Name: Slow Cooker Short Rib Quesadillas Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 170 min
Total time: 180 min
Ingredients: 1-2 pounds boneless short ribs; 1 cup chipotle salsa; ½ onion (sliced); 2 cups beef stock; 6 large flour tortillas; 1 Tablespoon butter; 3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese; cojita cheese (optional)

Delicious slow cooker short ribs, gooey mozzarella cheese and chipotle aioli make these quesadillas a win every time.

Slow Cooker Short Rib Quesadillas Recipe

We first tried these Short Rib Quesadillas from a random food truck while visiting California. It was so good we knew we had to recreate the recipe!

Delicious slow cooker short ribs, gooey mozzarella cheese and chipotle aioli make these quesadillas a win every time.

Looking for more delicious quesadilla recipes?! Try our Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas!

Ingredients needed to make Slow Cooker Short Rib Quesadillas:

1-2 pounds boneless short ribs
1 cup chipotle salsa
½ onion sliced
2 cups beef stock
6 large flour tortillas
1 Tablespoon butter
3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
cojita cheese optional

How to make these yummy Short Rib Quesadillas:

In a slow cooker, place meat, salsa, onion and beef stock. Cook on high for 2-3 hours.

Remove meat from slow cooker, shred, and place back in the slow cooker for 30 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, remove meat and onions from the slow cooker and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Place one tortilla in the bottom, then top with 1 cup cheese and 1/3 of the meat mixture and place a second tortilla on top. Cook until cheese starts to melt and the tortilla starts to brown (about 3-4 minutes), and then flip the quesadilla and brown the other side (about 3-4 minutes).

Repeat two more times.

Cut into triangles and serve warm with chipotle aioli.

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Other Quesadillas recipes we think you’ll like:

Slow Cooker Short Rib Quesadillas Recipe

5 from 1 vote

The most amazing, easy, and tasty twist on quesadillas using short ribs!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2 50

Total Time 3

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Ingredients

Equipment

Instructions

In a slow cooker, place meat, salsa, onion and beef stock. Cook on high for 2-3 hours.
Remove meat from slow cooker, shred, and place back in the slow cooker for 30 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, remove meat and onions from the slow cooker and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Place one tortilla in the bottom, then top with 1 cup cheese and 1/3 of the meat mixture and place a second tortilla on top. Cook until cheese starts to melt and the tortilla starts to brown (about 3-4 minutes), and then flip the quesadilla and brown the other side (about 3-4 minutes).
Repeat two more times.
Cut into triangles and serve warm with chipotle aioli.

Notes

We sprinkled ours with cotija cheese, just like the restaurant, but it would be good with Parmesan or mozzarella on top, too.

How to turn this into a freezer meal:

Add short ribs, salsa, and onion to a gallon-sized freezer bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal bag closed. Place freezer bag into freezer and it will last 60-90 days.
When ready to use, spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Dump ingredients from bag into slow cooker and add 2 cups of beef stock in with the frozen food. Place the lid on top. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 6-8 hours (or HIGH heat for 3-4 hours). Follow the rest of the instructions as written.

Nutrition

Calories: 498 kcal · Carbohydrates: 21 g · Protein: 39 g · Fat: 28 g · Saturated Fat: 14 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 116 mg · Sodium: 1112 mg · Potassium: 779 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 4 g · Vitamin A: 645 IU · Vitamin C: 2 mg · Calcium: 346 mg · Iron: 4 mg

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Course: Main Course

Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.

Questions & Reviews

Angela says:

I am interested in trying this next weekend for a girls weekend. What would you make as a side? Thanks

Angela says:

What is the salad and sauce that you have on the side of the photo?

Cyd says:

Some chopped fresh veggies and onions and we dip it in chipotle aioli.

Cyd says:

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad would be yummy with this - https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2015/07/bacon-ranch-pasta-salad.html

Angela says:

Thanks for the responses!!! You girls rock!! I am having a very hard time trying to find Chipotle salsa and Cotija cheese. Any suggestions? (I hope to cook this Saturday night.)

Cyd says:

Have you checked WalMart? I looked at their website and is shows all kinds/brands of chipotle salsa and cotija cheese. They even have a fresh chipotle salsa that can only be purchased in the store. Hopefully this helps and you live near a Wal Mart.

Angela says:

Hi Cyd, You are super kind to check for me. I actually sent my wonderful mother to Walmart because it said online they had it but no luck. Maybe in Canada it is something that you can only buy online. I have everything else and not sure how I can make this without it. Any last minute ideas As for the cheese, I see you can use other cheeses but what do you suggest for the salsa Thanks Ange

Cyd says:

From what I have read, you could use regular salsa in this recipe. The chipotle just gives it more of a kick and some heat. Here is a recipe if you want to make your own. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chipotle-salsa.html

Jen Myers says:

I can't wait to try these! But what is the recipe for the chipotle aioli?

Momma Cyd says:

Chipotle Aioli: 6 Tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons chipotle chiles in adobo (chopped) 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped) 1 teaspoon minced garlic ½ teaspoon cumin 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice salt and pepper to taste Here is the link with the recipe: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/slow-cooker-carne-asada-steak-tacos-with-chipotle-aioli-sauce/

April says:

This recipe was fabulous! We used Herdez Chipotle Salsa Cremosa and it worked SO well. I had some trouble with fat on the short ribs while I was shredding--maybe my short ribs weren't the best quality--so next time I may try using a chuck roast trimmed and cut into large chunks. That's how I make Beef Barbacoa. Anyway, I mixed extra Herdez with some mayo, sour cream, and a little milk for thinning to make the dipping sauce. YUM! I left the onions sliced large since I'm not a fan of onions, so I picked them out when I shredded the meat. I diced some onions to add to my husband's quesadilla along with some chopped green chilis. He loved it. We were actually skeptical about using just mozz for the cheese rather than something stronger, but it really worked! The flavor of the meat really shone through. I've made quesadillas plenty of times, but I never actually used butter since I have a nonstick pan. WOW does it add flavor! It's a little bit of an indulgence but so tasty. We can't wait to have this again!

Momma Cyd says:

We love hearing the little changes you made to the recipe! Sounds delicious!

Ann Ramirez says:

I wanted to know how would I adjust cooking times to double the recipe or would I have to use a second slow cooker? Also could this be made in the insta pot?

Momma Cyd says:

Just be sure your slow cooker is big enough to handle the recipe being doubled. You could easily cook the rib portion of this recipe in the Instant Pot. The ribs would cook for about 25 minutes.

Join The Discussion

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Angela says:

I am interested in trying this next weekend for a girls weekend. What would you make as a side? Thanks
Angela says:

What is the salad and sauce that you have on the side of the photo?
Cyd says:

Some chopped fresh veggies and onions and we dip it in chipotle aioli.
Cyd says:

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad would be yummy with this - https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2015/07/bacon-ranch-pasta-salad.html
Angela says:

Thanks for the responses!!! You girls rock!! I am having a very hard time trying to find Chipotle salsa and Cotija cheese. Any suggestions? (I hope to cook this Saturday night.)
Cyd says:

Have you checked WalMart? I looked at their website and is shows all kinds/brands of chipotle salsa and cotija cheese. They even have a fresh chipotle salsa that can only be purchased in the store. Hopefully this helps and you live near a Wal Mart.
Angela says:

Hi Cyd, You are super kind to check for me. I actually sent my wonderful mother to Walmart because it said online they had it but no luck. Maybe in Canada it is something that you can only buy online. I have everything else and not sure how I can make this without it. Any last minute ideas As for the cheese, I see you can use other cheeses but what do you suggest for the salsa Thanks Ange
Cyd says:

From what I have read, you could use regular salsa in this recipe. The chipotle just gives it more of a kick and some heat. Here is a recipe if you want to make your own. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chipotle-salsa.html
Jen Myers says:

I can't wait to try these! But what is the recipe for the chipotle aioli?
Momma Cyd says:

Chipotle Aioli: 6 Tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons chipotle chiles in adobo (chopped) 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped) 1 teaspoon minced garlic ½ teaspoon cumin 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice salt and pepper to taste Here is the link with the recipe: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/slow-cooker-carne-asada-steak-tacos-with-chipotle-aioli-sauce/
April says:

This recipe was fabulous! We used Herdez Chipotle Salsa Cremosa and it worked SO well. I had some trouble with fat on the short ribs while I was shredding--maybe my short ribs weren't the best quality--so next time I may try using a chuck roast trimmed and cut into large chunks. That's how I make Beef Barbacoa. Anyway, I mixed extra Herdez with some mayo, sour cream, and a little milk for thinning to make the dipping sauce. YUM! I left the onions sliced large since I'm not a fan of onions, so I picked them out when I shredded the meat. I diced some onions to add to my husband's quesadilla along with some chopped green chilis. He loved it. We were actually skeptical about using just mozz for the cheese rather than something stronger, but it really worked! The flavor of the meat really shone through. I've made quesadillas plenty of times, but I never actually used butter since I have a nonstick pan. WOW does it add flavor! It's a little bit of an indulgence but so tasty. We can't wait to have this again!
Momma Cyd says:

We love hearing the little changes you made to the recipe! Sounds delicious!
Ann Ramirez says:

I wanted to know how would I adjust cooking times to double the recipe or would I have to use a second slow cooker? Also could this be made in the insta pot?
Momma Cyd says:

Just be sure your slow cooker is big enough to handle the recipe being doubled. You could easily cook the rib portion of this recipe in the Instant Pot. The ribs would cook for about 25 minutes.