Crispy buttery steak quesadillas! Filled with melty Oaxaca cheese, sautéed onion and jalapeño, and a dollop of chimichurri sour cream layered inside. All dunked into even more of that creamy chimichurri ᝰ.ᐟ

Whenever I make a quesadilla I really want something alongside it that adds depth and cuts through all the cheesy & buttery heaviness, otherwise it can get really rich really fast. This sour cream is wonderfully bright and herby, and pairs so well with the steak and cheese (๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑)

I used New York strip here because that’s what I had on hand, but truly any steak you love works! skirt or flank would be incredible too. And for the cheese, I used Oaxaca but low-moisture mozzarella will also get the job done. At the end of the day cheese is cheese, and I’d rather you use what you have on hand than go out and buy something just for one recipe!

Okay okay !!! lets get into it ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

Few tips ᝰ.ᐟ

• Pull your steak out of the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking. Room temperature steak just cooks more evenly, you really don’t want a cold center
• Resting the steak is non negotiable !! 10 minutes after it comes off the heat, otherwise all those juices spill right out the second you slice into it
• Always slice against the grain, this is what makes quite the difference between a tender bite and your steak feeling chewy
• Cook the quesadillas on low-medium in the butter, not on high heat. high heat browns the tortilla way before the cheese has had a chance to fully melt, and we want it completely gooey in the middle (and of-course, not burned)
• Make the chimichurri sour cream first so it has time to sit in the fridge and get even more flavorful while you cook the rest
• A squeeze of lime right before serving makes such a difference (in my opinion), don’t skip !!

Here’s a video to guide you along the process ✮⋆˙

Process ✮⋆˙

Steak Quesadillas

The crispiest buttery steak quesadillas! Filled with melty Oaxaca cheese, sautéed onion and jalapeño, and a dollop of chimichurri sour cream layered inside. All dunked into even more of that creamy chimichurri ᝰ.ᐟ

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Inactive time (letting the steak come to room temperature + resting time after the sear) 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Steak

• 1½ lb New York strip steak (skirt, flank, or sirloin also work)
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion powder
• 1 tsp Diamond crystal kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 1/4 tsp white pepper optional
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 Jalapeno

Quesadillas

• 4 eight inch Flour tortillas or 8 tortillas if you'd like to do double tortilla for each quesadilla instead of folding it over
• 12 oz Oaxaca cheese, shredded
• 4 tbsp Salted butter

Creamy Chimichurri

• 120 grams Sour cream 1/2 cup
• 10 grams Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped about 1/2 cup
• 4-5 grams Cilantro, finely chopped 2 tbsp
• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• 2 tbsp White vinegar
• 3 cloves Garlic, grated
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp Dried cilantro
• 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp Diamond crystal kosher salt
• A squeeze of lime, to taste

Instructions

 

• Whisk all the creamy chimichurri ingredients together in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Cover and refrigerate while you prep everything else, the longer it sits the better it tastes
• Pat the steak dry and season generously all over with your spice mix. Let it sit at room temp for 30 minutes, this helps it cook more evenly
• Heat up a 10 inch stainless steel pan for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Then add in your oil
• Sear the steak 3–4 minutes per side for medium-rare, or 5 minutes each side for closer to medium well. You want a deep crust on the outside. Transfer to a cutting board and rest at least 10 minutes before slicing against the grain
• You can either keep the steak cut into strips, or cut them down further into small cubes
• In the same pan with the leftover steak drippings, sauté the onion and jalapeño for 3–4 minutes until softened, then remove from the pan
• In the pan we are going to build each quesadilla: melt down 1 tbsp of butter, then add a tortilla, a layer of shredded cheese, sliced steak, the onion-jalapeño mixture, a generous dollop of the creamy chimichurri and a squeeze of lime, the lightest bit more cheese on top, then fold in half (or another tortilla on top if you prefer)
• This should all be done on low-medium heat, until the tortilla is deeply golden and the cheese is fully melted
• Let the quesadilla sit for a minute or two before cutting, otherwise the cheese will run right out. Slice into wedges and serve with a generous amount of the chimichurri sour cream for dunking, with a little extra squeeze of lime on top

Notes

• Steak: I used New York strip because that’s what I had on hand, but skirt or flank are equally great picks. Truly any cut you love works here
• Oaxaca cheese: my preferred melt for quesadillas, but low-moisture mozzarella will also get the job done. Avoid pre-shredded if you can, the anti-caking agents really do mess with the melt
• Tortillas: I’m using the medium 8 inch flour tortillas. High quality tortillas, or handmade is always worth it !!
• Parsley: please use flat-leaf parsley for the chimichurri. Curly parsley is too tough and doesn’t have the same fresh flavor in my opinion 

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