Beefy Veggie Quesadillas (2 in 1 recipe)
If my three year old could eat one food for the rest of his life, he would probably choose quesadillas. It’s a go-to lunch item for us along with grilled cheeses and pb&j’s. In my opinion, it a great option for a little one… fiber from whole wheat tortillas, calcium from cheese, then if you serve it with fruit and veggies you get vitamins like potassium, vitamin C and A. And they can be packed with anything like sweet potatoes, beans, avocado, meat, veggies - if you’re kid will allow it. We’re still strictly in the “cheese only” phase.
Anyway, quesadillas are a great family dinner because you can make more elaborate ones (like these!) for more adventurous eaters, and simple quesadillas for more reserved eaters and then serve the components of the elaborate one on the side.
This recipe makes A LOT of quesadilla filling. So much so, that I’ve come up with another recipe to go along with it… a 2 in 1 recipe… Beefy Veggie Stuffed Peppers! I make the quesadilla filling first, and while it cooks I preheat the oven and get the peppers ready to be stuffed. Next, I fill the peppers according to the recipe and put them in the oven. While those bake, I assemble and cook the quesadillas. Two dinners in one!
We serve these Beefy Veggie Quesadillas with plain cheese quesadillas, a platter of extra chopped peppers, a little shredded carrot, baby tomatoes, fruit, avocado, sour cream or Greek yogurt, and salsa.
See the notes at the bottom of the recipe for other ways to use the extra filling besides the stuffed peppers.
Enjoy!
Beefy Veggie Quesadillas (2 in 1 recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1.25 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 14.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2-3 Tablespoons taco seasoning (I used a homemade version)
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional, depending on how salty taco seasoning is)
- 8 whole grain or whole wheat flour tortillas (about 8-inches in size)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.
- Add the peppers, onions and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes.
- Add the beef working to break it up with a wooden spoon. Sauté the mixture for about 5 minutes.
- Add the taco seasoning, carrots, beans and salt and sauté an additional 5 minutes until the beef is fully cooked. Set aside.
- Heat a medium non-stick pan over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan and top with 1/4 cup cheese. Spread about 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on top of the cheese. Layer another 1/4 cup cheese over the beef mixture and place another tortilla on top. Let the quesadilla cook for about 4-5 minutes (or until golden brown and melty) then flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, or until crisp. (Cooking time depends on the type of tortilla you use.)
- Repeat this process with the additional tortillas to make a total of 4 quesadillas.
- Serve warm.
Notes:
- If you make this recipe and don't want to make the stuffed peppers, the remaining beef mixture is delicious over salads, as a nacho topping, poured over a sweet potato, or as a component to a grain bowl (simply combine a veggie, a grain, and the beef mixture).
- I like to make quesadillas in advance so we aren't waiting for each one to cook when everyone is hangry. I cut them into wedges, store them in the fridge and when dinner time is approaching, I take them out, lay them flat on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven. I turn on the oven to 350 degrees and once the oven is preheated, the quesadilla wedges are warm and taste just like they're fresh off the skillet.
- If you are making these at dinner time, I like to turn my oven to warm and put them straight from the skillet to the oven rack to keep crisp and hot while I prepare the remaining quesadillas.