 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.
Kim says
This Carne Asada Quesadilla recipe from Two Cloves Kitchen was a lifesaver last night! We had some leftover grilled steak and this recipe gave me the perfect idea for a quick and delicious dinner. The quesadillas were crispy and cheesy, and we used avocado crema for the perfect finishing touch, thank you.
Genevieve says
So glad you enjoyed it, Kim!
Cami says
Can't wait to try this as i love quesadillas so much!
Genevieve says
Hope you enjoy!
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!
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
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!
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!
Sherrie says
One word: DeLish!! This came out so perfectly. My family practically inhaled them. A definite winner!
Genevieve says
Yay! Thanks Sherrie!
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!
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.
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.