Let’s be serious–quesadillas are a Mexican version of grilled cheese. Carbs glued together by melty cheese can never be wrong.  I’ve certainly eaten more than a few quesadillas but never made them for dinner before. I don’t know why these aren’t in my regular rotation but I will be adding them. Skirt steak was an easy choice: cheap, tender and quick to cook. Bonus points for the fact that quesadillas are an easy week night meal to throw together after work. You can also make them in advance and wrap them in tin foil until you are ready to serve for a party or an appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• 3/4 lb or so of skirt steak
• 1 bag Mexican cheese
• Seasonings for the steak (whatever you like)
• • Salt & Pepper
• • Garlic Powder
• • Ancho Chili Powder
• • Cumin
• • Coriander
• • Onion Powder
• • Cayenne pepper
• Scallions & Cilantro for topping
• Salsa/Sour cream/guacamole optional for extra
• Tortillas (PS these ones taste delish, are low carb and only 90 calories)

Directions:

Saute your onions first for a minute or two, then add your peppers. Season with salt & pepper.

Marinate your steak for 20-30 minutes in a ziploc bag (or for a few hours if you can) in a bit of olive oil and seasonings.

Sear the steak on high heat for about 3 minutes each side or to your desired temperature.

Let your steak rest for at least 5 minutes before you cut it so the juices redistribute and don’t run all over your cutting board when you make the first slice.  Make sure you cut a meat like this against the grain so it stays tender.

It will cook a bit more in the pan when you make the quesadilla so it can be a little less cooked than you typically like.

To assemble your quesadillas, first put a layer of cheese down, then your pepper and onion mixture. Then steak.

Then more cheese!

Place in hot greased pan and use a press to make sure it gets nice and gooey/melty. Make sure you have a nice big spatula for flipping it over. It’s not easy but I promise you can do it- have faith.

Mmmmmmmm. When we were little my mom would make us little quesadillas and wrap them in tin foil and then throw them in the toaster oven when we wanted to eat them. It’s a good snack to keep on hand if you make it in a smaller version or feed to a crowd on demand. Easy to make ahead!

Add your toppings- tonight we used fresh cilantro, scallions and a green salsa. This would definitely pair well with my awesome avocado crema! And if you want to make these for a party, just cut them up in smaller slices.

Gooey cheesy quesadilla with tex-mex seasoned steak. Nosh n Mangia!