Black Bean Quesadillas
Try these black bean and cheese quesadillas for a quick, light dinner, lunch or snack. Swap out the black beans for pinto, kidney or another favorite bean if you prefer. They’re quick and easy with lots of options for loading up on veggies!
Read more: Taco Seasoning, Taco Salad, Easy Freezer Taquitos, Shredded Chicken, Avocado Sauce with Lime.
Quesadillas are made by placing grated cheese and a filling of beans/meat/veggies & spices between two flour tortillas and heating it until the cheese melts, resulting in a crispy exterior and a gooey, flavorful interior. Depending on how much filling you pack into these delicious little wedges, quesadillas can be served as a snack, appetizer, or a main course. I always serve mine with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, & pickled condiments like pickled red onions or spicy hot pepper rings.
Why Use Black Beans in your Quesadillas?
Black beans, also known as black turtle beans, are an affordable, tasty source of plant protein and easily found in grocery stores. Black beans are a nutritional powerhouse. They’re rich in protein, fiber, and various vitamins and minerals like folate, manganese, magnesium, and iron. Their high fiber content is particularly beneficial for digestive health and can help in managing blood sugar levels. Black beans have a rich, earthy flavor. They absorb flavors well, making them versatile for seasoning with spices and herbs. Black beans are a nutritious alternative to meat in meals.
Add more Veggies to your Quesadillas
Quesadillas are an easy dish to add more vegetables to your meal. Keep in mind, if you want the melted cheese to still stick together and hold it all together, limit your total filling per tortilla to about 3 Tbsp of non-cheese ingredients. Here are some vegetables that work well in quesadillas.
- bell peppers – green, red, yellow, orange
- hot peppers – fresh or canned
- cilantro
- green onions
- roasted garlic
- sautéed onions
- diced tomatoes
- sundried tomatoes
- roasted red peppers
- chopped red onions
Other Ingredients to add to Quesadillas
Depending on the flavor you’re aiming for, you can always add a little more to your fillings. Quesadillas can be the perfect way to use up just a little bit of leftovers in a new, crispy way! Try these fillings out for new flavor combinations.
- white/brown rice
- hot sauce
- flavored ground beef/ground round (vegetarian option)
- sliced or shredded pork or chicken
What to Serve with Bean Quesadillas
Even if you’re serving them as a simple snack or small appetizer, just a little dip of salsa, sour cream or guacamole on the side is a delicious addition to quesadillas – add a little tang to these crispy, cheesy triangles. You’ll be glad you did.
- Guacamole
- Sour cream/Greek yogurt (extra delicious with a squeeze of lime & salt)
- Fresh Salsa or Pico de Gallo
- Corn Salas/Salsa
- Black Bean & Sweet Pepper Salad/Salsa
- Soup or Salad
Tips for Making Crispy Black Bean Quesadillas
- Use a cheese that melts easily – like swiss, monterey jack, colby, gouda, havarti, grueyere, provolone, pizza mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella
- Use flour tortillas. Corn tortillas are drier in texture and won’t hold together for a quesadilla.
- No more than 2-3 Tbsp of filling per tortilla. Too much filling won’t heat through quickly and the cheese won’t be able to hold it all together. If you have extra veggies & beans you’d like to include, use them in a side salad or salsa and add to the top of your finished quesadillas when serving.
- Squish half or all of the beans if someone around the table hesitates at the sight of whole beans
- Use pinto beans for a lighter color or kidney beans for a different flavor.
- Use a light coating of canola oil to prevent burning – no need to use a lot – you’re not deep frying them!
- Cook over medium heat to ensure the filling gets hot and melty without having the outside char or burn.
- Pro Flipping Tip: spread cheese over entire tortilla, but spread the filling only on one half of the tortilla. This way you don’t have to try flipping the entire quesadilla – once the cheese has melted on both sides, simply fold the empty side on top of the full side – the melty cheese will help it to stay together.
- Add green herbs just before folding over to keep them looking fresh.
Recipe for Easy Black Bean Quesadillas
Black Bean Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1½ cup canned pinto or black beans*
- 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 1-2 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 3 cups grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro optional
- 4 green onions chopped
- 4 large tortillas
Instructions
- Mix beans with taco seasoning. Mash some of the beans using a fork and a splash of water so they’ll stick in place. If you prefer, mash all of them. Set aside.
- Heat fry pan over medium high heat. Add oil just to coat bottom of pan.
- Place large tortilla in hot pan.
- Sprinkle ¾ cup of cheese over entire tortilla.
- Add half the beans and half the corn on half of tortilla.
- Let cheese to melt.
- Sprinkle cilantro and green onions over beans and corn if using.
- Fold the half of the tortilla with just the cheese on top of the half with the fillings.
- Fry for 1 minute longer, flip over and fry for half a minute or until golden.
- Remove from fry pan and cut into 4 wedges. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
- Serve with sour cream, guacamole and salsa.
Notes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
How to Freeze Quesadillas
You can freeze the filling and the tortillas separately and assemble when ready to eat. Or you can fill the tortillas and place them on a baking sheet until frozen. Then transfer the frozen quesadillas to a ziplock bag. Thaw and cook as described in recipe.
Note: The mashed beans, cheese and corn will freeze and thaw well. Don’t freeze fresh, high moisture veggies like tomatoes, peppers, onion and herbs – add those when reheating.
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