Description

Cheeseburger quesadillas with smoky burger sauce are basically lazy cheeseburgers that can be made without any fuss. They’re just as delicious, but with all the melty comfort of a quesadilla (and without toasting any buns and frying up the patties just right). This is an especially great recipe if we’re cooking for several people. Add some crispy bacon to make it a bacon-cheeseburger quesadilla, or use Beyond Beef to make it vegetarian — just be sure to MealPrep it to have extra on hand for easy weeknight meals.

Ingredients

Scale

Cheeseburger Quesadilla Ingredients

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 pound fatty ground pork, or ground beef, or Beyond “meat” (500g)
1 tablespoon onion powder (7g)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (.75g)
1/2 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, or more to taste (or use regular salt) (2.5g)
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (20g)
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
2 medium onions, (1 sliced for sautéeing and 1 finely diced raw)
3 1/2 cups grated cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or provolone)
1 large tomato (or a handful of sweet grape tomatoes), diced or sliced
shredded lettuce or purple cabbage, to taste
dill pickles, sliced or finely chopped, to taste
2 tablespoons butter (for the pan)

Smoky Burger Sauce

1 tablespoon yellow mustard (15g)
1/4 cup real mayonnaise (or homemade) (60g)
1/2 cup ketchup (115g)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon onion powder, or to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark even when your hands have flour all over them

Instructions

Cook the meat. Heat a skillet over medium-high, add the ground meat (or meat alternative), onion powder, garlic powder, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (or regular salt), and black pepper, and cook until the meat is just browned. Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir everything to combine, taste, adjust seasonings, and cook a little longer until some of the meat crisps up slightly.
Caramelize the onion. In a small or medium skillet, add about 2 teaspoons (9g) of olive oil to the pan, turn the heat up to medium-high, and add the sliced onions. Add salt to taste and cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until they have a nice golden brown and charred color. Set aside.
Make the smoky burger sauce. Add all of the burger sauce ingredients to a small bowl, combine, and adjust the seasonings if needed. Set aside.
Assemble the quesadillas. Lay out one flour tortilla and sprinkle cheese over half of it, add some meat, caramelized onions, raw diced onions, pickles, and tomatoes, drizzle it with the smoky burger sauce, and add a little lettuce. Add more cheese and close the tortilla, pressing down on it to flatten it into a half-moon shape. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. *Alternatively, you may assemble the quesadillas by covering the entire bottom with toppings and then placing another tortilla on top, but when you cut the quesadillas, there won’t be a closed edge to keep all of the ingredients inside.
Cook the quesadillas Preheat a skillet to medium heat, add just enough butter to coat the bottom of the skillet and place quesadillas in the pan. Cook over steady heat (not too high or too low) until it’s golden brown and crispy, flip the quesadilla over using a spatula, and cook until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Remove quesadillas to a cutting board and slice into 3 wedges and serve, Enjoy!

Notes

If you use lean beef the quesadillas will still taste great, but won’t have the same plump “bite” or flavor as using fatty pork, or a fattier beef.
Use sliced cheese if that’s what you have on hand. It’s nearly impossible to find shredded cheddar cheese where we live in Italy, so I just use the slices instead and it actually stays inside the quesadilla a little easier.
To give your sautéed caramelized onions that signature “restaurant” sizzle and flavor, add a splash of soy sauce to the skillet towards the last few seconds of cooking and give them a stir.
If you’re making a Vegan Beyond “meat” Cheeseburger quesadillas, use alternatives for the butter, cheese, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce in the recipe.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Sandwiches + Panini + Wraps
Method: Skillet
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 3 Quesadilla Wedges