Crispy oven baked quesadillas

This is a handy recipe for crispy quesadillas baked in the oven. Which means you can make 3, 4 or 8 at a time instead of pan frying one by one! Stuffed with my favourite taco beef mince (ground beef) though you can use chicken, turkey, lamb or pork. Super quick and easy!

Crispy oven baked beef quesadillas

Recipe writers “always” trumpet on about how quick and easy quesadillas are to make (yours truly included). Which they are, if you’re cooking for one or two people.

But if you’re cooking for 3 or 4 or 5 – and throw a hoard of hungry teenagers into the mix – who’s got time to pan fry them one by one? Nobody I know in the real world!

Solution: Use the oven. They are truly crispy and everything you want in a quesadilla, stuffed with a taco-flavoured meaty filling studded with corn, beans and oozy cheese. My favourite part is the edges where the melted cheese goes crispy!

Just in case you doubt me – more proof of crispy:

That’s crispy!!

Ingredients for crispy oven baked quesadillas

You can use this recipe as a template for whatever filling you want. Though to ensure it goes crispy, you need to ensure the filling isn’t too watery. Mince works well because it can be juicy without being watery, and it’s great to cook up with a tasty Mexican seasoning. Also, the surface of the quesadillas stay nice and flat (compared to, say, irregular size chunks of chicken, like in this baked chicken quesadilla) which equals crispier surface.

the beef quesadilla filling

Here’s what goes into the taco flavoured beef filling. It’s the same seasoning I used for my old school beef tacos which I adore!

• Beef mince (ground beef) – This recipe will work with any type of meat though you will find chicken and turkey is drier than beef, pork and lamb. Beef is my favourite – because I do have a very big soft spot for old school Beef Tacos (crispy taco shells and all!).

• Taco seasoning – This is the blend I use for my Beef Taco Filling, made with simple pantry staples. If you’re tempted to use a store bought packet for convenience, go ahead. But when you have time, use this homemade mix and notice how it doesn’t have that artificial edge! I think you’ll enjoy it. 🙂

• Tomato paste – This is to add a little flavour, bind the filling and juice it up a bit. Without, the beef is a little dry and crumbly, I find.

• Corn and beans – This is to add some bulk and different texture into the filling, rather than just using meat. I use canned, though you can use frozen corn as well. (Use leftovers in a salad or freeze flattered in ziplock bags so you can snap off a bit more the next time you make this!).

The quesadillas

Here’s what you need to assemble the quesadillas.

• Flour tortillas – Use flour tortillas around 20cm/8″ wide. I’ve tried this with all sorts of brands from and they all baked up lovely and crispy with the exception of Old El Paso. These tortillas labelled as “super soft and flexible!” which works against us here! They do go quite crispy but they take an extra 3 to 5 minutes, but still not as crispy as all the other brands I tried (Mission, Coles and Woolworths brands, La Banderita).

  Whatever brand you can get, I still think this is still worth making. Firstly, it’s quick. Secondly, even if not as ultra crispy as pictured, it should crisp up a decent amount and it will be a tasty trial-and-error to find the tortilla brand that works best.

• Cheese – Use any melting cheese you want. I use Colby, cheddar, tasty cheese (an Australian cheddar-like cheese) and Monterey Jack, all of which are staples in my fridge. I wouldn’t choose to use mozzarella as it doesn’t have as much flavour but if that’s all I had, it wouldn’t stop me.

• Olive oil – You need it, if you want crispy! Just 1 teaspoon to grease the tray and some for the quesadillas ( just 1/2 teaspoon each).

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How to make crispy oven baked quesadillas

You will notice that there is less filling than traditional pan fried quesadillas because the more filling there is, the less it crisps up in the oven.

Also – don’t skimp on the oil drizzled on the tortillas. Oil = crisp!

1. Beef filling – Cook the beef first, breaking it up as you. Then when the red (raw) colour is just about gone, add the Taco Seasoning and cook it for 1 minute which will bring out the flavour. Add the tomato paste and stir for another 1 minute to cook off the sour raw flavour. Stir in the corn, beans and water. The water will “juice up” the filling a bit without making it watery (which will compromise crispiness).

2. Cool the filling for 15 minutes. If it’s too hot, it will steam inside the quesadillas which makes the tortilla soggy = compromises crispiness (do you see a theme in today’s recipe? 😂).

   This is what we’re after – not dry and crumbly, but it’s not watery:

3. Assemble quesadillas – Spread the filling across half of each quesadilla and top with cheese. Spread evenly to make the quesadillas as flat as possible.

4. Prepare for baking – Grease a tray with olive oil (just 1 teaspoon is enough), then place the quesadillas on the tray. Drizzle the surface with oil then spread across the surface and sides (I use my hands). Oil is essential for oven baked crispiness. Don’t be tempted to skimp on the oil!

5. Double flip bake – Bake in a hot oven (220°C / 425°F (200°C fan-forced)) for 8 minutes. Flip, bake for 5 minutes, then flip again and bake for a further 2 minutes or until it is golden and crispy. The third flip is key! The tortilla gets stained with red oil from the beef which crisps up beautifully, and it’s extra tasty.

6. Serve immediately! Cut the quesadillas in half then serve with your dipping sauce / toppings of choice. (More on this below).

Dipping sauces and toppings for quesadillas

Confession: more often than not in a I need something to eat, stat! situation, I will munch on these plain or, at best, sour cream for dunking.

Though when energy-levels and time-scrambling permit, Avocado Sauce is my dipping sauce of choice. Firstly, it’s fast. Avocado, sour cream, lime, coriander -> blitz. This easily happens while the quesadillas are in the oven.

And secondly, I like that it’s creamier than guacamole so it’s easier to dunk.

As for Pico de Gallo, it is an excellent finishing touch to add some freshness to quesadillas and to round out the meal with some fresh vegetables. But – I’ll be honest. It doesn’t usually make an appearance when I’m making quesadillas midweek, because I’m usually in a fridge clean-out or speedy meal scenario! – Nagi x

PS Just had a thought – a restaurant style smooth tomato salsa dip is also an excellent dipping option. And some more dip suggestions:

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Watch how to make it

Life of Dozer

This week we had Dozer’s first public appearance since he got sick earlier this year – so exciting!

The event was a reader dinner at one of my favourite local restaurants, Boronia Kitchen. The evening kicked off with canapés and cocktails outdoors even though it is the middle of winter just so people had a chance to meet Dozer before we headed inside for dinner.

Unfortunately when we headed inside for dinner, Dozer was sent home. To be honest, 30 minutes of meet-and-greet is more than enough excitement for him for one day. He was ready for bed!

And, even though these photos don’t belong in the Life of Dozer section, a couple of photos of the dinner. What a night! A huge thanks to the incredible team at Boronia Kitchen – especially the restaurateur Chef Simon Sandall – for going above and beyond to put on such a special and spectacular evening. I had so much fun, and I especially loved that the event was small enough so I had time to go around and spend time at every table.