Ground Elk Quesadillas
Say goodbye to bland, dry quesadillas! This flavor-packed, perfectly saucy (but not soggy) ground elk recipe is loaded with gooey cheese and pure deliciousness.
Servings: 6 quesadillas
Calories: 668kcal
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 668kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 1176mg | Potassium: 311mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 731IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 945mg | Iron: 4mg
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