Ever had a bland, dry quesadilla? Not these! Packed with flavor, perfectly saucy (but not soggy), and loaded with gooey cheese, they're irresistibly delicious. This might just be your new go-to ground elk recipe!
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Featured Comment:
Had to stop eating to review this recipe. I followed the whole recipe without making any changes. It's phenomenal! I'll be sad when I run out of ground elk. 10/10 for this recipe! Even my skeptical husband raved how great they taste.
- Valerie
Why This Recipe Works
Quesadillas are often dry and lacking in the flavor department. But they don't have to be! Ground elk meat is the base for the filling but it doesn't stop there. Homemade taco seasoning is added to flavor the meat.
Then the meat is simmered with peppers, onions, garlic, tomato paste and stock to create a delicious saucy mixture that's loaded with flavor. Spread in between layers of gooey cheese and crispy tortillas, they really can't be beat!
Ingredients
- Ground Elk: If you don't have ground elk, you can use any type of ground meat you prefer - ground venison, antelope, moose, beef, turkey, etc. Check out my popular venison meatballs, elk burgers, or elk meatloaf for more easy ground meat recipes!
- Quesadilla Cheese: Quesadilla cheese is obviously a great choice for quesadillas. But if you're not able to find it, cheddar cheese or Monterey jack work great as well. Quesadilla cheese is also great for making elk steak nachos!
- Taco Seasoning: I use homemade taco seasoning, but feel free to use your favorite spices! Taco seasoning can be used for more than just ground venison tacos! Use it for venison enchiladas, venison taco salad, and venison Spanish rice too.
- Tortillas: Quesadillas are not an exact science. You can use whatever tortilla type or size you like (flour or corn). Just make sure you keep a good filling:cheese ratio! For 2 - 6 inch tortillas, a ratio of ½ cup cheese to ⅓ cup filling works great. Essentially, you can use a little more cheese than filling and they will turn out great!
- Lard: I use pork lard as my preferred cooking fat but you can use whatever fat works best for you.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
Recommended
Griddle Pan
If you don't have a griddle pan or griddle, you can use any pan you'd like. You'll likely need to work in batches depending on the size of your pan.
How to Make Ground Elk Quesadilla Filling
Quesadilla filling doesn't have to be boring and dry! It can actually be quite flavorful and saucy if you follow the simple steps below.
- Step 1: Add taco seasoning to ground meat. Mix with hands until well-combined.
- Step 2: Brown meat in lard or other cooking fat.
- Step 3: Add in peppers, onions, and garlic. Saute until vegetables are slightly softened.
- Step 4: Stir in tomato paste and stock. Bring to a simmer. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed but leave a little bit of the sauce for moisture.
How to Make Ground Elk Quesadillas
Quesadillas may be simple to make, but a few easy steps can take them from good to great! Follow these tips below for the perfect, flavor-packed bite every time.
- Step 1: Place tortilla on cold griddle. Add a layer of cheese.
- Step 2: Spread filling over cheese. Sprinkle cilantro over filling.
- Step 3: Top with a layer of cheese.
- Step 4: Place tortilla on top. Turn burners on to medium heat.
- Step 5: Cook until cheese is melty and bottom tortilla is golden brown. Flip and cook until other side is browned.
- Step 6: Cut into quarters and serve with your favorite dipping sauces!
Pro Tip
Make sure you start with a cold pan! This ensures the cheese gets gooey and melty before the tortilla gets too browned.
Serving Suggestions
Elk quesadillas go great with a variety of side dishes. Here are a few ideas!
- Sopa de Maiz
- Jicama Mango Salsa
- Quick Pickled Jalapeños
- Refried Beans
- Spanish Rice
- Jicama Blood Orange Salad
Recipe FAQs
Ground elk is naturally lean, but cooking it with tomato paste and stock adds moisture, transforming your quesadillas from dry and bland to flavorful and saucy!
Ground meat works best for quesadillas because it is easy to chop into small pieces. There's nothing worse than taking a bite of quesadilla and pulling a huge chunk of meat out, leaving the rest of your quesadilla sad and empty.
Quesadilla cheese is the best choice because that's what it's made for! It melts perfectly and has great flavor. But cheddar or Monterey jack are great choices as well.
Start with a cold pan and turn on the heat after you've assembled your quesadilla. This way, your cheese has time to melt before your tortilla gets too browned.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Did you try this recipe?
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Thank you!
Annie
📖 Recipe
Ground Elk Quesadillas
Equipment
Ingredients
Filling:
- ½ lb ground elk (or venison, moose, antelope, etc.)
- 2 ½ tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon lard (only needed if your meat doesn't have fat ground in)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup wild game stock (or beef stock)
- ¾ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
- ¾ cup red onion, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
Other Ingredients:
- 12 tortillas (6" or casera size)
- 3 cups quesadilla cheese (or Monterey jack, cheddar, etc.)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
Sauces (optional):
- guacamole
- sour cream
- salsa
Instructions
- To a medium bowl, add ground meat and taco seasoning. Mix seasoning into meat with your hands until well-combined.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lard to pan and swirl to coat the pan.
- Add seasoned meat to pan and spread out in a thin layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until browned on the bottom. Flip and break the meat up into small pieces.
- Add diced peppers, diced onions, and minced garlic to pan. Stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables start to soften.
- Add in tomato paste and stock. Stir to combine. Simmer until liquid is mostly absorbed into the meat mixture, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- To a cold griddle, add half of the tortillas. You may have to work in batches depending on the size of your griddle. Top each tortilla with ¼ cup cheese.
- Spread ⅓ cup meat mixture on top of cheese. Top with ½ teaspoon cilantro and ¼ cup cheese. Place remaining tortillas on top.
- Heat griddle on medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes or until bottom is golden brown and cheese is melting.
- Flip quesadillas and cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let sit for 1-2 minutes before cutting.
- Cut quesadillas into quarters and serve with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, or your desired dipping sauces. Enjoy!
Notes
- Quesadilla cheese is the perfect cheese for quesadillas (no surprise there). But, you can also use other melting cheeses like cheddar, monterey jack, etc.
- Starting with a cold pan while cooking quesadillas helps ensure the cheese melts before the bottom tortilla gets too browned. The cooking times for the quesadillas are based on using a gas stove. If you have an electric stove, it may take longer to heat up.
- Quesadilla filling can get dried out pretty easily, especially with wild game. Adding vegetables, tomato paste, and stock to the filling makes a delicious sauce that keeps the filling moist.
Andrea says
So good and so easy to make. I didn’t have lard so I used a little butter instead. 10/10 new favorite in my household
Annie Weisz says
Thanks so much, Andrea! So glad you loved the quesadillas!
Nichole Lange says
I’ve made this recipe twice now and still loving it. So good!
Annie Weisz says
Thanks so much, Nichole! This one is a favorite in our house too!
Caroline says
Yummy! The cheese to meat to tortilla recipe was just right. I topped some adobo sauce on top and served with black beans, roast squash, and sliced tomatoes.
Your recipes have been so much fun to use with all the ground deer we have in the freezer!!
Annie Weisz says
That sounds amazing!! I'm so glad you enjoyed the quesadilla recipe and my other recipes too! I really appreciate your kind words. 😊
Dorothea says
Thank you for sharing this recipe, they were fantastic!
Annie Weisz says
Thanks Dorothea! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Jan Langley says
This recipe is awesome! 10 out of 10! I will definitely make this again! 😋
Annie Weisz says
Thank you for your kind review, Jan! I hope you love making these quesadillas over and over again!
Valerie says
Had to stop eating to review this recipe. I followed the whole recipe without making any changes. It’s phenomenal! I’ll be sad when I run out of ground elk. 10/10 for this recipe! Even my skeptical husband raved how great they taste.
Annie Weisz says
Thank you so much for your kind review, Valerie! I'm so glad you enjoyed the quesadillas. They're a family favorite around here!
Candace Day says
This is good recipe.I left out the pepper as we sometimes don’t like it but it was good.will def go in the rotation
Annie Weisz says
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Christine says
I can't find the number of servings from this recipe (1x). so I'm not sure how to interpret the Nutritional values posted herein. with 12 tortillas, does this recipe serve 2? 3? 6?
Thanks in advance,
Annie Weisz says
Hello! This recipe makes 6 quesadillas using 12 - 6" tortillas. The nutrition facts are for 1 quesadilla/1 serving. I hope that helps!