Let’s end this year with a bang shall we? That’s precisely what this spicy fajita steak quesadilla will guarantee!
The month of December has a lot going for it with plenty of reasons to celebrate, to take stock of all that’s happened in the year leading up to it and also to look forward to a new beginning (of sorts). This year Mr. K and I had another great reason to revel even more in the spirit of December. Just the other day we celebrated our first (wedding) anniversary! And I couldn’t be happier or luckier for this fantastic year that we’ve just had. He has been unconditionally supportive of everything I’ve done this past year and he’s the driving force behind my venturing out into the world of food blogging so that I could explore something that I’ve been passionate about for years!
One year of such wonderful memories is certainly cause for celebration. So to celebrate our day I decided to make something special for brunch, which I could prep for, the day before and then put together in a jiffy that morning. The result was these incredible Spicy Fajita Steak Quesadillas!
There’s no celebration without (at least some of) your favourite food. I love quesadillas and any kind of fajita (like this oven-baked chicken fajita!). My husband is the ultimate carnivore, so he loves his steak and anything spicy.
And that’s precisely what you get here. After a couple of weeks of indulging in sweet Christmas recipes and the usual holiday fare, we decided it was time to eat some real food! And have a good drink. And skip dessert.
And these quesadillas couldn’t have answered that calling any better!
Why you’ll love this fajita steak quesadilla recipe
- These are very easy to put together and very hard to screw up.
- You can make your filling in advance with beef, chicken or any kind of meat (or veggies) you like and then reheat it while inside the quesadilla when you’re ready to serve.
- You can have a quesadilla station and have guests make their own, which is perfect for BBQs and parties.
- It’s very adaptable and scalable for larger gatherings. You can definitely adjust the amount of cayenne pepper in the recipe to your liking and also experiment with whatever ingredients you may have on hand.
I used to make quesadillas often for easy lunches when I was a student and lived on my own. I would pack the filling with leftover chicken, veges, spices, cheese and a bit of sour cream. These quesadillas are a healthier version of what I used to make, because here I have used Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream and home-made whole wheat tortillas. The Greek yoghurt adds a delightful creaminess so that you don’t have to go over-board with the cheese. But hey if you like it cheesier, don’t let me stand in your way. And of course you can opt out of the cheese altogether if you have any food sensitivities and just turn it into a wrap. There’s just no way you can go wrong with these!
The tortilla recipe that I’ve used here is from The Cafe Sucre Farine blog and we absolutely love it! I don’t use the mixer for this recipe but you’re more than welcome to if you prefer that. I also (mostly) use whole wheat flour instead of AP. I really like the nutty flavour of whole wheat. Then I add that little bit of AP flour to make the dough smoother, but you can try it with whole wheat only. Or, you can just buy some tortillas next time you’re at the grocery store. What ever works best for you folks! Personally I like making my own, and since this recipe is so versatile I make enough at a time so that I can store some in the freezer for easy meals later.
For the meat, I have used flank steak that was marinated overnight in an absolutely amazing marinade. Seriously, this marinade is a keeper for any kind of meat! It tastes and smells phenomenal. The meat was then pan-fried, rested and cut into thin strips. I even heated the left-over marinade and mixed it in with the steak and peppers so that none of those amazing flavours of the marinade would be lost. I’ve used leftover steak to make these perfect steak sandwiches and grilled steak sandwiches before too!
Now you can check out this delicious Oven Baked Chicken Fajita Recipe on the blog! Easy to put together and BIG on flavour!
Recipe
Spicy Fajita Steak Quesadilla
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 1 recipe of Spicy Steak Fajita Filling recipe below
- 8 x 8-9 inch Tortillas recipe below or store bought
- 1 cup of Greek Yoghurt
- 1 1/2 cups – 2 cups of Freshly Shredded Cheese I used a mix of Pepper Jack, Cheddar and Provolone
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/4 bunch cilantro chopped leaves and stems
Instructions:
- Spread 2 – 3 heaped teaspoons of yoghurt on a tortilla. Sprinkle a pinch of salt.
- Add some of the onion/bell pepper mix and 1/8th of the thinly sliced Steak on one half of the tortilla.
- Sprinkle about (loosely packed) 1/4 cup of shredded cheese and some chopped cilantro.
- Fold over and place this on the heated pan – about 2-3 minutes on one side on low-medium heat. Start with medium heat, If the sides are browning too fast, lower the heat to low. Regulate the heat according to your stove top.
- When the cheese has melted, remove tortilla from the heat and cut it in half.
- Serve while hot with some Guacamole.
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Recipe
Homemade Wholewheat Tortillas
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp of wholewheat flour
- 1/2 cup AP flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup unflavoured oil or softened butter
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions:
- Combine the flours, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
- Add the oil or butter and mix it into the flour. Next, stir in the water and mix it in to the flour until it is completely absorbed and you have a nice ball of dough that comes together. You can use a wooden spoon or the dough hook of your mixer to do this.
- Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. If you use your mixer this will only take a couple of minutes.
- If the dough is too sticky, just add some flour. If the flour is too dry, add some water (a teaspoon at a time)
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and cover them with plastic wrap and let them rest for at least 15 minutes (I let them rest for about 30 minutes)
- Heat a cast iron or nonstick pan on medium high heat.
- On a floured surface roll out each dough ball till you have a tortilla that is about 8 inches in diameter. Make sure your work surface and rolling pin are well floured to prevent sticking.
- When the pan is heated, cook each tortilla in the skillet, one minute on each side. You want these to cook until you start to see light brown spots. If you over cook the Tortillas, and they get darker spots, they will be too dry out and too crunchy for tortillas. Ideally they should be nice and soft.
- Keep cooked tortillas stacked and covered with a cloth until you are ready to serve.
- You can reheat these in the microwave, pan or grill and then serve while warm.
Recipe Notes
The original recipe also states that you should not stack uncooked tortillas, as they will stick together. So I roll out one tortilla (at a time) while one is cooking.
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Recipe
Spicy Fajita Steak Filling
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 3 medium bell peppers sliced. I used red and yellow.
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- ½ tbsp chilli flakes optional
- ½ bunch cilantro chopped. leaves and stems
- 1 lime more as needed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb Marinated flank steak 500 g. Marinade recipe below
- Extra oil/butter to pan fry steak
Marinade (please see Note)
- ¼ cup orange juice from 1 orange (use 100% orange juice if possible)
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper Adjust to your taste, and spice tolerance level. Add more if you like it spicy.
- 1 tsp ground coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp oil
Instructions:
Flank Steak
- Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl.¼ cup orange juice, 2 tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 tbsp paprika, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp ground coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 ½ tsp salt, 1 ½ tsp brown sugar, 3 tbsp oil
- Trim excess fat from the flank steak and cut it into portions that would fit in your pan (I cut mine into 2).1 lb Marinated flank steak
- Place the steak pieces in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade in. Seal the bag with as much air squeezed out and shake the bag to cover the steaks with the marinade. Marinate at room temperature for at least one hour, or overnight in the fridge. Remember to let the steak return to room temperature before cooking.
- Heat a little oil in a pan, on medium high heat, until the oil starts to simmer.Extra oil/butter to pan fry steak
- Carefully place 1 piece of steak in the pan (it should sizzle), and let it cook for about 2 – 3 minutes per side, to sear properly. Also make sure that the steak cooks to medium-rare or until it registers 135°F/57°C. Be careful not to overcook it (which will make the meat tough). Remember they do heat up while inside the quesadilla as well later.
- Remove the steak from the pan, and place it on a plate. (optional step – rub 1 tbsp of butter on the steak). Sprinkle ¼ of the chopped cilantro on the steak, cover and let it rest for about 10 minutes.½ bunch cilantro
- Repeat with the second piece of steak.
- Wipe the pan clean and add leftover marinade, juice of ½ a lime and crushed chili and heat it till it just starts to simmer. Remove and keep it aside for later.1 lime, ½ tbsp chilli flakes
- After the steak has rested, cut against the grain thinly and place the pieces back on the plate. Pour the steak juice and the cooked marinade over the meat again and mix well.
Onions and Pepper
- In the same pan, add about a tablespoon of oil (to soften the peppers and onion)
- When the oil is hot, add the onions and peppers with salt and pepper (to taste) and mix it all in.3 medium bell peppers, 1 medium onion , Salt and pepper
- Saute till the peppers have softened slightly – about a minute or two – the peppers should still have some crunch. Keep them aside.
Recipe Notes
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
So the verdict? You know that feeling when you’ve just experienced something so mind-blowingly awesome that you just don’t have the words to describe it? Yep, these beauties will do that to you.
- The steak is tender and incredibly flavourful from that fantastic marinade.
- The Greek yoghurt and cheese together create a delightfully creamy (and tangy) center.
- The peppers give the perfect heat and crunch.
- The cilantro gives that touch of herby freshness.
- And the homemade whole wheat tortilla is the perfect vehicle to carry all of these bold and amazing flavours.
This is finger food at its most flavourful. There’s creamy cheese, there’s juicy steak and there’s going to be a mess. Just go ahead and lick it off. This is not the time or place for napkins. Not when food tastes this good.
These spicy fajita steak quesadillas were very very filling! I was full after just one, Mr. K could “only” eat three and we skipped dinner! So while this recipe makes 8 quesadillas, that would probably be a couple more servings than you’d think.
If you don’t want to have steak, don’t worry! You can make quesadillas using Chicken too! Just make these Easy and insanely good Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas and shred the chicken for the quesadillas! Seriously delicious 🙂
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So how did your Christmas celebrations go? Any resolutions for the new year? These past few months with my blog have been truly awesome. So much that I’ve learned, so much that I’ve enjoyed. New friends I’ve made, and new things I’ve experienced. The new year promises plenty more of that and I cannot wait for it! I wish all my wonderful friends an amazing New Year filled with nothing but joy and cheer and great company and of course great food!
See you all next year!
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