If there’s one good thing that’s come out of this whole ordeal for me personally it’s that I’m back in a regular running routine. Woo! Only took seven years and being cooped up at home all day! Anyway, I made a pact with a friend to keep each other accountable with regular exercise (highly recommend this, btw) curated a killer running playlist, and have been off to the races a few times a week as the weather allows, filling in the gaps with our exercise bike. So good for the soul, you guys. SO GOOD! I can literally feel the endorphins rushing through my body afterwards and, as I always tell Ben, I am such a better human after getting a little time to myself.
I’m also HIGHLY recommending you make these Cheeseburger Quesadillas for dinner tonight. I’ve been eating them on repeat over the past week – they are such a treat!
What’s Inside
Lincoln’s favorite food on the planet right now is burgers – he’d eat them every single night if he could but…everyone’s getting a little sick of burgers! These Cheeseburger Quesadillas though? Can’t get enough. They’re crispy and cheesy and seriously irresistable.
Browned ground beef is mixed with ketchup and mustard then layered in a tortilla with shredded cheddar cheese, your favorite burger toppings (I love diced onion and pickles), topped with MORE cheese, then crisped in a hot skillet. Want to add bacon? You should. Sauteed mushrooms? Go for it!
That said, I’m not including any ingredient measurements in the recipe card. No need! One component I am including specifics for is the Special Sauce you’ll want to smother each bite in. Cannot have burgers – in any form – without special sauce.
Best of all, we always have the ingredients to make Cheeseburger Quesadillas on hand so I can brown a pound of ground beef then quickly make these for lunch, dinner, or a late night snack (pairs well with wine, just saying) any time I want. SO GOOD! Let’s do this.
How to Make This Recipe
Start by adding browned ground beef to a bowl with ketchup and mustard. I like using a 2:1 ratio of ketchup to mustard but it’s totally up to you. One thing I will say is that you want the mixture to be more on the saucy vs dry side.
Heat a flat skillet or griddle over medium heat then spray with nonstick spray. Place a tortilla down (I like Mission gluten free tortillas,) then add a thin layer of shredded cheddar cheese, followed by the ground beef mixture.
Next add your favorite toppings. I went with lots of diced white onion and pickles.
Lastly, add another thin layer of shredded cheddar cheese and top with another tortilla.
Cook until both sides are crisp then slide onto a cutting board, wait five minutes, and slice. Mix up the ingredients for the Special Sauce (recipe below) then DEVOUR. I hope you love this mouthwatering classic cheeseburger with a twist! Enjoy!
Similar Recipes:
- BBQ Chicken Quesadillas >
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- Breakfast Quesadillas >
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Cheeseburger Quesadillas
Description
Cheeseburger Quesadillas are quick, fun, and finger lickin' good! This easy dinner recipe goes from fridge to table in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- ground beef, browned with salt and pepper then drained
- ketchup
- mustard
- gluten free tortillas (I like Mission brand)
- shredded cheddar cheese
- Toppings: chopped onions, chopped pickles, chopped bacon, etc.
- For the Special Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons minced dill pickles
- 1 Tablespoon minced white onion
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
Directions
- For the Special Sauce: Add ingredients to a bowl then stir to combine. Can be made several days in advance.
- Add cooked ground beef to a bowl then add ketchup and mustard to taste (I usually go with 2 parts ketchup to 1 part mustard.) You'll want the mixture to be more "saucy" vs dry.
- Heat a flat griddle or skillet over medium heat then spray with nonstick spray. Place a tortilla onto the skillet then sprinkle on a thin layer of cheddar cheese followed by the ground beef mixture. Add desired toppings then sprinkle on another thin layer of cheese and place a tortilla on top.
- Once the tortilla on the bottom has browned, flip then continue cooking until the second tortilla has browned. Remove quesadilla to a cutting board then let cool for 5 minutes before slicing with a pizza cutter. Serve with Special Sauce.
Notes
- This recipe was originally published in 2015 and included a dash of worcestershire sauce in the ground beef mixture, which you may add if you like!
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
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Oh yummy! And a perfect “pantry recipe”. I think I have everything at home! :)
I love that Ben is taking over the mansagna! What a guy. :) And it certainly looks like he knows his way around a bag of shredded cheese. :)
OMGOSH this makes me want to dig into a quesidilla for sure! yummy! Eric would love this!
This is PERFECT for all those late nights my hubby works during budget and audit season (ah, the life of an accountant’s wife :-). I would have to say I am known for my pastry baking skills. Scones, muffins, Madeleines, PIES, etc! NOT. CAKES. I am awful at fancy cakes, but give me a recipe for a hearty, rustic loaf cake or a crazy good pie, and I’m all over it. I love to cook, but I LIVE to bake. :-)
Um, Ben’s “mansagna” is pretty much the exact way my mom makes her regular lasagna, and it gets rave reviews from everyone who eats it! It’s the best!
Your cheeseburger quesadillas are a great way to get rid of extra ground beef, which I never know what to do with – awesome idea!!
I’m known for my cakes and desserts. I love to bake cakes and other desserts!!!
Such a genius idea! I always have leftover tortillas after making enchiladas or tacos, and they ususally just sit in the fridge until the next time. I think this is going to show up on my dinner table within the next week or so.
How did you know I thawed ground beef tonight but had no idea what to make?! This is perfect! Thank you!
I make pretty epic guacamole. And lasagna as well, actually! It’s my mom’s recipe and it’s fabulous. :-)
These look awesome! I am definitely going to try this recipe this weekend!!! Thank you!
those look amazing! i’m pretty sure i would love anything in quesadilla form, though :)
How sweet! It is so rare these days to find kind people who will go door to door to cheer those in need. Way to go you two and thank you for this fab recipe! :-)
Oh my gosh this is perfectly timed! I’m going to half this recipe for lunch tomorrow. I have a 1/2 pound of ground beef leftover from making spaghetti sauce and I was racking my brain for what to do with it!
These look amazing! Can’t wait to try next week!
I make a mean chicken piccata. Capers and beurre blanc sauce… what more could you want?
Mansagna is the only way I’ll eat lasagna… Any other kind of cheese & forget it!
Stuffed peppers and guacamole (not together!) are in my wheel house.
Thanks for te quick recipe – I have some leftover ground turkey I’ll be trying this with!
I love how you put ketchup and mustard with the ground meat. So clever!
wow! what a great idea! ive been also looking into getting one of those griddles for the stove, which do you have?
Most of my pans (including that skillet) are from Calphalon. They NEVER chip or scratch!
My man’s ‘sagna “recipe” looks quite similar. I don’t even try to top it!
What a clever idea. I’ll share it with my husband, who does all of our cooking. Thx!
God those look good… Think I’ll make those this weekend. :) I’ve gotta say, your blog inspires me to cook more than any other blog!
Oh my goodness. This looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks for the recipe…I just got a quesadilla maker (won it – not something I’d necessarily ever buy) last week and have yet to use it. I think I’m going to have to make this recipe tomorrow night!
So funny about the mansagna!! My husband has a recipe he calls taco pie that I (and now all of our friends) call “mansserole.” It’s one of the most delicious, cheesy, taco-y, amazing things ever but I don’t see how it could have been dreamed up by a woman:)
Aww, that’s so sweet of Ben! I swear it’s totally possible to taste “love” in food. There is no other possible explanation for why my mom’s microwave scrambled eggs taste like heaven.
I’m darn proud of my guacamole and perfectly pretty omelets. My boyfriend is King of the Hard Boiled Egg. He has a gift.
Kristen,
As a long-time vegan, I still think your blog is wonderful. Your personality comes through in every post, and it seems that you and Ben live life to the fullest. Thanks for the earnest entries that show your charisma. You are classy.
You wouldn’t know this just by looking at me, but I am REALLY good at making packaged ramen noodles ;)
These look AMAZING — and I have to say that it is SO sweet that your husband does that for friends and family. Things like that warm my heart!
SHUT UP! This might actually convince my husband he likes mexican! Cant wait to try it!
xo Rach
rachiecakes-rachael.blogspot.com
This recipe looks delicious! I have had this thing for quesadillas lately and I always love cheese burgers so this is perfect! When I have made them I use a little vegetable oil, did you not use any oil to crisp them up in the pan?
I’m good at making Chicken Parmesan really well! Plus these Crab-Cheese appetizers some people call Crabbies, when I ask what I can bring they ask for these.
I was scared that I will see tons of cilantro inside, but NO! YUM!! They look delicious. Perfect for dinner!
Hey these look absolutely tasty amazing!!! BTW if you want to “man up” those quesidillas along the lines of “Ben’s Beefy Mansagna” …you can use pita bread instead of the tortillas which makes a heartier quesidilla to hold and eat! Blessings everyone “Famous Dave”
Great idea, Dave! So great to hear from you again – it’s an honor! :)
YUM, this sounds really good! What a great idea.
Just tried these over the weekend. Holy cow were they good. We cooked our onions with our beef because we prefer grilled onions to raw on our burgers. We also added some crumbled bacon to the mixture. So simple and quick, so satisfying!
So for the measure would you say 3 tbsp ketchup 2 tbsp mustard and 1 tbsp worcetershire sauce?
That should be a good start, then mix and add more of whatever ingredient you think it needs more of!
Kristin,
I’m a mom of two little ones (2, and soon-to-be 5). Thank you so much for that great recipe of yours, I just cooked it last night for my family, and it was a hit!!
I only used ketchup for the little ones though, and since we live in Paris, France, I used shredded ‘swiss cheese’, and it was perfect! I will do it again.
Absolutely love it!! I love mixing ketchup and mustard together– is that weird? My BF and I use it as dipping sauce for fries sometimes! This sounds great and I love that you even added pickles!
I tried these tonight and they were delicious! So easy and simple yet totally tasty and comforting. Definitely will be a go-to recipe in the future!
I tried these tonight too! They really do taste like cheeseburgers! Delish. Made the pumpkin scones tonight too, and I can’t wait to share them with friends for breakfast. Thanks for sharing!
I made these last night using 1/2 lb. of hamburger. They were delicious! My hubby’s only comment between his “mmmmm…this is so good” was to use more cheese next time.
Have you tried barbequed chicken in quesadillas? Just cut up cooked chicken, add BBQ sauce and mix it together. We usually like some chopped onion and cheese added too. They are awesome!
BBQ Chicken Quesadillas are Ben’s #1 favorite dinner in the entire world! http://iowagirleats.com/2010/06/28/the-secret-ingredient-to-make-anything-taste-better/
Sorry I didn’t know you had this recipe too! Next time, I’m carmelizing the onions! Yum!
(I’m another Iowa girl…in Dubuque!)
Oh gosh, no – nothing to be sorry about! :) Have a great weekend, girl!
I am going to make these this week! I am curious about the recipes for Ben’s Mansangna too!!!
Thanks for the great recipe! I made it on Saturday evening and we all loved it. I prepped the meat – we did ground turkey – the night before so it came together super fast, and my step daughter (15) said she’d eat it every night, when I said I’d pop it into our meal listing. (Your bruschetta mozzarella burgers are in there, along with several other recipes from IGE!) Thanks!
These were a great hit for my families with teenage boys! :) What a great idea to make a burger-style sauce for the ground meat using ketchup/mustard/sauce – such a nice contrast to the more traditional taco flavorings. I used ground turkey and it was delicious!
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Thank you so much for the awesome idea! I thought it was a fun way to use some pre-cooked ground beef I had in the freezer, plus I love each person getting what they want for dinner.
I posted about my experience with this recipe on my blog.
http://bloginspiredcooking.blogspot.com/2013/02/customized-for-you-cheeseburger.html
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