Steak Quesadillas

Cole and I typically only have steak a couple times per year on special occasions such as our anniversary and New Year’s Eve. It’s the one red meat that Cole truly seems to enjoy. Because of this, I typically buy too much when I’m shopping for these special occasions, and we end up with some leftover tenderloin. Tenderloin by itself doesn’t reheat well as leftovers, so this year, after our anniversary, I decided to experiment with different ways to reuse the meat since it’s pretty much a sin to throw out a great cut of meat. I ended up with the result of a steak quesadilla, which Cole now loves. 

If you want to make this recipe, but don’t feel like using tenderloin, there is no need to fear! A cheaper cut of meat such as a flank steak could easily be used. I only used tenderloin in my example since I was looking for a way to use up meat I already had cooked up. If I were to pick up ingredients with the intention of only making quesadillas, I would definitely use a flank steak instead.

Ingredients

8 oz Steak

4 tsp Taco Seasoning

4 Flour Tortilla Shells (8 inch)

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 tbsp Ranch Dressing

Directions

Kitchen Tip: If you are not using leftover steak from last night’s meal, step number one is to grill the meat. When I grill steak, I shoot for a goal of having it done to medium or medium well. This means I take it off the grill when it has reached an internal temperature of 145-150 degrees. Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting it up. 

1. Cut the steak into either super thin strips or into small ¼ inch cubes. While cutting, try to work around the fatty pieces of meat to avoid the insides of the quesadillas being too chewy. 

2. Sprinkle the taco seasoning on top of the meat and stir until all of the pieces of steak are coated. 

3. Divide the meat equally onto the four shells, keeping the meat on only half of the shell. 

4. Sprinkle ¼ cup of shredded cheese on top of the meat on each shell, then squirt about ½ tbsp of ranch on top of the cheese on each quesadilla. 

Kitchen Tip: Cole and I really like ranch dressing, so I tend to be a little more generous with this ingredient. Be aware that the more ranch put in, the messier this meal will be! 

5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and lay tin foil on top of a large cookie sheet. Fold the tortilla shells in half, and place them on the cookie sheet. 

6. Bake the quesadillas for 5-6 minutes or until the edges start to get brown and crispy. 

7. Let the quesadillas rest for about 3 minutes before cutting them into triangles with a pizza cutter. 

This recipe is extremely easy to make, and is a delicious spin on traditional quesadillas. Cole and I are watching our portion sizes this summer, so we typically cut this recipe in half and only have one quesadilla each; however, I could easily see people wanting more than one quesadilla to fill them up. If you are making this recipe for a family of four, you may want to double it to make sure that everyone is full, or serve it with a side such as chips and guacamole. You can find my recipe for guacamole here! 

Sometimes, I like to eat these dipped in my Hot Sour Cream Sauce. You can find the recipe for this sauce here!