Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup roughly chopped spinach or baby kale
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (optional)
- 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
- 8 8-inch flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1 cup shredded havarti
- Guacamole, sour cream, salsa and lime wedges to serve
How to make
1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, and
brown the beef, breaking it up with a spoon until it is all browned and
crumbly, about 5 minutes. Turn it into a colander to drain, and
carefully wipe out the skillet.
2. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the
vegetable or olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and
sauté for 3 minutes until the onion starts to soften. Add the tomato
paste, spinach, garlic and chili powder and stir for another minute
until the spinach is wilted and everything is well combined. Return the
beef to the skillet and stir until everything is blended. Stir in the
cilantro if using, turn the mixture into a bowl, and wash and dry the
skillet (or grab a new skillet).
3. Combine the cheddar and havarti in a bowl. Place
the skillet over medium heat and add a half teaspoon of butter. Place a
tortilla in the pan. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture over
half of the quesadilla, and distribute 1/8 of the beef mixture over the
cheese. Top that with another 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese.
Flip the bare half of the tortilla over the filling, cover the pan, and
sauté for about 2 minutes until the bottom is golden and the cheese has
started to melt, then use a spatula to flip the half-moon quesadilla,
and continue to cook, uncovered, until all of the cheese is melted and
the underside is browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Remove the quesadilla to a cutting board and let
the quesadilla sit for a minute before you slice into 2 or 3 wedges.
Repeat until all of the quesadillas are cooked. Serve with guacamole,
salsa, sour cream and lime wedges.
