This recipe for carne asada quesadillas has everything you love in a quesadilla with MORE CRUNCH! Grilled steak, green onions, creamy Mexican cheese, & crispy corn tortilla chips stuffed inside flour tortillas are re-grilled for extra crunch!
This Sonoran-style carne asada is not marinated. It is seasoned with sea salt, Mexican oregano, garlic and red chile powder, and finished with a squirt of pineapple juice while still on the grill. The recipe is featured in my Taste of Tucson cookbook. Ben cooks the beef on a Santa Rita style grill with a wheel to adjust the height of the grate. I use a Weber Kettle.
These quesadillas are even better with guacamole and salsa. Check out the recipes linked below.
Equipment
- 1 Outdoor or indoor grill or grill pan
- 1 squirt bottle
Recipe for quesadilla stuffed with carne asada, green onions, cheese, & crispy corn tortilla chips and grilled for extra crunch! With recipe for Sonoran carne asada from BK chef Ben Galaz.
Ingredients
- 1 pound 1/8-to-¼-inch thick skirt steaks or bottom round steaks
- 1 tablespoon sea salt preferably Sonoran
- ⅛ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano optional but recommended
- ⅛ teaspoon red chile powder
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 squirt bottle filled with pineapple juice about 1/2 cup
- 4 8-10 inch good quality flour tortillas the best you can find
- 4 Scallions washed and dried
- 2 cups shredded Queso Quesadilla Oaxaca and/or Mexican cheese blend
- 6-8 tortilla chips - per quesadilla
Instructions
Preheat the grill to 425 degrees. You want a very hot grill. Combine sea salt, oregano, chile powder and garlic powder in a small bowl. Pat dry the steaks and sprinkle generously with the asada seasoning blend. Flip them over onto the grill, then season the other side.- Nestle the scallions in on the sides or wherever they will fit. Cook two minutes. Squirt pineapple juice on one side of the steaks, then flip them and squirt pineapple juice on the other side. Cook for 2 minutes more or until desired doneness.
- Remove the steaks and scallions from the grill and rest for a minute or two, then slice the meat against the grain. Dice the meat and scallions into ¼-inch to ½-inch pieces. Keep warm.
For the Quesadillas
- Lay each tortilla on a work surface. Layer half of the tortilla with a portion of cheese, then portions of carne asada, scallions and tortilla chips, followed by another portion of cheese on top. Fold the empty half of the tortilla on top. Carefully place on the grill using a large spatula so that the fillings don’t fall out. Grill 4-5 minutes or until crispy. Slice with a pizza cutter and enjoy!
- Serve with salsas and guacamole. The recipes are linked below.
Hungry for More? Buy the Unofficial Elf Cookbook, The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook and the Taste of Tucson Cookbook!
