San Diego Style Carne Asada Quesadilla
If you're looking for an authentic, San Diego taco shop-style carne asada quesadilla recipe, you can stop scrolling! This recipe is delicious, authentic, and ready in 20 minutes!
Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 1013kcal
Equipment
- 1 skillet (large, the size of the tortillas you use)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces flank or skirt steak (finely diced)
- 1½ teaspoon carne asada seasoning (recipe)
- 1 tablespoon lard (divided)
- 1 large flour tortilla
- 6 ounces freshly shredded medium cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Shred cheese, then dice flank steak into small pieces. Sprinkle meat with salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and Serrano powder, or use my carne asada seasoning.
- Heat a medium-sized cast iron skillet. Add seasoned diced meat and 2 teaspoons of lard. Cook on medium-high heat, chopping, scraping, and stirring the meat with a metal spatula until the liquid evaporates. Continue to cook until the meat has crispy brown edges. This should take 5-7 minutes.
- When the meat is almost ready, add a teaspoon of lard to a large cast iron skillet (the size of your tortilla). Set the flame to low-medium and once the lard has melted, add your tortilla. Lift the top half up so that it's not touching the pan, then sprinkle the bottom portion with ½ of the cheese. Distribute meat over it, then the remaining cheese. Fold the top half of the tortilla over it.
- Cover the pan and cook over low-medium heat until the top and bottom layers of cheese have completely melted to seal the quesadilla, this should take around 3-5 minutes. Carefully flip quesadilla over and cook until golden brown on the other side. Slice quesadilla into strips or triangles using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife.
Video
Notes
-
- The nutrition info is for an extra large quesadilla. If you use a smaller sized tortilla, you'll use less meat and cheese, which will significantly reduce the calories.
- If you use my carne asada seasoning, you may need to add a little extra salt. Taste the cooked meat and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
-
- You can also use leftover smoked carne asada to make your carne asada quesadilla. It may not be San Diego style, but it will still be delicious!
-
- Although carne asada quesadillas are best fresh, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat leftovers in a cast-iron pan. I don't recommend using a microwave. Doing so will cause the quesadilla to be soft and soggy.
- If you prefer chicken, just substitute some pollo asado instead!
Nutrition
Serving: 1quesadilla | Calories: 1013kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 89g | Fat: 69g | Saturated Fat: 37g | Cholesterol: 306mg | Sodium: 2042mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g
