Barbacoa Quesadilla

Beef Barbacoa Quesadillas are packed with Tex-Mex flavor, easy to make, and a crowd favorite! Made with tender beef, and lots of gooey cheese, on a perfectly browned tortilla, these traditional quesadillas are equally comforting and quick! Enjoy with all your favorite toppings and utilize any leftover barbacoa meat for a quick and simple dinner.

this Recipe

Barbacoa Quesadillas – The EASY Way!

My family loves Mexican flavors – spicy meat, seasoned rice and beans, and refreshing salsa are all go-to’s for dinner. These barbacoa beef quesadillas have all those classic flavors and are super simple to make because they use up any leftover slow cooker barbacoa you have.

First, what is a barbacoa quesadilla? It is a quesadilla sandwiched with cheddar cheese and juicy beef barbacoa. ‘bBarbacoa’ isn’t just the name for shredded beef, it’s actually the Spanish word for barbeque and refers to the tradition of slow-roasting meat in an outdoor fire pit. It can be beef, pork, lamb, or even goat! This recipe uses leftover beef barbacoa that has been cooked in warm spices in a slow cooker resulting in super tender meat that can be used in so many ways.

Not only is this dish packed with flavor, but there are really only 3 ingredients needed to make the quesadillas. Of course, any toppings you like are great additions but at a minimum only three ingredients – pretty simple if you ask me! So, let’s get cooking!

Why I LOVE this recipe!

• Made with leftovers – Being able to make a large batch of a recipe and use leftovers later makes for quick meals during the week. You can be creative and use fresh, different ingredients with each dish you feel like creating.
• That cheese! – By melting cheese all around the tortilla, you end up with cheese on both the top and bottom of the beef when the tortilla is folded over. More cheese for more deliciousness!
• Family-friendly– Quesadillas are not only one of the most kid-friendly foods around, but this also is a big hit with the grown-ups because the meat is so flavorful, and you can load it up and/or top it with as many delicious extras as you want. Think guac, sour cream, pico, shredded lettuce… the sky is the limit! 
• One-pan – As fast as this meal is, it is equally as simple when it comes to cleaning up. Only one pan is required to make this quesadilla because the meat reheats in the quesadilla!

What to Serve with Quesadillas

Since this dish has the classic flavors of Mexican-inspired dishes, it will pair well with many of your favorite Mexican side dishes. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.

Side Dish Ideas

• Toppings- One of my favorite ways to make this a really amazing dinner for both kids and adults is to offer different toppings for those who want to load it up! Here are some of my favorites:
  • Guacamole
  • Pico de Gallo
  • Sour cream
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Jalapeno Ranch
  • Pineapple salsa
  • Corn salsa
• Mexican Roasted Vegetables– These make for a delicious and extra wholesome addition to these quesadillas. They can roast while you build your carnitas dish.
• Mexican Rice – is great for a wholesome, hearty dinner for the family.
• Black Beans- Try these black beans you can make from scratch in the crock pot (it’s surprisingly easy!) or these canned black beans packed with flavor.

You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. 

Recipe Notes

This Barbacoa Quesadilla recipe is as simple as promised! Just 15 minutes for a family-friendly meal.

In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.

Ingredients + Substitutions

1. Barbacoa Beef – The best part of this recipe is that it uses leftover barbacoa beef from our slow cooker recipe. If you have any left over from a restaurant or have made a fresh batch, those will both work too!
   
2. Butter – Butter is used to get that crisp exterior on the quesadilla. While I always prefer butter, you could use margarine, or cooking oil as a substitute.
   
3. Flour tortillas – for big, crispy quesadillas I use large burrito-sized flour tortillas. You can use smaller tortillas if you like, simply reduce the ingredients to fill the quesadilla. Flour is preferred over corn because flour holds up better with frying and filling, and is the traditional choice for a quesadilla.
   
4. Cheese – I use shredded Colby Jack cheese for this beef quesadilla recipe, but you could also you shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese.
   
5. Toppings – I like to top these with classic Tex-Mex toppings so shredded lettuce, pico de Gallo, guacamole, and sour cream.

Recipe Tips

1. Fry the tortilla open – For faster cooking and a more even color and crisp on the tortilla, fry the tortilla open and flat in the skillet with the cheese spread evenly across it. Once it is heated and melty, you can fold it in half to finish. This is a really great way to speed up the process since it will help it cook faster and avoid flipping and having to cook on both sides. You can see an example of how I do this in the process photo above! This also means the cheese will be on top and bottom of the meat – yum!
   
2. Load it up! – Salsa, sour cream, guacamole… You name it! They all will pair deliciously with this hearty beef barbacoa quesadilla. Check the toppings section above to get ideas on how to load them up to make them extra delicious!
   
3. Cook on low or medium-low heat – To melt the cheese but prevent burning, the ideal temperature to cook the quesadilla is on low or low-medium heat. Once the tortilla is flipped in half, then you can continue to cook it a little longer to finish heating through. But, low and slow wins the race!
   
4. Pizza cutter or bust! While you can use a knife to cut these barbacoa quesadillas, using a pizza cutter is so much easier and a tad quicker! It really is a life-changing hack.

Recipe Variations

If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!

• Loaded Barbacoa Quesadilla– Don’t hold back on stuffing a quesadilla! Add pico de gallo and corn (or tortilla chips!) for a nice crunch layered between savory beef and cheese.
  
• Spicy Beef Quesadillas– We love to kick it up a notch and add jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper to the quesadilla filling.
  
• Barbacoa Breakfast Quesadilla– You probably thought enjoying beef barbacoa couldn’t be better, but lucky you this Breakfast Quesadilla is super satisfying. Scramble eggs, peppers, onions, and tomatoes with some juicy beef barbacoa. Pressed between a crispy fried tortilla shell and dip in salsa and sour cream, you’ll never look at breakfast the same again! 

Beef Barbacoa Leftovers

If you have leftovers after making these barbacoa quesadillas, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well.

To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:

• in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
• in the freezer up to a month

How to reheat leftover quesadillas

Here is my preferred method for reheating a leftover quesadilla to make it warm, melty, and crispy again!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using a toaster oven, skip to step 2.
2. Place quesadillas on a lined tray or baking sheet.
3. Place in the oven or toaster oven for 10 minutes, or until heated through and crispy again. You can also broil them for the last couple of minutes Just watch the quesadilla closely to keep it from burning.

More Easy Leftover Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!

You can check out all of my quick lunch recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.

• Chopped Brisket Sandwich with Jalapeno Slaw: Leftover Brisket Recipe
• Cornbread Chili Pie {Leftover Chili Recipe}
• Homestyle Leftover Turkey Bean Soup
• Blackened Chicken Salad