Quick and Easy Weeknight Carne Asada Quesadilla Recipe

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

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

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!

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...

Grilled Elote Off the Cob Salad

Mexican Caesar Salad