Carne Asada Quesadillas
These Carne Asada Quesadillas are the ultimate Tex-Mex dinner — loaded with tender grilled flank steak, sautéed peppers and onions, creamy refried beans, and melty cheese all tucked inside a perfectly golden, crispy tortilla. Serve them alongside chunky guacamole and cilantro lime rice for a meal that tastes like your favorite restaurant right in your own kitchen!
Try my Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas next!
Best Steak Quesadillas
We are all about our Tex-Mex, and I’m convinced that you can have your own little fiesta in the comforts of your home, for far less cost. These steak quesadillas? They are SO many things.
- Full of carne asada
- Bursting with peppers and onions
- Perfectly cheesy
- With a slight kick from the restaurant-style refried beans!
Make your own quesadillas, and maybe a little extra (adjust recipe size via the serving size in the recipe below) so you can eat leftovers all week long. 😀
What is carne asada?
Carne asada is simply, grilled and sliced beef. You can use a variety of steak – flank steak (in this recipe), skirt steak, sirloin steak, tenderloin steak, or rib steak. It is usually cooked with a marinade and is seared to impart a charred flavor. You can serve carne asada as a main dish or use it as part of a recipe (like these quesadillas).
Ingredients Notes:
- Steak – You’ll need a nice flank steak for these quesadillas. We grill all year round here in Texas so that’s normally how we cook it.
- Marinade – chopped cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce, citrus juice, ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper
- Veggies – Go with yellow onion, bell peppers (any color), and jalapeno pepper for the veggie sauté. Other options would be to use mushrooms, zucchini, or even some frozen corn.
- Restaurant Style Refried Beans – We eat these on the regular and you’ll be surprised how tasty they are. We also dip chips in this recipe!
- Shredded Cheese – Any kind of cheese works, but I prefer Mexican cheese or Pepper Jack.
- Tortillas – I used lower carb (taco-size) flour tortillas for my quesadillas. You could use whatever you have on hand.
How to make Carne Asada Quesadillas:
Step 1
Make carne asada marinade. In a mixing bowl, combine the marinade ingredients – chopped cilantro (optional), olive oil soy sauce, citrus juices, and seasonings (ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper). Pour marinade over the steak – in a storage bag or airtight container.
Step 2
Refrigerate. Place meat in refrigerator for a couple of hours. If you marinate overnight, don’t add the citrus until a couple hours before grilling.
Step 3
Set meat out. Set the meat out an hour or so before grilling. You want to get the chill off the meat before grilling
Step 4
Grill. Light a grill to 400 degrees and place steak on grates. Cook until the meat reaches 140 degrees (via a digital thermometer). You decide if you want your meat to be more done or rare.
Step 5
Rest meat and slice. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes, and then slice ACROSS THE GRAIN.
NOTE: If you use leftover carne asada for quesadillas, I slice it thin and then warm up in a skillet.
Step 6
Sauté peppers and onions. Thinly slice the peppers and onions. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Add peppers and onions, a little bit of salt and pepper, and cook until softened. This should take approximately 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 7
Make refried beans. Saute the onion and jalapeños in a cast iron over medium high heat. When softened, add garlic, salt, pepper, and ground cumin. Cook for another minute and then add beans. Simmer until hot.
Add the bean mixture to a food processor. Add the butter and lime juice and pulse until very creamy. If needed, add more lime or water to thin.
Step 8
Assemble quesadillas. Take a flour tortilla, spread about a few tablespoons of the bean mixture on top, smoothing out on half of the tortilla. Then add some peppers and onions, strips of steak, and then cheese. Fold the tortilla over to form an envelope. Repeat this for the remaining quesadillas.
Step 9
Cook. Heat up a cast iron skillet to medium heat and add a little bit of oil. Add one or two quesadillas at a time (depending on how big your skillet is) and grill on both sides until nice and browned.
Step 10
Serve. Slice quesadillas in half and serve with sides of your choice. See below for ideas!
What to serve with Quesadillas:
I have some delicious side dishes for you to pair with these Carne Asada Quesadillas!
Best Margaritas to serve with Tex-Mex:
Expert Tips:
- If making these with leftover flank steak, slice it thin and heat up quickly in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- You may not use all of the ingredients for eight medium-sized quesadillas, so either make more or eat the remainder in burrito bowls instead.
- I recommend prepping the beans a day in advance for easier prep.
- Instead of using carb balance tortillas, you can use any type you prefer. We like using a whole wheat tortilla too.
If you enjoy cooking with flank steak like we do, try our Stuffed Flank Steak Recipe or Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry.
xoxo ~Sue
Carne Asada Quesadillas
Ingredients
For the steak:
- 3/4 pound flank steak – sliced into strips against the grain
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH ground cumin, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper
For the onions and peppers:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion – sliced thin
- 1 medium bell pepper (any color) – sliced thin
- 2 medium jalapeno peppers – sliced thin (seeds removed)
For the refried beans:
- 30 oz. pinto beans – rinsed and drained
- 1/2 medium yellow onion – chopped
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper – diced
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium lime – freshly squeezed
To assemble and cook:
- 4-6 oz. shredded Mexican cheese
- 8 taco sized tortillas – I use carb balance
Instructions
- Make carne asada marinade. In a mixing bowl, combine the marinade ingredients – chopped cilantro (optional), olive oil soy sauce, citrus juices, and seasonings (ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper). Pour marinade over the steak – in a storage bag or airtight container.1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, 3/4 pound flank steak, 1/2 teaspoon EACH ground cumin, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper
- Refrigerate. Place meat in refrigerator for a couple of hours. If you marinate overnight, don’t add the citrus until a couple hours before grilling.
- Set meat out. Set the meat out an hour or so before grilling. You want to get the chill off the meat before grilling
- Grill. Light a grill to 400 degrees and place steak on grates. Cook until the meat reaches 140 degrees (via a digital thermometer). You decide if you want your meat to be more done or rare.
- Rest meat and slice. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes, and then slice ACROSS THE GRAIN.NOTE: If you use leftover carne asada for quesadillas, I slice it thin and then warm up in a skillet.
- Sauté peppers and onions. Thinly slice the peppers and onions. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Add peppers and onions, a little bit of salt and pepper, and cook until softened. This should take approximately 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium bell pepper (any color), 2 medium jalapeno peppers, 1/2 medium yellow onion
- Make refried beans. Sauté the onion and jalapeños in a cast iron over medium high heat. When softened, add garlic, salt, pepper, and ground cumin. Cook for another minute and then add beans. Simmer until hot.Add the bean mixture to a food processor. Add the butter and lime juice and pulse until very creamy. If needed, add more lime or water to thin.1/2 medium yellow onion, 1 medium jalapeno pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, 30 oz. pinto beans, 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 medium lime
- Assemble quesadillas. Take a flour tortilla, spread about a few tablespoons of the bean mixture on top, smoothing out on half of the tortilla. Then add some peppers and onions, strips of steak, and then cheese. Fold the tortilla over to form an envelope. Repeat this for the remaining quesadillas.8 taco sized tortillas, 4-6 oz. shredded Mexican cheese
- Cook. Heat up a cast iron skillet to medium heat and add a little bit of oil. Add one or two quesadillas at a time (depending on how big your skillet is) and grill on both sides until nice and browned.
- Serve. Slice quesadillas in half and serve with sides of your choice.
Notes
Expert Tips
- If making these with leftover flank steak, slice it thin and heat up quickly in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- You may not use all of the ingredients for eight medium-sized quesadillas, so either make more or eat the remainder in burrito bowls instead.
- I recommend prepping the beans a day in advance for easier prep.
- Instead of using carb balance tortillas, you can use any type you prefer. We like using a whole wheat tortilla too.
I made this the other night and my husband and I thought it was delicious! Steak had good flavor and so did the beans. We felt it needed a little something more, so we added pickled jalapenos when we heated up the leftovers and that was the way to go!
My only complaint with the recipe is the Instructions mentioned lime in the steak marinade but lime wasn’t listed in the ingredient list, and same with the beans… instructions mentioned garlic but wasn’t listed as ingredient. I just added what I thought and it worked!
I just fixed those mistakes. Thanks for pointing it out Jamie!
This was a huge family hit! Easy to make and tasted delicious!
Hi Lori! I’m SO glad you enjoyed the quesadillas! We love our Tex-Mex. 🙂 Thanks for your feedback, as always!
I love this recipe for lunch or dinner. Tastes amazing every time. Easy meal prep when taking lunch to work!