Ground Turkey Quesadillas are a quick 30-minute meal. These quesadillas are loaded with melty cheese, onion, bell peppers, black beans, corn, and ground turkey seasoned to perfection. These quesadillas are anything but boring.
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🥰 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It has the perfect seasoning for your ground turkey, so it isn't bland.
- These quesadillas are stuffed with so much: corn, beans, onion, bell peppers, and ground turkey.
- Easy 30-minute dinner!
🧀 Ingredients & Substitutions
Olive Oil: Use 2 tablespoons to help the ground turkey cook and another 2 tablespoons to make the quesadillas extra crispy.
Lean Ground Turkey: Use a ground turkey that is 94% instead of 99% so the turkey isn't dry.
Red Bell Pepper: You can use red, orange, yellow, or green.
Black Beans: You'll use about half a can of beans.
Corn: You'll use about half a can of corn.
Ground Turkey Quesadilla Seasoning: This spices blend is made just for ground turkey, but you can also use a packet of taco seasoning in its place.
Tomato Paste: Adds more flavor to the ground turkey.
Cheese: Oaxaca, Monterey Jack Cheese, and a good Mexic is the best cheese for quesadiia beacue of how easily it melts. However, you can use a Mexican cheese blend is good too.
Tortillas: I used 6-inch four tortillas, you can also use corn tortillas. Make sure to warm the corn tortillas up before folding them so they don't break.
Full ingredient list with quantities in the recipe card below
🔪 How to Make A Ground Turkey Quesadilla
1. Cook Ground Turkey: Cook onions, bell peppers, and ground turkey in a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add in Remaining Ingredients: Add in beans, corn, seasoning, tomato paste, and water. Cook for 2 minutes.
3. Assemble the Quesadillas: Brush or spray with oil on one side of the tortilla. Flip. Sprinkle 2 tablespoon cheese, ground turkey mixture, and 2 more tablespoon of cheese on top. Fold the tortilla in half, pressing gently to seal.
4. Cook: Heat another skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer folded quesadilla to skillet and cook 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Flip with a spatula and cook the other side.
👩🍳Tip
Ground turkey releases liquid when you brown it in a skillet. Make sure all the liquid has evaporated before adding in the beans, corn, seasoning, and tomato paste.
🥗 Sides
- Guacamole
- Quesadilla Avocado-Tomatillo Sauce
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Black Bean Salad
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Mexican Street Corn
If you need more options, check out this list of easy sides that will pair perfectly quesadilla.
❓ Recipe Questions
What are the best kinds of cheese for a quesadilla?
- Oaxaca Cheese: This Mexican cheese is very similar to mozzarella and is known for its amazing melting capabilities. It has a mild, buttery flavor and a stringy texture.
- Monterey Jack: Monterey Jack cheese is another great option. It's a mild cheese that melts well.
- Mexican Cheese Blend: Blends can vary from brand to brand, but it's usually some combination of cheddar cheese, monetary jack, Asadero, queso quesadilla, or Oaxaca cheese. The combinations make for a good melting cheese with a lot of flavors.
How do you cook a ground turkey without drying it out?
Cook ground turkey with 1-2 tablespoons of oil. This will prevent the turkey from sticking to the pan and keep the ground turkey moist.
Want more 30-minute tex-mex recipes?
Ground Turkey Quesadillas with Beans & Corn
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 pound ground turkey 94%
- 1 bell pepper diced
- ½ yellow onion diced
- ½ cup canned black beans
- ½ cup canned corn
- 1 batch turkey seasoning or 1 pack of taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 ½ cups Oaxaca or Monterey Jack Cheese
- 10 flour tortillas
- Toppings: sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, salsa
Turkey Seasoning
- 1 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add ground turkey, diced bell pepper, and onion to the skillet. Cook until the turkey is brown and any excess water has evaporated.
- Mix in beans, corn, turkey seasoning, tomato paste, and ¼ cup of water. Cook for 2 minutes or until any excess water has evaporated. Set aside.
- Place a tortilla on a clean surface. Brush oil on one side of the tortilla. Flip. Sprinkle 2 tablespoon cheese, ground turkey mixture, and 2 more tablespoon cheese on half of the tortilla. Fold in half, pressing gently to seal.
- Heat another skillet over medium-high heat.
- Transfer folded quesadilla to skillet and cook until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side until the cheese has melted and the tortilla is crispy. Remove from skillet, let cool briefly, then cut into wedges.
- Repeat the process with the remaining tortilla and ingredients.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!