Baked Sheet Pan Beef Quesadillas
Baked in the oven, these healthy quesadillas have spiced ground beef and a hidden veggie sauce for the ultimate family friendly meal.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
Hidden veggie sauce
- 1 ½ cup butternut squash ½” diced
- 1 cup carrots ½” diced
- 1 ½ cup beef or vegetable broth
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Meat mixture:
- 1 pound ground beef 85/15
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 4 oz canned mild green chilies
Quesadillas
- Avocado oil for brushing or avocado oil spray
- 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3-4 burrito sized tortillas
- cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a medium sized saucepan, add the butternut squash, carrots, broth and salt and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cover. Cook for about 8 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once the hidden veggie mixture has cooked and cooled for at least 5 minutes, transfer the vegetable mixture to a blender. Pulse until fully combined, about 30 seconds.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the beef over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, breaking into crumbles with a wood spoon. Add the cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir until the meat is fully coated in the spices, about 1-2 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Return the skillet with the beef to medium-high heat and add the blended vegetable mixture and green chilies to the taco meat. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes until the flavors have combined and the mixture has reduced a bit. Remove from heat.
- Add 1/3 of the beef mixture to each tortilla leaving about ½” perimeter on the edges, so the filling doesn’t spill over. Top the beef mixture with ½ cup of shredded mozzarella per tortilla. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling and very lightly press down to secure each quesadilla.
- Spray or brush the outside of the tortillas lightly with oil. Bake at 425F for 12-15 minutes, flipping the tortillas half way through, until the tops of the tortillas are golden and the cheese is melty. Garnish with cilantro, slice and serve warm!
Notes
- Ground turkey or chicken can be substituted for ground beef. Add 1 tablespoon of oil in step 3 if substituting ground turkey or chicken.
- Monterey jack, oaxaca or good quality American cheese will all work for this recipe.
- If you're looking for a simple beef quesadilla, the veggie sauce can be omitted, but they won't be as flavorful and juicy!
- While mild green chilis can be omitted, they add a great flavor to this dish so I highly recommend.
- Use 85/15 lean ground beef for the best flavor.
- For easy slicing, use a pizza cutter.
- For gluten free, use gluten free or corn tortillas. This recipe fits an HYH migraine diet (use compliant broth suggestions) and Mediterranean diet.
Nutrition
Serving: 1quesadilla | Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 1260mg | Potassium: 779mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 11547IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 307mg | Iron: 5mg
