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    Home » Mexican

    June 16, 2022

    Quick and Easy Weeknight Carne Asada Quesadilla Recipe

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    Time to transform leftover carne asada into a melty Carne Asada Quesadilla. It's easy to eat and loaded with flavor.

    carne asada quesadilla on plate sour cream and guacamole

    This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn income from qualifying purchases.

    This carne asada quesadilla is the perfect lunch or quick weeknight meal. The carne asada is marinated to perfection. The melted cheese inside the soft buttery tortilla is heaven. 

    Repurposing Leftovers

    Steak quesadillas are delicious no matter what. I especially love any main dish that I can repurpose into a new fun and exciting meal. That's why I actually look forward to leftover steak for this recipe. 

    Best Cut of Beef for Carne Asada

    diced carne asada on plate

    One of the great things about carne asada is that the most popular cuts of beef are inexpensive. The beef will marinade for a long time giving it a chance to soak up lots of flavor and be a perfectly tender steak.

    • Flank Steak
    • Hanger Steak
    • Skirt Steak
    • Flap Meat

    Carne Asada Marinade

    glass baking dish with flap steak marinating in carne asada marinade

    Mix all of these ingredients in a large bowl. For the best flavor, marinate the steak overnight.

    • soy sauce
    • orange juice
    • lime juice
    • olive oil or another neutral flavored cooking oil
    • garlic powder
    • onion powder
    • chili powder
    • ground cumin 

    Grill the marinated carne asada on medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes per side. Transfer it to a large cutting board and slice.

    If you are saving leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and use within 4 days of cooking.

    Carne Asada Quesadilla Ingredients 

    There are two key ingredients to this carne asada quesadilla. The first and most important is the carne asada. I perfected the marinade and cooking process for making it on a Traeger Grill. Check out my full recipe for mouth watering and intensely flavorful carne asada.

    Next up is the cheese. I'm pretty obsessed with pepper jack in my quesadillas but you can use cheddar cheese or regular Monterey Jack cheese. 

    Other than that, we just need some flour tortillas, butter, and a little leftover carne asada marinade. 

    *you can use whatever kind of tortillas you like. Corn tortillas are great for this recipe if you need to eat gluten free.

    How to Make this Quesadilla Step-By-Step

    The steps are simple and quick. Follow along and you will be eating in no time!

    1. Thinly slice the carne asada into strips or small bite size pieces and shred the cheese if you're not using pre-shredded cheese.
    2. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and let it preheat for a few minutes.  
    3. Add a small dollop of butter or nonstick cooking spray to the hot pan and swirl that around. 
    4. Lay the tortilla in the skillet and generous layer of cheese. Then add your steak.
    5. Let the cheese melt and the outside of the tortilla become slightly golden brown. 
    6. Fold the quesadilla in half and gently press down so the two sides stick together. 
    7. Remove from the pan and slice with a pizza cutter. Serve it up!

    Serving Your Quesadilla

    I'm all about dipping my carne asada quesadilla. The most popular dippers are sour cream, guacamole, lime wedges, fresh pico de Gallo or restaurant style smoked salsa.

    teal cast iron pot filled with rotisserie chicken stew showing chicken pieces and carrots served on a table with mashed potatoes and a table set with orange napkins and flowers

    Do you want weekly recipes and help with meal planning?

    Supplies

    Honestly, you don't need much here. I like using a cast iron skillet because the heat stays very consistent, but a nonstick skillet is also fine.

    • cast iron or nonstick skillet
    • box grater if you're using block cheese (recommended)
    • cutting board
    • knife

    Tasty carne asada quesadilla side dishes...

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    Grilled Elote Off the Cob Salad

    Mexican Caesar Salad

    Carne Asada Quesadilla Recipe Card

    carne asada quesadilla on plate sour cream and guacamole
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Carne Asada Quesadilla

    Tender and juicy carne asada smothered in melted pepper jack cheese wrapped in a crispy golden brown tortilla.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time8 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: lunch, quesadilla
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 535kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 large cast iron skillet or nonstick pan
    • 1 box grater
    • 1 cutting board

    Ingredients

    • 2 large flour tortilla
    • ½ pound cooked carne asada
    • 1 tablespoon carne asada marinade
    • 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions

    • Dice the carne asada into small bite sized pieces. This makes biting into the quesadilla much easier, especially for kids. Pour over the carne asada marinade to infuse more flavor into the steak.
    • Heat the skillet or pan on medium. Once the pan is warm, add the butter and swirl it around the pan for an even coating.
    • Lay one of the tortillas in the pan. Sprinkle half of the cheese in an even layer leaving a ½" edge from the border.
    • Add on the diced carne asada in an even layer.
    • After the cheese begins to melt, fold the tortilla over in half. Continue to cook the quesadilla for another minute on each side.
    • Remove the quesadilla to a cutting board and repeat the process to make the other quesadilla.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 535kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 639mg | Potassium: 414mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 444IU | Calcium: 472mg | Iron: 3mg

    Did you make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram @fancy_apron 🙂 or leave a comment below.

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    1. enderman_864 says

      November 06, 2022 at 6:32 pm

      I love you and your website 🥰🥰🥰

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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