Loaded black bean quesadillas are packed with beans, sautéed onions, bell pepper, spinach, and a generous amount of cheese. They are hearty and make a quick and easy weeknight meal that can be customized to your taste!
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: bean and cheese quesadilla, black bean quesadilla, black bean spinach quesadilla, how to make a healthy quesadilla
Rinse and drain the canned black beans (or use precooked homemade black beans). Put them aside.
In a pan over medium-high heat, sauté onion and bell pepper in oil for 2-3 minutes, or until tender.
Combine the black beans, chopped spinach, taco seasoning, and salt. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Set aside this filling.
In a large pan or griddle, drizzle a thin layer of oil or spray with cooking spray over the top.
Spread the cheese(optional), beans mixture, and again cheese on the tortillas. Wrap the tortilla into half around the filling.
Cook for 2-3 minutes per side on medium-high heat, or until the outside is crispy and the cheese has completely melted. Repeat until all tortillas are filled and all fillings are used.
Serve with salsa, guacamole or sour cream on the side.
Video
Notes
For each quesadilla, use one tortilla. Then fold it in half to make a half-moon shape. This method allows you to make two quesadillas at once, snuggled in the pan with their folded sides adjacent to each other. Giant, circular quesadillas created from two tortillas are difficult to flip and slice.
Don't turn the heat up too much. Moderate heat is ideal for slowly melting the cheese and crisping the tortillas without burning them. Reduce the heat as needed, and then cook each side long enough for them to get deeply brown and crisp. The crispiness is the key.
Thinly prepare your fillings by slicing them. Large chunks of stuff will fall out of a quesadilla, and you'll wind up with molten cheese streaming down. Cut them off as thinly as possible!