Carne Asada Quesadilla
Mouthwatering carne asada quesadilla made with juicy, marinated skirt steak, caramelized onions, jalapeños and melted Monterey Jack cheese. Serve with fresh pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream for the best tasting dinner!
This carne asada quesadilla is loaded with tender steak and lots of gooey cheese. The steak is marinated in garlic, orange juice, lime juice, cilantro and spices. It is seared in a cast iron skillet, then layered with cheese and sautéed onions inside a warm toasted flour tortilla.
For more Mexican inspired recipes, make sure to try Birria Tacos with Consommé and Jalapeno Popper Wontons.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Cheesy goodness- I use Monterey Jack cheese in this recipe because it melts beautifully. With its high fat and moisture content, it is the best cheese for quesadillas.
- Juicy steak- The skirt steak is marinated in lime juice and orange juice, which helps tenderize the meat. The meat absorbs all the delicious herbs and spices and is perfectly seared inside a cast iron skillet.
- Perfect weeknight meal- This steak quesadilla is a win win for busy weeknights. Marinate the steak hours before and have all the ingredients ready to go.
- Customizable- If you don’t have carne asada on hand, don’t worry. Feel free to use your favorite protein, cheese or veggies.
Ingredient Notes
- Steak- For this recipe, I use skirt steak, which has a great beefy flavor and really absorbs all the flavors from the marinade. You can also substitute with flank steak.
- Jalapeño peppers- I remove the seeds and the ribs for a mild chili flavor. If you like spice, you can opt to leave them in. I use jalapeños inside the marinade, as well as inside the quesadilla.
- Citrus juice- I use fresh orange juice and lime juice which not only adds flavor to the meat but tenderizes it as well.
- Soy sauce- Soy sauce is a great replacement for salt and adds a great depth of flavor to the meat.
- Garlic- Use fresh garlic for the best flavor.
- Brown sugar- This not only adds a touch of sweetness but also helps in caramelizing the meat.
- Oil- You can use olive oil, vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Cilantro- It’s the perfect herb to go with our citrus flavors.
- Spices- I use ground cumin and ground chipotle pepper.
- Onions- I use yellow onions but you can also use red onions. I cook them until they are translucent and nicely caramelized.
- Monterey Jack cheese- This is my favorite cheese to use for quesadillas. I hand grate my cheese because it melts so much better than pre-shredded cheese. You can also substitute with your favorite cheese or a mixture of cheeses.
- Tortillas- Use large flour tortillas so you have lots of room for the filling.
- Toppings- Pico de gallo, salsa, guacamole and sour cream area all popular choices.
Step By Step Ingredients
STEP 1: Make marinade. In a large bowl or Ziplock freezer bag, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Place the meat inside the marinade and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
STEP 2: Grill the meat. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Heat grill pan or cast iron pan over medium-high heat until hot. Drizzle with olive oil.
Then, place the meat into the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the meat from the pan and place onto a clean cutting board. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes to seal in all the juices.
STEP 3: Sauté the onions and jalapeños. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then, add sliced onions and jalapeños. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions and jalapeños are caramelized.
STEP 4: Slice the meat. Once the skirt steak has rested, use a sharp knife and slice the meat thinly against the grain.
STEP 5: Assemble the quesadilla. In a large skillet, add butter. Heat until melted. Place tortilla into the pan. Then, add a layer of cheese on half of the tortilla. Add slices of carne asada, onions and jalapeños, a second layer of cheese and a few spoonfuls of pico de gallo.
Cook for 2-3 minutes until the cheese begins to melt. Then, fold the tortilla in half and flip and cook for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is golden brown.
Remove the quesadilla from the pan and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
STEP 6: Cut and serve. Cut the quesadilla and top with guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo and serve with lime wedges.
Expert Tips
Marinate the meat for the maximum amount of time for the best flavor. This also allows the orange juice and lime juice a sufficient amount of time to tenderize the meat.
Grate your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch to prevent it from sticking together and causes it not to melt that well. I always buy a block of cheese and use a box grater or food processor. Trust me, it’s well worth the extra effort.
Experiment with different cheeses. This quesadilla is super versatile so have fun and get creative. Cheeses such as cheddar, pepper jack, mozzarella, Colby Jack and Oaxaca are all great options for this steak quesadilla.
FAQ
I don’t recommend marinating the meat over 8 hours. Because we are using citrus in our marinade, we have to be careful not to overmarinate or else it will cause the meat to become tough.
This cut of meat is relatively thin so it requires just a few minutes per side. Always start with a hot pan before adding your meat. This will give you a good sear without overcooking the inside. Make sure to cut thin strips, against the grain so your meat is tender and not chewy.
I like to put a little butter into the pan. Just make sure to keep an eye on it as it can burn if the heat is too high. You can also use a neutral cooking oil, such as canola or vegetable oil. Both options work well and will help crisp up your quesadilla.
Storage and Reheating
Store this carne asada quesadilla inside an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat on the stove until the cheese is melted and the quesadilla is warmed through. You can also place your quesadilla directly onto the rack in toaster oven. Reheat for 5-7 minutes until both sides are crisp and the center is heated through.
Other Recipes To Try
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Carne Asada Quesadilla
Ingredients
Skirt Steak Marinade
- 1.5 lbs Skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
- 1/3 cup Olive oil, plus more for cooking steak
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Juice of lime
- 1 Juice of orange
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- 2 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Ground chipotle pepper
- 1/4 tsp Ground black pepper
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 Jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
For Quesadilla
- 2 Yellow onions, sliced thin
- 2 Jalapeños , seeded and sliced into thin strips
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Ground black pepper
- 4 Flour tortillas, large, burrito size
- 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Pico de gallo, store bought or homemade
- Unsalted butter, to cook the quesadilla
For Serving
- Guacamole, salsa, cilantro, lime wedges and sour cream
Instructions
Skirt Steak
- In a large bowl or Ziplock freezer bag, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Place the meat inside the marinade and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
- Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Heat grill pan or cast iron pan over medium-high heat until hot. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Then, place the meat into the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare to medium. Remove the meat from the pan and place onto a clean cutting board. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes to seal in all the juices.
For Quesadilla
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then, add sliced onions and jalapeños. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions and jalapeños are caramelized and cooked through.
- Once the skirt steak has rested, use a sharp knife and slice the meat thinly against the grain.
- In a large skillet, add butter. Heat until melted. Place tortilla into the pan. Then, add a layer of cheese on half of the tortilla. Add slices of carne asada, onions and jalapeños, a second layer of cheese and a few spoonfuls of pico de gallo.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until the cheese begins to melt. Then, fold the tortilla in half and flip and cook for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is golden brown.
- Remove the quesadilla from the pan and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Cut the quesadilla and top with guacamole, sour cream, pico de Gallo and serve with lime wedges.