🌮🥩🧀 Stuffed to the max with juicy strips of steak, peppers and onions, and plenty of melted cheese, these EASY quesadillas are a family FAVORITE! Serve them for a simple yet satisfying weeknight meal, at game day parties, or your next Cinco de Mayo fiesta! Faster and less expensive than going to your favorite Mexican restaurant and they taste every bit as AMAZING!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Appetizers, Dinner, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: steak quesadilla
Servings: 6
Calories: 391kcal
Ingredients
1poundsirloin steaksliced into 3/4 to 1-inch wide long strips* (See Notes for other protein options)
2tablespoonsolive oildivided; plus more if necessary
2tablespoonstaco seasoningdivided; plus more if neccessary
Juice from 1 lime
1large yellow onionsliced into thin strips (white onion may be substituted, you can add an additional onion if yours is small)
1large red bell pepperseeded and sliced into thin vertical strips
1large green bell pepperseeded and sliced into thin vertical strips
Fresh cilantrofor garnishing; optional and to taste
Instructions
Steak - Place the steak in a large bowl along with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 to 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, and the juice from 1 lime. Stir to toss and coat evenly. Allow the mixture to marinate on your counter because steak cooks best if it's not overly chilled and coming directly out of a cold fridge. While it marinates, chop the other vegetables and saute them.
Vegetables - To a large skill, add 1 tablespoon oil, the onions, peppers, 1 tablespoon taco seasoning (or more if desired), and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until as tender as desired; stir and toss very frequently for even cooking. When they're done, remove them from a skillet and set aside on a plate.
To the same skillet (no need to wipe it out), using tongs add the steak to the skillet (don't dump in the lime juice from the bowl, and discard the contents from marinating bowl), and cook the steak over medium-high heat, for about 2-3 minutes, per side, or as necessary. If necessary, add a bit more oil while cooking the steak. Tips - The first side of the steak will take the longest to cook, and from there the subsequent sides will cook faster. Cooking time will depend on the heat of your stove, the type of pan you're using, the size of your strips of steak, and how well done or not you like your meat. Cook as long as you see fit and then remove the steak from the skillet and set it next to the peppers and onions on the same plate or a different one.
Assembly - To one tortilla, add a bit of shredded cheese, some of the peppers and onions mixture, a few pieces of steak, and a piece of provolone cheese (you may need to tear each larger circular piece in a couple smaller pieces so it all 'fits').
Carefully transfer the full tortilla (or two) into the skillet (wipe it down with a paper towel first if necessary, but you shouldn't need to wash it), reduce the heat to medium-low or low (important to not have the heat too high!) and allow the cheese to melt for about 3-4 minutes total, flipping once halfway through to ensure even browning on both sides of the tortillas. Tips - I don't add additional oil or other fat to the skillet when I am making tortillas mostly for health reasons, but oil + tortillas creates a classic 'fried food' smell that will linger in your kitchen. The tortillas will still brown up without oil. If you find that the cheese isn't melting, turn the heat up slightly, but watch it so the outsides don't start burning before the cheese melts in the interior. Covering the skillet with a lid will also help to encourage melting.
Repeat the process with all remaining tortillas. I can comfortably fit and watch 2 quesadillas at one time, so repeat as necessary.
Serving - Optionally garnish with cilantro and serve with your favorite salsas. See blog post suggestions for my favorites. Note about salt and pepper - There is no added salt or pepper to this recipe other than what's in the taco seasoning and cheeses since everyone's preferences vary. Add salt to pepper, if desired and to taste. Salsas also will have salt.
Storage - Quesadillas are best hot and freshly made, but leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or as desired.
Notes
Steak - Sirloin, skirt, or flank steak are all great options. Making this with chicken? Yes you can. Read the FAQs in the post.Tortillas - I used large flour tortillas, about 8-inches each. You can use either corn (traditional in Mexico) or flour (traditional in the US) tortillas. Corn tend to be smaller and more prone to ripping or breaking. Cheese - For ease of availability and budget, I used a combination of a shredded Mexican cheese blend paired with the easy-melting nature of provolone. Shredded mozzarella, shredded Monterey Jack, or shredded Pepper Jack (I get mine at Trader Joe's) are also great because they melt well, have good flavor, and are easy to find. If you have access to other more traditional Mexican cheeses such as Oaxaca cheese or queso quesadilla, they're fabulous because they melt super smoothly and will give you that long cheese-pull type of cheesiness.