A crisp, cheese-filled pork-and-beef quesadilla with a saucy tomato corn-and-bean mix, fluffy rice, jalapeño, and enough fresh vegetables to keep the whole plate bright. It is filling, inexpensive, and built from ingredients that are easy to reuse later in the week.Serves 2 generously · about 35 minutes
Ingredients
The pork-beef filling
200 g minced pork
200 g minced beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp neutral oil or olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
Black pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp water
The tomato corn-and-bean mix
150 g sweetcorn, drained
150 g black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
200 g chopped tomatoes or passata
½ jalapeño, thinly sliced, plus more to serve
½ tsp ground cumin
Juice of ½ lime
Salt and pepper
For the quesadillas and plate
4 medium flour tortillas
120–150 g grated cheese, such as cheddar, gouda, or mozzarella
150 g uncooked white rice
½ cucumber, cut into chunky pieces
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges or chunks
A few handfuls of crisp lettuce
Lime wedges, optional
Method
Start the rice. Cook the rice according to the packet. Once done, fluff it with a fork and keep it covered while you finish the rest.
Brown the meat. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and beef, break it up with a wooden spoon, and leave it alone for a minute at a time so some of it properly browns instead of steaming. Cook for 6–8 minutes, until no pink remains.
Season the filling. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and water. Cook for another 2 minutes, until the meat is glossy and well coated. Transfer to a bowl.
Make the corn-and-bean mix. In the same pan, add the chopped tomatoes, corn, beans, jalapeño, and cumin. Simmer over medium heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato has soaked into the corn and beans but the mixture is still spoonable rather than dry. Finish with lime juice, salt, and pepper.
Fill the quesadillas. Lay two tortillas flat. Scatter half the cheese over them, add a generous layer of pork-beef filling, then cover with the remaining cheese and tortillas. Do not overfill them; the rest of the meat can go directly onto the plate.
Toast until crisp. Wipe out the pan and return it to medium heat. Cook each quesadilla for 2–3 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula, until the tortilla is golden and the cheese has melted. Let each one rest for a minute before cutting into wedges.
Build the plates. Add rice, quesadilla wedges, and a large spoonful of the tomato corn-and-bean mix. Fill the rest of the plate with cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, extra jalapeño, and lime. Spoon any remaining meat beside the rice or save it for tomorrow.
Notes
Control the heat. Remove the jalapeño seeds for a gentler version, or add hot sauce at the table instead of making the whole pan spicy.
Keep the quesadilla crisp. Let the tomato mixture stay on the side rather than putting it inside the tortilla.
Use what you have. Any mix of pork and beef works, including all beef or all pork. Chickpeas can replace the beans.
Good leftovers. The meat and tomato-bean mix keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat them in a pan and assemble fresh quesadillas when needed.
