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Copycat Applebee’s Quesadilla Burger

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Test Kitchen Approved
Total Time

Prep: 15 min. Cook: 20 min.

Makes

4 servings

Updated: Jan. 04, 2024
My niece fell in love with the quesadilla burger from Applebee's and challenged me to make it at home. She says this copycat Applebee's quesadilla burger recipe is pretty darn close to the real thing! —James Schend, Taste of Home Deputy Editor
Copycat Applebee’s Quesadilla Burger
Copycat Applebee's Quesadilla Burger Recipe photo by Taste of Home
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Ingredients

  • 1-1/3 pounds ground beef
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 4 slices pepper jack cheese
  • 8 mini flour tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 cooked bacon strips, halved
  • 4 lettuce leaves
  • 1/2 cup chipotle ranch salad dressing
  • 1/2 cup pico de gallo

Directions

  1. Shape ground beef into four 5-in.-wide patties. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add burgers; cook until a thermometer reads 160°, 4-6 minutes on each side. Remove from heat; top with pepper jack cheese. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, place tortillas on a griddle. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheddar cheese on each tortilla. Cook over low heat until cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes; remove from heat. Top half the tortillas with burgers, bacon, lettuce, ranch dressing and pico de gallo; top with remaining tortillas, cheese side down.
Copycat Applebee's Quesadilla Burger Tips

What kind of ground beef should you use to make the burgers?

Ground beef is a staple of many quick family dinners, but which kind of beef to use in those recipes is always the question. For almost all Taste of Home recipes, we call for an 80/20 blend. This is a good mix of lean meat to fat, so your burgers are still juicy. You’re free to switch up the kind of beef if you’d like, but know that your burgers may be less juicy and flavorful if you go for a leaner option.

How can you make copycat Applebee's quesadilla burgers your own?

If you want to stray from the copycat recipe, you can get creative in a number of different ways. You could make your own ranch dressing and mix in a little taco seasoning for added zip. Or, you could make a homemade pico de gallo, which is a great way to use garden-fresh tomatoes.

What can you serve with copycat Applebee's quesadilla burgers?

The first thing I think of when it comes to anything spicy is a nice cooling guacamole. It’s a nice counterpoint to the pico de gallo. Another fun idea would be to have a cheese sauce to dip quesadilla burger halves into. Who wouldn’t like more cheesy goodness?

—James Schend, Taste of Home Deputy Culinary Editor

Nutrition Facts

1 burger: 925 calories, 67g fat (27g saturated fat), 189mg cholesterol, 1640mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 3g fiber), 53g protein.