Sheet Pan Beef Nacho Quesadillas

Why this recipe works

We have quesadillas on the regular in our house. Cheesy, a little bit spicy, easy to eat with your hands in front of the Big Game. What could be better?

I’ll tell you what could be better….if the Chief Quesadilla Maker (raises hand) didn’t have to make them one by one for the crowd that always seems to be in my house when quesadillas are on the menu.

The solution? Sheet pan quesadillas! This approach lets you make one giant quesadilla that you cut into squares, meaning your quesadilla cooking is over in one fell swoop.

In this case, I went for a nacho cheese beef filling that was super easy to cook up, and offered up a smorgasbord of toppings to go with them…and got to actually hang out and watch the game with the masses!

Ingredients you need for this recipe

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Ground Beef: Go for the 80% fat variety – it’s got lots of flavor
• Chili Powder: I recommend a tablespoon for this recipe, but you can cut it down to make things a little less spicy (or add a little more to make things even spicier!
• Canned tomatoes with chilies: I love that can of Rotel up there, and I go for the mild version. Again, if you want to take the heat down a little, you can use regular canned diced tomatoes.
• Tortillas: You want 8 inch flour tortillas for this recipe…corn tortillas are wonderful, but not flexible enough to fold over without breaking.

How to make this recipe

STEP 1: Get out two rimmed baking sheets (I use my 13 x 18 inch ones) and preheat your oven to 425.

STEP 2: Place a pound and a half of ground beef and a peeled and chopped sweet onion in a heavy large skillet and cook over medium high heat until meat is browned.

STEP 3: Stir in a tablespoon or so of chili powder…and if you would rather, you can also use a tablespoon or two of taco seasoning.  We have a great homemade taco seasoning recipe that we love.  You can take the amount of seasoning up or down depending on how spicy you like things.

STEP 4: Add 16 ounces of cubed Velveeta cheese and stir until cheese is fully melted.

STEP 5: Add a can of drained tomatoes with chilies and stir until everything is well combined.

STEP 6: Time to make the giant quesadilla! Brush one sheet pan with melted butter. Lay out three tortillas per side, with half the tortilla hanging off the edge. 

Place one tortilla on each end, also hanging off the side, and one in the middle so that the whole sheet pan is covered.

STEP 7: Sprinkle 4 ounces of  shredded Mexican blend cheese over the full length of the sheet pan, then add the beef mixture on top. Sprinkle with a cup of corn kernels (either fresh or thawed) and another 4 ounces of shredded cheese.

STEP 8: Fold the tortillas over the filling, and pop that last tortilla in the center so everything is covered…you want to see just the sides of the sheet pan, and the filling should be all tucked inside.  Brush the top with melted butter.

Now take that second sheet pan and smoosh it down firmly on top of the quesadilla.  Pop the whole thing in the oven for 25 minutes.

STEP 9: Take it out, remove the top sheet pan and let everything cool for about 5 minutes.  SO. HARD.

STEP 10: Slice it up into squares (a pizza cutter works great for this) and serve with your choice of toppings!

For me, guacamole and sour cream are a must, and if you decide to go for guacamole, I have a bacon guacamole recipe that is pure and complete heaven when it’s smeared over the top of one these quesadilla squares.

Recipe FAQs

Last but not least, I tend to put whatever toppings I am offering up in little prep bowls, pile the quesadilla squares on the same baking sheet they cooked on, and I pop the toppings bowls in between. One less thing to clean up…happy sigh.

I think my sheet pan quesadilla work is done here…for now!