Beef Quesadillas Salsa Guacamole (Printer-Friendly)
Tender beef and melted cheese in warm tortillas, served with fresh salsa and creamy guacamole for a flavorful delight.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beef Quesadillas
01 - 14 oz beef sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced
02 - 1 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
04 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
05 - 1 tsp ground cumin
06 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
07 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
08 - 1/2 tsp salt
09 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
10 - 4 large flour tortillas
11 - 7 oz shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
→ Salsa
12 - 3 medium tomatoes, diced
13 - 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
14 - 1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
15 - 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
16 - Juice of 1 lime
17 - Salt and pepper, to taste
→ Guacamole
18 - 2 ripe avocados
19 - 1 small tomato, diced
20 - 2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
21 - 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
22 - Juice of 1 lime
23 - Salt and pepper, to taste
# How to Make It:
01 - In a bowl, combine diced tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Mix gently and set aside.
02 - Mash avocados in a bowl. Add diced tomato, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and bell peppers for 2–3 minutes until softened. Add beef, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for 4–5 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat.
04 - Lay out tortillas. Spread half of the cheese on one side of each tortilla, top with beef mixture, then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Fold tortillas in half.
05 - Wipe skillet clean and heat over medium. Cook each quesadilla 2–3 minutes per side, pressing gently, until golden and cheese has melted.
06 - Slice each quesadilla into wedges. Serve warm with prepared salsa and guacamole on the side.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The beef stays tender and juicy while the cheese does that magical melting thing inside crispy tortillas.
- Fresh salsa and guacamole taste nothing like jarred versions, and they're somehow even easier to throw together.
- You can have dinner on the table in under an hour, which means no stress on a weeknight.
02 -
- Don't crowd the pan or move the quesadillas around constantly; they need that uninterrupted contact time to crisp up and let the cheese melt properly.
- The cheese should start oozing out the edges slightly when you flip—that's your signal you're getting close to perfect.
- If your guacamole or salsa sits around too long before serving, the lime juice keeps it fresh, but the sooner you serve them, the brighter they taste.
03 -
- Thinly sliced beef cooks in under five minutes, so have everything else ready before you hit the pan—mise en place isn't just professional chef talk, it actually saves you from burning things.
- The secret to quesadillas that don't leak cheese everywhere is folding them in half and keeping them folded while they cook; opening them up mid-cooking is how you lose all that melted goodness to the pan.