This is like, “the week of quesadillas” at my house. LOL. When the concept for these super easy creamy quesadillas first came into my head I couldn’t decide whether to make them with chicken or do a vegetarian version, so I just made both! While I love both versions of this quesadilla, the incredible ease and low cost of these Creamy White Bean and Spinach Quesadillas might make them the winner. They literally only take about 20 minutes and are so freaking good.
If you want the chicken version, head over to the post for Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas.
All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.
What to Serve with Spinach and White Bean Quesadillas
Because the filling for these quesadillas is so rich and creamy, they really benefit from being served with a nice tangy salsa or pico de gallo. The salsa I used is a smoky chipotle red salsa, which paired so well with the flavors of the quesadillas. Normally quesadillas would be served with some sour cream or guacamole dolloped on top, but there is so much creaminess already that I think that would be overkill.
What type of white beans should I use?
I definitely suggest using cannellini beans for this recipe because of their large size, firm texture, and ability to hold their shape. Other white beans, like navy beans, tend to break down and are better suited for use in soups, stews, or recipes where they’ll be mashed. If you want to read more about the common types of white beans and how they’re best used, check out this helpful guide from Camellia Beans.
Creamy White Bean and Spinach Quesadillas
Servings 4 quesadillasIngredients
- 1 15oz. can cannellini beans ($0.69)
- 3/4 tsp chili powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 2 cups fresh spinach ($0.87)
- 4 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded ($1.00)
- 1/2 cup sour cream ($0.35)
- 4 8-inch flour tortillas ($0.96)
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the cannellini beans well. Once well drained, transfer them to a bowl and add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt. Stir to combine the beans with the spices.
- Roughly chop the spinach into smaller pieces. Add the spinach, cheese, and sour cream to the bowl with the beans, then stir to combine.
- Divide the spinach and bean mixture between the four tortillas, then fold them in half to close.
- Cook the quesadillas, one or two at a time, in a skillet* over medium heat until the tortillas are brown and crispy and the filling is melted and gooey (3-5 minutes each side).
- Cut the quesadillas in half, then serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Spinach and White Bean Quesadillas – Step by Step Photos
Begin by rinsing and draining a 15oz. can of cannellini beans. Make sure they’re drained well, then place them in a bowl with 3/4 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, and 1/8 tsp salt. Stir to coat the beans in the spices.
Roughly chop about 2 cups of spinach into smaller pieces.
Combine the seasoned beans and chopped spinach in a bowl with 4 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese and 1/2 cup sour cream. Stir to combine these ingredients.
Divide the spinach and bean mixture between the four tortillas, covering half of the tortilla, then fold them in half to close.
Cook the quesadillas, one or two at a time, in a skillet over medium heat until the tortillas are brown and crispy, and the filling is melted. I don’t add oil to my skillet, but you can if you prefer a more fried-like texture to the tortillas. (The residue you see in the skillet is splatter from juices coming out of the quesadilla.)
Slice the cooked quesadillas in half and serve!
As mentioned above, I LOVE these Creamy White Bean and Spinach Quesadillas served with a nice tangy salsa!
I loved this vegetarian quesadilla! I used half the amount of chili powder because I’m not big on spicy food, but I think I would’ve been fine with what the recipe calls for.
Oh Yummm! The only difference I did was Tajin vs chili seasoning and used smaller tortillas , Trying to eat more non meat meals this will be a regular. Oh and I forgot the darn chipotle sauce but I did buy some. I have about 6 made up assuming I can wrap and freeze them? Oh just fyi led to this recipe from FrugalRVgal on you tube.
They’re perfect for the freezer!
One of our favorites! We like to make the filling ahead of time, and keep it in the fridge. Then we can whip up dinner in minutes!
What is the sauce she dips the Quesadillas in? I can’t find it in this article.
It’s just a store-bough chipotle salsa!
Made this for dinner tonight – it was easy and good. Will probably tinker with it some. But I want to tell you that for some reason this recipe doesn’t surface if I search your site for quesadillas. It was challenging tonight because I’d seen this recipe and bought ingredients for it and almost couldn’t find it.
These turned out better than I expected and were a hit with my kids! I did sub corn tortillas for the flour, and made them smaller. Leftovers were a perfect after school snack. Thanks for posting!
Really enjoyed this recipe! Any chance we can get the recipe for the salsa depicted in the image?
It was just a store-bough chipotle salsa! But we can definitely work on a homemade version! :)
We love these and make them ALL the time. A solid staple in the house for over a year.
I am curious – I just read about cannellini beans needing to be boiled on another recipe of yours due to the phytohaemagglutinin, does this apply to this recipe?
It does not! That only applies to cooking dried beans, canned beans have already gone through that process. :)
Delicious! Made these for my daughter who needs a little extra iron in her diet. So creamy and tasty! She dipped hers in ranch.
incredibly simple to prepare and cook and so delicious!! i had so many leftovers too, would 100% recommend if you want something quick and yummy to eat
Wow..
Really fantastic.
These were phenomenal! At the last minute before going to work I decided to prep the filling so I all I had to do when I got home was assemble and cook. We used a homemade salsa to dip and served with some avocado slices. This truly is quick, easy, and so delicious!
Do these quesadilla freeze well? I was thinking about doing a batch of these and a batch of the black bean quesadillas for summer freezer lunches, but wasn’t sure if these would freeze as well as the others.
Yes, they freeze great!
I’ve made this before and forgot how good they are! My family of 5, including some very picky eaters, gobbled them up. Thank you!!