Food cravings can sometimes be hard to address. Carne asada quesadillas are one of those flavor bombs that answer multiple cravings in one bite. Think of bold spices, succulent beef, and gooey cheese, all wrapped in a baked tortilla, dipped in chunky guacamole, and topped off with refreshing sour cream.
Jump to:
- 🧾 Ingredients
- 📋 What equipment do I need?
- 👨🏻🍳 How to make this tasty carne asada quesadilla
- 🥩 Marinating the meat
- 🥘 Cooking the meat
- 🫓 Assembling the quesadilla
- 📖 What are some possible variations and substitutions?
- 🤔 What's the difference between soft tacos, tortillas, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and chimichangas?
- 🤔 What’s the difference between soft tacos, tortillas, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and chimichangas?
- ✨ How to get the most air out of a Ziploc bag before closing it?
- 🔪 Which fat adds flavor and which fat has to be trimmed?
- ❓ FAQ
- 📝 Recipe
I’m not claiming there’s anything authentic about my carne asada quesadilla recipe, but I do claim that it’s extremely tasty….
🧾 Ingredients
After you have your first bite, come back and look at this ingredient list. Pretty simple. It’s not about mixing tons of different spices and herbs and hard-to-find ingredients to create a bold, unique flavor. It’s the combination of a few herbs and spices in the right amounts.
- Skirt steak
- Garlic cloves
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Chili powder
- Fresh lime juice
- Olive oil
- Cilantro
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Jalapeños (optional)
- A mix of sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheeses
- Flour tortillas
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and their measurements.
📋 What equipment do I need?
As with most of my recipes, no special equipment is needed. A cutting board, a chef’s knife, a cast iron pan, and a grater are all you need. If you prefer to finish the quesadillas in the oven, then you’ll need a baking sheet.
👨🏻🍳 How to make this tasty carne asada quesadilla
There are a few different ways to prep and cook this Tex-Mex flavor bomb. I’ll walk you through my go-to versions and will mention some additional options below.
The first consideration is how to treat the meat. We’re using a relatively “tough” cut of meat and want to have it cooked in just a couple of minutes. How can we achieve that? By marinating.
🥩 Marinating the meat
First, we create the marinade. In a bowl, mix some crushed and roughly chopped garlic cloves (no need to mince), freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, and some chopped jalapeños (if used).
Trim the meat if necessary and pat it dry with a paper towel. Season with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder. Use your hand to press these dry ingredients onto the meat.
Place the meat in a Ziploc bag and add the marinade. Gently massage the bag to make sure the marinade evenly coats all of the meat. Try to press out as much air as possible before closing the bag.
Put the bag on a plate and place it in the fridge for at least an hour (but not more than 10 hours). Massage and turn occasionally to get the marinate working, especially if you plan to marinate for only an hour or so.
🥘 Cooking the meat
Once you’re ready to cook the meat, add just a little bit of a neutral oil, like canola, to a cast iron pan and bring it to medium-high heat. That means to a heat where the oil is really hot but is not smoking yet. Before adding the meat, open a window or turn on the overhead vent.
Grab the meat with tongs from the Ziploc bag and shake off some of the excessive marinade and the larger garlic chunks. Add the meat to the pan. It should instantly sizzle and smoke a little when touching the hot oil.
Cook for about 3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the cut). Check with an instant meat thermometer. It should read 130-140℉ in the thickest part. Remove from the pan, place on a cutting board, and lightly cover with foil.
⭐ Tip: Depending on how much meat you’re cooking, you might have to work in batches. You don’t want the cuts of meat to touch each other in the pan. If they touch, they’ll steam instead of sear.
While resting the steak for a couple of minutes, grate the cheeses.
Next, slice the beef - against the grain - in small, bite-sized strips.
⭐ Tip: I’m always tasting my food throughout the cooking process. Right now is an excellent moment to add some finishing flavor touches to the meat. Taste a strip of the steak. Does it need any more salt or other spices? If so, toss the cut meat into a bowl and add more spices to your liking. Remember, we’re creating a flavor bomb. We want bold flavors that will compete with the cool sour cream, lemony cilantro, and creamy, fresh guacamole.
⭐ Cheese buying tip: I always use a block of cheese and grate it myself. Reason number 1: It’s more economical. Reason number 2: Leftover cheese stays fresh longer when properly stored.
⭐ Another cheesy tip: When grating cheese, make sure the block of cheese comes straight out of the fridge. Or even better, put the cheese in the freezer for 10 minutes or so. Harder cheese is much easier to grate and will stick to the grater less.
🫓 Assembling the quesadilla
Carefully wipe out the cast iron pan with a paper towel without burning yourself. It’s okay if the pan is not completely clean. Any little scraps will only add flavor to the tortilla.
Put the pan back on the stove and turn it up to medium heat. Add a soft taco/tortilla to the dry pan (one that fits the diameter of the pan). My cast iron pan is 9 inches wide, so I use 8-inch tortillas.
Sprinkle the whole width of the tortilla with a quarter of the cheese, then add a layer of beef strips to half of the tortilla.
When the cheese starts to melt (which takes maybe 1 or 2 minutes), gently - with a spatula - fold the taco/tortilla in half and also gently press it flat so that it looks like a quesadilla should look.
⭐ Tip: Don’t worry if it breaks at the fold the first couple of times you try this. It won’t taste any different and will give you an excellent excuse to try it again soon.
Flip the whole enchilada 😂 and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
Slide onto a cutting board and cut in half. A pizza cutter works like a charm. A knife works perfectly fine as well.
Place on a plate or cutting board and sprinkle some chopped cilantro over the top. That’s just for good looks.
Serve with your favorite accompaniments, such as guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, black beans, rice, etc.
📖 What are some possible variations and substitutions?
Like with every other recipe, there are always variations and/or substitutions. They might be desired from the standpoint of a certain diet, personal preferences, store availability, etc.
You know best what’s best for you. I’ll list a couple of things that I’ve tried that work, but the recipe version below is the one that I’ve put my signature on.
Skirt steak - If you can’t find a skirt steak, look for hanger steak or flank steak
Garlic cloves - There is no substitute for garlic. You either love it or hate it.
Cumin - Mix equal amounts of paprika and chili powder
Smoked paprika - Chipotle, chili powder, or liquid smoke
Chili powder - Mix paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, and cumin
Cilantro - If you’re one of the folks who thinks cilantro tastes like soap (Ina Garten thinks so), replace it with flat leaf Italian parsley
Jalapeños (optional) - optional
Cheddar/Pepper jack cheese - Replace with any cheese you like that easily melts
And of course, when it comes to side dishes, make it yours. Whatever you like. Learn how to make these carne asada quesadillas and serve them with your favorite side dishes.
🤔 What's the difference between soft tacos, tortillas, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and chimichangas?
As with most of my recipes, no special equipment is needed. A cutting board, a chef’s knife, a cast iron pan, and a grater are all you need. If you prefer to finish the quesadillas in the oven, then you’ll need a baking sheet.
🤔 What’s the difference between soft tacos, tortillas, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and chimichangas?
The last pack of soft tacos that I bought also said 10 tortillas (on the same package). So are they the same? What a rabbit hole these questions open. Let’s try to keep it nice and short:
Tacos - Hard tacos are made of corn, while soft tacos are made of flour
Tortillas - Tortillas are made of flour and are large soft tacos. This means that soft tacos are small tortillas. But where is the cut?
Burrito - Isn’t that just a gigantic soft taco rolled tightly?
Enchiladas - A rolled tortilla topped with a tomato-based sauce and baked
Quesadillas - A tortilla stuffed with cheese, meats, and vegetables, grilled until the cheese melts inside
Chimichanga - A deep-fried burrito
I guarantee that I made multiple mistakes in trying to answer this question. I’m a gringo. I am aware that certain terms (like soft shell tacos) don’t even exist in Central America. They’re simply called tacos. But it might be fun to see if we can get a discussion going in the comment section….
✨ How to get the most air out of a Ziploc bag before closing it?
After you fill the bag with the food you’d like to marinate, lay the bag on its side on a cutting board or the kitchen counter and gently press out the air, starting from the bottom of the bag and working your way toward the opening. Hold the opening slightly up so the liquids won't spill out.
Once you’ve gotten out as much air as possible, start closing the slider. But before you fully close the bag, stick in a drinking straw and suck out the rest of the air and close the bag completely. This will force the marinade to marinate the meat instead of just sitting on the bottom of the bag.
🔪 Which fat adds flavor and which fat has to be trimmed?
The fat on the outside of your steak should be cut off. This so-called flap fat won’t make the meat more tender. It will render off and take with it the marinade you just put on so lovingly…there goes your flavor. Tenderness and flavor in meats comes from the marbled fat within the cut, not from “above.”
❓ FAQ
It adds a ton of flavor. A marinade consists of three main factors: acid (citrus juice, vinegar), oil, and salt. The oil in the marinade keeps it all together and increases the flavors of oil-soluble spices as well as garlic, and will help the meat cook more evenly.
Is it a coincidence that a marinade marinates? Does a marmalade marmalate? I was born in Switzerland and boy oh boy, learning English sure does make no sense….
Any acid in your marinade will start denaturing the meat proteins, which in turn will firm up the meat, making it tougher to eat (the opposite of what we want to achieve). To avoid any negative marinating effects, keep your marinating time below 10 hours and make sure it’s about equal parts acid and oil.
Hanger steak is my go-to “butcher’s” cut that I’ve written about multiple times before. But oftentimes a hanger steak is not available. One reason is that butchers like to keep it for themselves and the other is that for every 20 pounds of rib-eye and T-bone steak you get from an animal, you’ll get about 2 pounds of hanger steak. Now what?
Luckily, there are a couple of other cuts from different parts of the animal that you can substitute. Look for flank or skirt steak. All three are very flavorful and much less expensive than other cuts. They all have their own “personalities” regarding flavor and the best way to cook, but generally, you can treat them similarly.
Because all of these three steaks are relatively thin, you have to consider the following steps to get the best results: Always cook over high heat by pan searing or grilling. That’s the only way to brown the surface without overcooking the inside. It only takes a couple of minutes on each side to cook these steaks to medium-rare/medium. Secondly, always cut the steak in thin strips against the grain before serving or it might be a little tough to chew.
Do you love easy, delicious meals as much as I do? Check out a few more of my recipes now!
- Shrimp Tacos with Avocado, Grapefruit, and Creamy Cilantro Sauce
- Knock Your Socks Off Guacamole
- How To Make A Simple, Tasty Hot Sauce
- Chimichurri Recipe
- Zhoug Sauce
- Sheet Pan Hanger Steak with Mushrooms and Carrots
- How To Grill Steaks (and nearly everything else perfectly, every time)
- Homemade Beef Jerky
Did you make these Carne Asada Quesadillas? Let us know in the comments below!
📝 Recipe
Carne Asada Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 pound skirt steak
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- Half a bunch of cilantro, chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeños (optional)
- 4 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces grated pepper jack cheese
- 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Instructions
- First, we create the marinade. In a bowl, mix some crushed and roughly chopped garlic cloves (no need to mince), freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, and some chopped jalapeños (if used).
- Trim the meat if necessary and pat it dry with a paper towel.
- Season with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder. Use your hand to press these dry ingredients onto the meat.
- Place the meat in a Ziploc bag and add the marinade.
- Gently massage the bag to make sure the marinade evenly coats all of the meat.
- Try to press out as much air as possible before closing the bag.
- Put the bag on a plate and place it in the fridge for at least an hour (but not more than 10 hours). Massage and turn occasionally to get the marinate working, especially if you plan to marinate for only an hour or so.
- Once you’re ready to cook the meat, add just a little bit of a neutral oil, like canola, to a cast iron pan and bring it to medium-high heat. That means to a heat where the oil is really hot but is not smoking yet.
- Grab the meat with tongs from the Ziploc bag and shake off some of the excessive marinade and the larger garlic chunks.
- Add the meat to the pan. It should instantly sizzle and smoke a little when touching the hot oil.
- Cook for about 3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the cut).
- Check with an instant meat thermometer. It should read 130-140℉ in the thickest part.
- Remove from the pan, place on a cutting board, and lightly cover with foil.
- While resting the steak for a couple of minutes, grate the cheeses.
- Next, slice the beef - against the grain - in small, bite-sized strips.
- Carefully wipe out the cast iron pan with a paper towel without burning yourself. It’s okay if the pan is not completely clean. Any little scraps will only add flavor to the tortilla.
- Put the pan back on the stove and turn it up to medium heat.
- Add a soft taco/tortilla to the dry pan (one that fits the diameter of the pan).
- Sprinkle the whole width of the tortilla with a quarter of the cheese, then add a layer of beef strips to half of the tortilla.
- When the cheese starts to melt (which takes maybe 1 or 2 minutes), gently - with a spatula - fold the taco/tortilla in half and also gently press it flat so that it looks like a quesadilla should look.
- Flip the whole enchilada 😂 and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
- Slide onto a cutting board and cut in half. A pizza cutter works like a charm. A knife works perfectly fine as well.
- Place on a plate or cutting board and sprinkle some chopped cilantro over the top. That’s just for good looks.
Notes
- Tip for cooking the meat: Depending on how much meat you’re cooking, you might have to work in batches. You don’t want the cuts of meat to touch each other in the pan. If they touch, they’ll steam instead of sear.
- Taste, taste, taste: I’m always tasting my food throughout the cooking process. Right now is an excellent moment to add some finishing flavor touches to the meat. Taste a strip of the steak. Does it need any more salt or other spices? If so, toss the cut meat into a bowl and add more spices to your liking. Remember, we’re creating a flavor bomb. We want bold flavors that will compete with the cool sour cream, lemony cilantro, and creamy, fresh guacamole.
- Cheese buying tip: I always use a block of cheese and grate it myself. Reason number 1: It’s more economical. Reason number 2: Leftover cheese stays fresh longer when properly stored.
- Another cheesy tip: When grating cheese, make sure the block of cheese comes straight out of the fridge. Or even better, put the cheese in the freezer for 10 minutes or so. Harder cheese is much easier to grate and will stick to the grater less.
- Folding the quesadilla: Don’t worry if it breaks at the fold the first couple of times you try this. It won’t taste any different and will give you an excellent excuse to try it again soon.
- Why is my carne asada tough? Because all of these three steaks are relatively thin, you have to consider the following steps to get the best results: Always cook over high heat by pan searing or grilling. That’s the only way to brown the surface without overcooking the inside. It only takes a couple of minutes on each side to cook these steaks to medium-rare/medium. Secondly, always cut the steak in thin strips against the grain before serving or it might be a little tough to chew.
- Suggestion: If you enjoy this, then you're gonna love our shrimp tacos!
Wendy C.
Wow this is so tasty, awesome comfort food!
maplewoodroad
Thanks so much! 🙂
Bobby
I just made these! So rewarding for just a little bit of prep work.
maplewoodroad
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂