Sheet Pan Quesadilla for a Crowd, yes, you CAN make quesadillas for 8-10 people in one pan and everyone eats at the same time. Imagine a nice meal where everything is served hot and if you can believe it, you can also easily make 2 different fillings in on one sheet pan! Parents of picky eaters this Sheet Pan Quesadilla is for YOU!
And if that wasn’t enough reasons to try this amazing recipe, let me give you a few more. It is also one that you can use when doing meal prep, simply prepare your fillings and store in the refrigerator until cooking day. Additionally, it is easily adapted to use leftovers, and I highly recommend Pulled Pork Carnita’s as a filling option you would want to use and planning ahead to make intentional leftovers will make this even faster to assemble.
Literally my children were swarming around the oven as this baked, and the aroma was filling the kitchen.
Honestly, this is a game changer; an easy to make and flexible recipe that you can easily modify for those picky eaters, and it is inexpensive, as well as quick to clean up. Truly it doesn’t get much better than this. Take a peek at the LIVE Quick Cook Video I did on our Group Love on a Plate, it shows you just how very simple this is to prepare and while you’re there LIKE and FOLLOW so you can see all future Quick Cook Episodes.
TIPS to keep in mind:
- Don’t make your filling too wet, your tortillas will get soggy.
- Drain the fat off your cooked and seasoned ground beef/chicken/pork/turkey filling.
- Make sure that your tortillas overlap and fully cover the bottom of the sheet pan to form the base. You need EIGHT large tortillas for the bottom and Three for the top.
- Remember, don’t skimp on the cheese, it forms a gorgeous crust and seriously, you need at least 4 cups of shredded cheese, however this does feed 8 people so it’s not really that much per serving!
Supplies I recommend:
Sheet Pan Quesadillas for a Crowd
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 2 small bell peppers seeded and sliced
- 1 1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef *
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 cup salsa mild, medium or hot
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar shredded
- Pinch of Sea salt
- Pepper to taste
- 12 large flour tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, onions and garlic; cook until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add ground beef to skillet and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain fat and add 1/3 cup salsa of your choice, Taco seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
- On a non stick sheet pan, or stoneware sheet pan place 8 tortillas around the edges of the pan so that about 1/4 of it hang over the side. The bottom should be completely covered with the tortillas as this is the base or "crust".
- Sprinkle 2 cups of cheese in an even layer on top of the tortilla base.
- Spread ground beef filling over the cheese, or if using 2 different fillings, place each filling on half of the base. Sprinkle remaining 2 cups of cheese evenly over top of fillings.
- Fold each tortilla that is hanging over the edge towards the center. Top with 2 more whole tortillas to keep them in place.
- Place a second baking sheet on top of tortillas and weight it down. I used my cast iron frying pan.
- Bake until tortillas are beginning to turn crispy, about 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from on top and continue baking until tortillas are golden and crispy, about 15 minutes more.
- Remove from oven, let sit 5 minutes. Place a cutting board or tray on top of sheet pan and invert the entire quesadilla in one big slab.
- Cut into rectangles and serve with Lime Crema and, salsa of your choice. A nice selection of hot sauces will add some zip for those who like it spicy.
