Cheesy Ground Turkey Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 bell pepper, cut into small dice
- 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup canned corn kernels, drained
- 1½ tbsp taco seasoning
- 2 tsp ground chipotle chili pepper
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 10 flour tortillas, each about 7 to 8 inches in diameter
- 3½ tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil, to grease pan (about 2 teaspoons per batch)
- Salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200℉ to keep quesadillas warm while cooking batches.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add ground turkey and break any larger pieces into smaller pieces. Add bell pepper, beans, corn, taco seasoning, and chipotle chili pepper, stirring to combine everything. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is fully cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and broth and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Distribute half of the cheddar cheese among all tortillas (on one side of them).
- Distribute ground turkey mixture on top of cheese (about half a cup per tortilla). Then sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese (1.5 cups) on top of ground turkey. Fold over each tortilla so it's a half-moon shape.
- To cook quesadillas, heat 2 tsp of vegetable oil or olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Gently swirl the oil around to coat the pan.
- Place 2 quesadillas in the pan. Cook quesadillas for about 2 minutes on one side.
- Carefully flip the quesadillas to the other side and continue to cook for another 2 minutes or until they're golden brown and crispy on the outside and the cheese is melted inside. Carefully watch to ensure they don't burn. Transfer cooked quesadillas to a sheet pan and place into a preheated oven to keep warm while you are continuing to cook the remaining quesadillas.
- Repeat process to cook remaining quesadillas.
- When all quesadillas are cooked, cut each half-moon (quesadilla) in half so you end up with 20 pieces. Serve with salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream (if desired). Enjoy!
Notes
If you're using the same pan that you used for cooking the turkey, just wipe out before adding the oil and cooking your quesadillas.
Cook the quesadillas in batches, two quesadillas at a time, adding more oil to the pan between batches as necessary.
If you have any leftovers, properly store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 2 to 4 days, reheating before serving.