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Enjoy three restaurant copycat recipes in one 30-minute meal! Savor the flavors of a fast food cheeseburger in my easy Cheeseburger Quesadillas, then pair with a crisp wedge salad drizzled with special sauce.
If you ask me what my favorite food is, I will reply “Cheeseburgers” immediately and without hesitation. So when my VIP reader Dave sent me a suggestion to whip up this mash-up meal, I couldn’t wait to dive in.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Ground beef: I prefer 80/20 ground beef rather than a leaner variety for more flavor. To keep your quesadillas from being too greasy, drain the cooked ground beef crumbles on a plate lined with paper towels or in a colander.
- Pickle chips: These are optional, so feel free to omit if you’re not a pickle fan. My family loves them for the complete cheeseburger experience (Claussen Kosher Dill Pickle Chips are my favorite, and I always serve more on the side).
- Iceberg lettuce: Another mild leafy green such as romaine, Bibb, Boston, leaf, or little gem would also work well.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, , and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef until browned and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
- Wipe out skillet, coat with nonstick spray, and heat over medium heat. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, add to skillet. Top half the quesadilla with ½ cup cheese, ¼ of the cooked beef. Top with pickle slices, if using,
- Sprinkle top half with ½ cup cheese. Fold in half and cook until cheese is melted and the tortilla is golden brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip quesadilla and continue cooking until all the cheese is melted and the second side is golden brown. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese, beef, and pickles.
- Cut each quesadilla in half, and stack 2 halves on each of the 4 plates. Add one wedge of Iceberg to each plate and top with shallots and tomatoes. Drizzle the quesadillas and salad with sauce. Serve more sauce on the side if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 (1/4-pound) burger-stuffed, single-tortilla quesadillas and 4 wedge salads.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The special sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead.
- Double up on Special Sauce: I always make a double batch to use as a condiment for other salads and sandwiches throughout the week. Try it on a reuben, a Maid-Rite sandwich, or this easy garden salad.
Best Bacon Cheeseburger
The Best Bacon Cheeseburger has a thin and crispy smashburger-style patty, plenty of bacon, gooey cheese, and all your favorite toppings. Add grilled onions cooked in bacon fat if that’s your jam! This one’s a “must-make” for burger lovers everywhere.
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Cheeseburger Quesadillas
Enjoy three restaurant copycat recipes in one 30-minute meal! Savor the flavors of a fast food cheeseburger in my easy Cheeseburger Quesadillas, then pair with a crisp wedge salad drizzled with special sauce.
Ingredients
For the special sauce:
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice
- 1 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the quesadillas:
- 1 pound ground beef (see note 1)
- 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 24 dill pickle chips optional (see note 2)
For the wedge salads:
- 1 head Iceberg lettuce cored and cut into 4 wedges (see note 3)
- 8 cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 shallot finely chopped
Instructions
- To make the special sauce, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Set aside.
- To make the quesadillas, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef until browned and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
- Wipe out skillet, coat with nonstick spray, and heat over medium heat. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, add to skillet. Top half the quesadilla with ½ cup cheese, ¼ of the cooked beef. Top with pickle slices, if using,
- Sprinkle top half with ½ cup cheese. Fold in half and cook until cheese is melted and the tortilla is golden brown on one side, about 2 minutes.
- Flip quesadilla and continue cooking until all the cheese is melted and the second side is golden brown. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese, beef, and pickles. Cut each quesadilla in half, and stack 2 halves on each of the 4 plates.
- To make the wedge salads, add one wedge of Iceberg to each plate and top with shallots and tomatoes. Drizzle the quesadillas and salad with sauce. Serve more sauce on the side if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Ground beef: I prefer 80/20 ground beef rather than a leaner variety for more flavor. To keep your quesadillas from being too greasy, drain the cooked ground beef crumbles on a plate lined with paper towels or in a colander.
- Pickle chips: These are optional, so feel free to omit if you’re not a pickle fan. My family loves them for the complete cheeseburger experience (Claussen Kosher Dill Pickle Chips are my favorite, and I always serve more on the side).
- Iceberg lettuce: Another mild leafy green such as romaine, Bibb, Boston, leaf, or little gem would also work well.
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 (1/4-pound) burger-stuffed, single-tortilla quesadillas and 4 wedge salads.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The special sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead.
- Double up on Special Sauce: I always make a double batch to use as a condiment for other salads and sandwiches throughout the week. Try it on a reuben, a Maid-Rite sandwich, or this easy garden salad.
Nutrition
Serving: 1quesadilla+saladCalories: 936kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 50gFat: 75gSaturated Fat: 35gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 207mgSodium: 1638mgPotassium: 826mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 2171IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 893mgIron: 4mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
DELICIOUS!!
I cooked mine on a George Forman.
Reheats well in the Air Fryer.
I’m so happy you loved them, Herbielace! – Meggan
This was really good. We had some leftover beef bacon that I added. So good. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re so welcome, DeeDee! Take care! – Meggan
Seemed simple, I didn’t expect much but a quick dinner. But wow, it is a delicious recipe. It has quickly become a favorite for me and my girlfriend!
I’m so glad you both love this! Thank you for taking the time to write! – Meggan
This quick and delicious recipe became an instant family favorite! I’m always on the lookout for 30 minute meals! Even better that I used leftover burgers from dinner the night before!
Thank you so much for the lovely comment, Jill! I’m glad it was a hit with your family! – Meggan
Good good
So glad you loved them, Jedi! – Meggan
So good! Thank you
You’re welcome, TJ! Take care! – Meggan
LOVE!!! The simplicity of this was perfect and just what we needed for an easy, delicious Friday night dinner. I followed the recipe and was shocked that I didn’t ruin this meal.
We used the wide shredded mild cheddar cheese and it melted like perfection and I added crumbled bleu cheese on top of the bibb lettuce salad.
Thank you for the recipe. Will be adding this to our collection!
You’re so welcome, Alanna! Sounds absolutely delicious! – Meggan
This was good except I added sliced onion, salt and pepper before adding the last top of cheese. Dipped them in Special Sauce. Will br making again!
Sounds delicious Patty, thanks! – Meggan
This is a recipe that I keep coming back to. We love it so much. It’s also fun to make for friends!!!
I made this last night for dinner and it was so good!! I added onions to the ground beef as it cooked then stirred in a few tsp of Worcestershire, some ketchup and mustard at the end. Next time I’ll dice my pickles up to sprinkle in. Served with a side salad of chopped romaine, diced tomatoes, diced avocados with ranch dressing drizzled over. Can’t wait to have the leftovers!
Was great but I think crumbled bacon and either onions or mushrooms or both will elevate to the next level… Â Will try it next time.
I mixed the sauce into the hamburger so the sauce was throughout as well as the pickles. DELICIOUS!!!
I’m trying this today…super excited!!! , Thanks for the recipe.
Made these with my son tonight. Best burger i have ever had.!!!! That sauce was tge best. Didnt have all the stuff like pickle juice or mustard but added ranch and it was to die for. Thanks for the new meal on our dinner chart
Thank you so much Lindsay! I tried some Cheeseburger Spring Rolls over the weekend at a restaurant and they reminded me of these quesadillas. I knew immediately I’d have to make a recipe for those too. But in the meantime! Hooray for Cheeseburger Quesadillas! And yes I may or may be known for drinking the sauce. I’m definitely adding ranch next time. Take care and thank you so much!
This looks so good! Have you ever tried putting some of the sauce inside with the ground beef? I’m wondering if it would get too overwhelming? Thanks!
Hi Connie! I think it would be fantastic to put sauce inside with the beef. The only reason I don’t, personally, is because I love hot vs. cold contrasts in my food, so I like to dip the hot quesadilla in the cold sauce. If you put it in with the beef, the sauce would obviously warm up. However, just like in a Big Mac that tastes awesome so…. yes! Great idea!
Oh my gosh these look so good! My kids (and my husband and I for that matter…) will flip over these! We do quesadillas quite often, and this is a great twist!
Thank you Melissa! I’m always down for Cheeseburger Anything. 🙂 I hope you love them! Thanks again and take care.
Made these tonight for dinner and they were delicious. My husband said this is definitely in the top two of all the recipes I’ve made from sources online. Very easy to make and the sauce is a definite must. Thanks for a delicious recipe that doesn’t break the bank!
This is a great recipe & so simple! We had hamburger meat thawed & wanted to make something easy that wasn’t tacos. (Already had those 3x last week haha) These were delicious!! Definitely making them again. Thanks for sharing!
Just out of curiosity, what does the sauce taste like? I’m not a fan of mayo, so I wasn’t sure if I would want to make the sauce because of that, but if it doesn’t taste like mayo, then maybe I’ll give it a whirl. =)
Tastes like thousand island dressing, kind of. So it’s mayo based but not mayo. I hope that helps! Like tartar sauce with ketchup mixed in. 😉
Made today. Yum. Â I added grilled onions.
YES TO THAT. Grilled onions sound fabulous.
awesome! complete with a special sauce and everything!
Thanks for the credit. Now I am going to copy this recipe and use it instead. Yours just looks better. Guess that’s why you’re the boss!! lol XO
If I’m the boss, you’re the MUSE! XOXO