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.
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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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
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!
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!!
Great recipe! Came together super quick, which was great for a weeknight meal. I didn’t have pure pepper jack, but a half cheddar, half pepper jack blend, and it was great. The flavor was pretty mild for me (may have been because of only half the pepper jack), but I was dipping it in salsa anyway so it was great. I think the original recipe is a great place to start, and then you can adjust the spices to your personal preference. I’ll definitely make these again!
Wow, just reread my comment and realized I used the word “great” about 50 times – I need a thesaurus. :D
These were really good! We all enjoyed them, and our 5-year-old especially gobbled them up. I scooped out 1/4 of the beans, spices, and spinach and mixed in homemade vegan cream cheese, with the remaining 3/4 made to recipe. Both versions went over well. They’re very filling and were easy to pull together quickly with two tiny sous-chefs. We served with the cilantro lime rice on this site. We’ll definitely add these to the rotation.
Pretty good! I tripled the seasoning, added onion, smoked paprika, and diced jalapeños and it was great. Got full off of 2 honestly
I can’t wait to try this, but I may mash the beans a bit and heat them up and use gf corn tortillas. This is such a great alternative to refried bean quesadillas! YUM! Thank you Beth!
I found these to be a bit plain, at least in part because the cheap chipotle salsa I bought was not good. In a second batch, I increased the chili powder and cumin by 1/4 tsp each and added 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. That made a difference for me. I’ll definitely try these again with a better salsa.
I had leftover cream cheese mix from your cucumber sandwich recipe, so I added it to these along with the jack cheese. Super yum. Thanks for this tasty recipe!
Genius!
My toddler and my picky husband both loved this! Super easy to make. I used mozzarella because it’s what I had but followed the recipe otherwise. Delicious- thank you!
Made this for lunch today! Used frozen spinach (about 1 cup) and dairy free sour cream – it was great even with my substitutions! Really “beefed” up the regular lunch time quesadilla. Definitely felt full (which I don’t when I just use cheese and tortillas). My 8 yo also ate every bite, even though he “doesn’t like” spinach or beans :D .
Can I use cream cheese instead of sour cream? If so, how much?
You could definitely try it! I would try 4 oz cream cheese. The mixture will be a lot thicker with cream cheese instead of sour cream so just keep that in mind. I would also make sure the cream cheese is room temp.
Really good! I made these using corn tortillas because I needed them to be gluten free. They were awesome and my girlfriend loved them too and made sure I saved the recipe. Very easy to make.
So yummy and healthy! Was browsing and realized I have all the ingredients, so why not? My whole family gobbled them up and requested we make them again!
This was soooo good! Added a bit more salt and also grilled up some onions beforehand. Other than that, followed the recipe verbatim. Absolutely delicious.
This just didn’t do it for me. Turned out very bland. Maybe some onions, peppers and additional spices would help.
thank you! great easy meal prep vegetarian recipe! adding it to my meal rotation :)
One of my favorite quesadilla recipes!! Nice and veggie but super creamy. Pairs amazingly with aji verde. Love these for lunch (the next day) as well.
Very easy and delicious! A big hit this week with me and my partner. Will be making again.
I’ve made these time and time again! They are so delicious. Quick, easy vegetarian meal that packs flavor. The mixture is even good leftover the next day.
Absolutely delicious! Ate one of these with some fresh salsa and it just satisfied everything. =) Thanks so much for another awesome one, Beth!!
I made these as appetizers using 1.5 packs of Trader Joe mini flour tortillas. I heated them in pan as directed and then warmed up on cookie sheet. This recipe is terrific. It’s the third quesadilla recipe of yours I have made.
These are awesome. I didn’t have enough sour cream so added some cream cheese which is a great addition. Also sprinkled a little extra jack cheese on the inside before cooking.
Delicious. Needs a little salt and pepper but other than that I was surprised at how good this is.
I am late to the game but these are DELICIOUS and so so easy– I already am looking forward to making them again.
I have made these quesadillas more times than I can count the past three years. They are delicious and have become a camping staple for us. I pre-make the filling before we go camping and freeze before placing in our cooler. It is usually soft enough for me to divide into tortillas by the time I am ready to use it. All I have to do is toast them in a skillet! So so good!
Quick, easy, delicious and taste really different than « classic » quesadillas.
My boyfriend and I love it and we cook it regularly.
When spinach is on sale we jump on it to cook these.
I tried a vegan version of this recipe tonight and I was very satisfied. Not only did I make my white beans in my Instantpot ahead of time but I also made homemade tortillas on the spot. There’s no shame in my game. ;)
I used the frozen spinach I had in the freezer, spices, some vegan cream cheese (that’s all I had), some nutritional yeast, soy sauce, lemon juice, and some tahini. (these are pretty much pantry staples I always have on hand (sans the spinach and vegan cream cheese).
I made a white sauce with the tahini, nooch, soy sauce and a little bit of olive oil and water to add more flavor. I made a red sauce with about a tablespoon of tomato paste from my pantry (I freeze tomato paste in ice cube trays), with a few spices (chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika) and lemon juice. Nothing too fancy but it got the job done!
It’s getting cold outside where I live so I shop once a month and buy what I think will last me a while. Learning how to store food for max freshness is key. I think when I make this again I’ll use Daiya cheddar or Violife shreds with a little jalapeño and onion.
But where is the salsa recipe?
While we may have just used some store-bought salsa as a prop for these photos, we have a great recipe for Fire-Roasted Salsa! Here’s the link: https://www.budgetbytes.com/fire-roasted-salsa/
~Marion :)
Yum! Just made these and they are creamy and yummy. I may add a bit more cheese and let them cool to help keep them together. They don’t stay together to well. The cost I calculated is bit over 1.99 per person. But still pretty economical. I did not include the spices in my calculations. Good for you and yummy for sure.
Hi, Elizabeth! We calculate the recipe costs at the time of publishing. Since this recipe was published back in 2019, I have no doubt the ingredients cost significantly more now than they did 2.5 years ago. (Thanks, inflation!) Also, because we have 1200+ recipes in our catalog, going back to update the cost calculations on old posts would be nearly impossible for our scrappy, little team. We also choose the lowest-priced ingredients we can find, but how accurate that is for you will vary depending on what’s readily available in your area compared to what we have here in Nashville and where you shop.
~Marion :)
I LOVE this recipe for lunches. The interior mixture keeps surprisingly well in the fridge. The kale doesn’t wilt or get soggy even after keeping this in the fridge for 4-5 days. Makes a really great make-ahead fast lunch when working from home. When I’m hungry, I just throw some of the mixture in a tortilla and fry one up.
Hi, Megan! Thanks for letting us know — another commenter on our Facebook page was just asking about this the other day! I will make sure to tell them that subbing kale for the spinach will help it go the distance when it comes to meal prep. — Marion :)
delicious and easy as well as economical.
Thank-you for a wonderful recipe
These were great! A great meatless option that can be made quickly on a busy weeknight
These slap according to my kids. They have been renamed to. ‘know what you put in those quesadillas’ After the non vegetarian refused them. He doesn’t even realize I have feed them to him before 🤣
I’ve made this twice now and it’s a perfect meatless meal! My toddler and my husband (who normally isn’t into beans) both loved it, and the leftovers reheat nicely.
The only thing I changed was no chile powder and I put a little mayo on the outside of the tortilla to help crisp it up..
Aaah, great quesadillas. My vegetarian sceptical kid liked it too.
I only had frozen spinach, so used that. Same for the sourcream, nothing in the fridge, so used cream cheese instead, worked great!
Did increase some on the salt and pepper (may have used more spinach than indicated 😁).
One of our absolute favorites.
Beth, would you recommend freezing these BEFORE or AFTER cooking? We would like to make some for a friend who is expecting.
Freeze before cooking. All the hugs to your friend! XOXO -Monti
Oddly enough, these didn’t seem to come out right for me. Very, very bland. I may try to peel up my filling mixture with, I don’t know. More, sharper cheese? Sriracha? I’d definitely drastically increase the spices; maybe mine have just gotten old? Not giving up on my bowl of filling but it needs something.
These are so good and cook really well on a sandwich press or George Foreman. We love them in our house!
I’m using frozen spinach – is it okay to lightly cook and then cool it before mixing it with other ingredients?
Hi there! Frozen spinach is blanched before it is frozen, so there’s no need to cook it. Thaw it, squeeze out the excess moisture (save that extra spinach juice for smoothies!!), and add it to your recipe!
Ah, I forgot about the blanching – thank you!
A favorite of my family of five. Even the spinach and bean haters love them!!
We make these all the time! SO delicious and an easy weeknight meal. Thank you for all your recipes!!
Loved this dish! I prefer the hearty black bean quesadillas but these definitely hit the spot!
Made these exactly as instructed and they were delicious!!
Before finding this recipe, I never thought of putting sour cream into the quesadilla and it’s a game changer! If I don’t have sour cream on hand I’ll sub Greek yogurt and it’s just as tasty.
Ok well these are dang delicious. I used cheddar and added some chopped jalapeno cheese curds cause it’s what I had. I also mashed my beans up a bit. So. Good.
These are another easy and delicious hit from Budget Bytes. The only thing I’d change is lightly mashing the beans so they’re creamier and don’t spill out when flipping the quesadillas.
This is one of my favorite easy lunches. Tastes great and comes together in a flash! I add a bit more chili powder and some cayenne cuz I like more bite.
Excellent Recipe! I just enjoyed the heck out of this on soca bread right from the oven! I’ll be having this again very soon!
This is so delicious!! I’ve made it so many times and it’s so easy. I recently decided to switch the spinach for arugula and I changed the cheese to a non-dairy version since I have an issue with dairy, and it was still delicious!! Very easy to move stuff around and make it delicious still!!
Delicious! I was skeptical that the white beans would work but they blended in perfectly with the creamy texture and other flavors. My teens love them too. Makes a great quick veggie friendly meal.
So simply and satisfying! Whole family loved these and my 5 year old asked for leftovers for lunch :)
We LOVE these quesadillas! My 6 y/o said their his favoritebin all the land. Thanks for the easy and tasty spin a simple classic.
My partner and I like to combine this recipe with the chicken version for extra oomph. I LOVE quesadillas and this is such a yummy and easy weeknight dinner!
These quesadillas have made some really great freezer meals for my family. I put parchment paper between the quesadillas and freeze several of them in a gallon ziploc freezer bag. When we want to eat one, we thaw it out for a minute in the microwave and then crisp up the outside in a skillet. So easy for a busy night or when my teens need a snack because they are growing like crazy.
Just had these tonight for dinner, and they are so delicious! I added avocado and it was so filling and indulgent without being overly heavy. I’ll definitely be adding these to the regular meal rotation.
Forgot to actually rate the recipe, but it’s definitely 5 stars!
I love Beth’s website! Every recipe I’ve tried has been great and most with minimal ingredients and minimal effort. Many of them can be made ahead. These quesadillas are definitely a go-to dinner. Delicious!
Thank you for the many dinners I have already made and those thatI will be making.
Omg these are freakin awesome!!! Super easy to make and taste delicious! Great to make ahead for lunch at work or an easy weeknight dinner.
I followed the recipe exactly, and these are perfectly delicious. I hope they freeze well!
These are delicious, fast and filling. I used barbeque seasoning and colby jack cheese because that is what I had on hand but I love how fast, easy and versatile this recipe is. Thank you!!
Made these this evening and they were great! So quick and little clean up. I followed the recipe, but see lots of potential for changing it up depending what I have on hand. I’ll definitely be sharing this recipe.
We had these for dinner today. It was a hit with the whole family! Used frozen chopped spinach and cottage cheese instead of sour cream. Turned out great! And I used enchilada sauce instead of salsa, cuz that’s what we had 😄
Thanks for the recipe!
I love this idea, but just don’t care for the texture of cooked spinach. Do you have any other vegetable suggestions?
Diced green chiles would be awesome in this!
I want to make these for some friends tomorrow but wondering if I could bake them instead so I can pop them in the oven when we’re ready instead of hovering over the stove. They sound delicious! Love the green chiles idea too!
I actually tested baking these before I used my usual skillet method and I found that the bottoms got quite soggy when I tried. There may be a way around that (maybe flipping them?) but I think the skillet definitely works better.
Should I use baby spinach or mature spinach? Could I use frozen spinach?
You’ll probably want to use baby spinach, since it’s more tender. You could potentially use frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed of all excess moisture), but the texture won’t be nearly as good.
Can I use white kidney beans? That’s all I have on hand.
Never mind, they’re the same thing!!
Yummy and quick pleased picky hubs and 4 kiddos under the age of 8 :) I did use nonfat Greek yogurt. Next time I may more add more heat to my portion because I love spicy but the rest of the family definitely enjoyed this recipe as is.
These are soooo delicious! The only change I made was adding green chilis before I cooked it, because I like it spicy! But my first quesadilla didn’t have any chilis and it was delicious also. Such good seasoning, I love your recipes! Thank you, Beth.
Simple, quick and delicious.
I am always looking for new ideas for our weekly meatless meals. These are definitely going in the rotation. I followed the recipe exactly and they were easy and delicious.
Could you sub Greek yoghurt for sour cream to make it a bit healthier? We made it today with Sour cream and itnwas delicious of course!
I think that’s going to just be a matter of personal preference, whether you mind the flavor change or not. :) I’m not usually a fan of swapping yogurt for sour cream for most things, but I know a lot of people don’t mind it. If you do, I would definitely not use a low-fat because it will end up being too acidic and not creamy enough.
I’ve always made this recipe with greek yogurt and its delicious
Also made with nonfat Greek yogurt turned out delish still, loved the recipe :) crowd pleaser for my family of 6.
Would frozen broccoli work instead of fresh?
This recipe doesn’t have broccoli. Did you mean spinach?
Did you have a salsa recipe to go with these?
That’s just a store bought salsa in the photos, but if you want to try a homemade salsa you can try my Fire Roasted Salsa.
We didn’t have pepper jack or sour cream but I subbed sharp cheddar and used gluten free tortillas. They were picky-8-year-old approved
Love, love, love these. Made for the first time this spring and now in the regular rotation of dinners. I make my own tortillas and between their size, the fact I cook for one (keep the filling for 2 additional nights) and the deliciousness I find I only get three servings. But that’s three great dinners prepped in a flash.
We don’t have this cheese where we live. Can I replace it with some other cheese?
Yep, you can replace it with other cheese as long as it’s a variety that melts decently well. If you have Monterrey Jack, to my knowledge, that’s the same thing just without the pepper bits, which you could add in separately if you wanted to be as close as possible to the recipe, but a Mexican blend would probably work well (or just whatever is available).
I thought this recipe was great, but I thought it was kind of odd to mix the sour cream in, so I left it out and drizzled it on top instead. Tasty!
Absolutely delicious. Just swapped out the sour cream for greek yogurt. Mashed the beans like some commenters have suggested. Will definitely make again!
Do you think I could sub in kale instead of spinach?
Yes I would just be sure to massage it before sautéing so it will not be so chewy.
Perfect recipe! Easy, super flavorful. I made it as written, and cooked the quesadillas in a dry, preheated cast iron skillet. I even refrigerated half the filling to make the next day, and those tasted just as good.
Be warned: these are very tasty and I ate the whole recipe in only 2 meals 🙂
Can you sub the sour cream for Greek yogurt?? I never have sour cream on hand
Yes! It’s an ideal swap.
Flavorful, easy and quick. Perfect for us.
It was really good.
This recipe is so versatile, and so easy! I make it as-is, and my BF makes the chicken version. (He also subbed cheddar for jack once, and said that was also delicious.) With medium-sized tortillas, this is easily four or five quesadillas, and holds up great in the fridge. I recently made the switch to vegetarian, and I’m always looking for ways to get plenty of protein and veggies into my meals. This is amazing on all counts!
Made this tonight and it came out great. Thanks!
Do these freeze well?
We haven’t tested them in the freezer, but I think properly stored they should be great!
I froze them and they re-heat well! Obviously they lose some of the crisp & crunch from being freshly fried, but they taste as delicious as ever. I microwaved one quesadilla for about 3 minutes and the cheese was nice and gooey again.
I’ve made this recipe twice and it’s been a plate-licking hit both times! Adult and kid-friendly, and while I know there’s a lot of cheese and sour cream in it, the beans and spinach make it feel healthy and satisfying. I’ve shared it with many friends! Thanks!
This was good and had good flavor, but next time I plan to use less sour cream. 1/2 cup sour cream made the whole mixture too liquidy in the quesadilla and it all fell apart easily once cooked. I also think I’ll precook the spinach before adding it into the mixture.
I made this for lunch – this was so easy to make and so delicious. I love all of the spices and the sour cream adds another dimension
I made this for lunch for my family of 5 adult eaters. I doubled it and had no leftovers. Everyone loved it! Great recipe! Thanks Beth!
This recipe was the most pleasant surprise! To be honest I’m not normally a huge bean person, but was looking for alternate protein sources with meat being a little harder to come by right now. I didn’t learn until after I cooked this that BF dislikes both spinach and beans….and he was the first to head back for seconds :) We did follow the recommendations of some other reviewers and mashed our beans a bit. Kept some of the filling in the fridge to make leftovers with fresh tortillas and it was still great two days later. We will be keeping this in the rotation for sure! Thanks, Beth.
Didn’t have any pepper jack but had a Mexican blend so I used it. Also, failed to read the instructions and started tossing everything in the bowl starting w/the spinach, and then saw I was supposed to season the beans. Whoops. So I seasoned the sour cream instead and mixed that into the rest of it all. No problem! Used big giant tortillas (2).
This was awesome! Had leftovers.
Okay – so for breakfast this morning I made an over medium egg and tossed it on top of a piece of one of these I had heated up in the microwave. It wasn’t bad! (don’t judge…or do: I don’t care).
This is all to say: I suspect there’s some versatility here. I’m willing to play with it.
great idea for breakfast leftovers.
That sounds delicious! Spinach, eggs and cheese are a great combination.
Is there any way to reduce the salt content for this recipe? 929mg seems like too much for 1 meal. Is that all from the 1/8 tsp of salt?
The nutrition data provided is calculated using all ingredients listed on the recipe card, including any ingredient listed as optional. Keep in mind that recipes that involve marinades, breading, salad dressings, oil for frying, or salt for cooking pasta and potatoes may be skewed because some of these ingredients will be discarded and not included in the final edible portion.
In this case, the beans will be rinsed, eliminating some of the sodium.
Used navy beans instead of cannelini and wowwwwww these were SO GOOD!!
I made this recipe because it matched the ingredients I had in the fridge and absolutely loved it. It had a great flavor profile and I will definitely make it again. I had to restrain myself from eating the entire recipe in one sitting. Thanks for another great meal from Budget Bytes.
I’ve made these many times they are DELICIOUS. Budget Bytes is my go-to recipe blog. I’ve never made a bad recipe from here!
Is there anything I could substitute the sour cream for? Preferably non-dairy?
I’ve used non-dairy yogurt (plain, unsweetened) as a sour cream substitute for years! I like Kite Hill the best, but there are plenty of brands to choose from. Good luck!
This is SO GOOD. Made this last week for dinner, not really expected anything too outrageous. Husband was on board, but in the same boat – just sort of not expecting anything too crazy. OH MY were we surprised!! These were absolutely delicious and probably the best vegetarian/bean dish we’ve ever made. My 12 year old daughter also loved them. My 4 year old son is more of a black bean and corn fan, so we just made the same recipe using those ingredients (and omitted the spinach) and turned out just as good!! Thank you for an awesome, cheap and delicious recipe – bravo!
I used canned corn because that’s what i had on hand instead of spinach. Incredible! I was hesitant about the sour cream but it makes the filling so creamy. Can’t wait to make again.
This is one of the best dishes I’ve ever made off the internet – hands down. Based on other comments I did mash the beans a bit and added some picked jalapenos (about 2TB worth). I can’t wait to make them again – this will be added to the regular rotation for sure! (Also best of all – they actually only took 20 mins to make! So often people claim recipes are quick but they end up taking me much longer – this one didn’t. Dinner was ready in no time!).
I ended up only frying two of them (there’s only two of us and with a side salad that was plenty) – I saved the others in the fridge and will make them tonight – I think they’ll probably be just as good so extra bonus for that as well.
Awesome taste and really easy to prepare!!
Love your recipes. How do I retrieve the calories/nutrition information for each recipe? I have read the nutritional disclosure, yet don’t see the numbers. Am I missing something?
We only recently brought on a Registered Dietician to our team. She’s working hard behind the scenes to update the entire recipe database, over 1500+ recipes, with nutritional information. She’s working her way from the newest recipes back and it takes some time to update them all. Stay tuned!
Are the two cups of spinach packed tightly, loosely or not? Appreciate it. Want to make this pronto and often.
I’d say loosely packed would be just fine.
I absolutely loved these! This will be great for when I need to throw together something quick and delicious.
I used whole milk yogurt in place of the sour cream since it’s what I had and it’s a little lower calorie. Would recommend.
Wow! Made these tonight. Quick and so delicious. Thank you!
Delicious! We did not miss the meat. Easy to prepare and felt good going meatless. I used a package of chopped frozen spinach with all the water squeezed out and white kidney beans as I didn’t have cannelloni beans on hand. They still tasted great. My son and husband enjoyed them very much too. I did add a little spice and more salt to make them tastier as other reviewers suggested. Will definitely make these again.
That’s great to hear Sheila!
Just a question. Do these freeze well for lunches. (hoping they would work for that like the black bean q.)
Really good! I mashed up the beans as someone else suggested. I think it really added to the creaminess and helped everything stick together. I also added some finely diced jalapeno for spice and subbed pepper jack with a Monterrey Jack blend. Very quick and inexpensive, I will definitely make this again!
Thanks Ashley!
Made this tonight since I had everything in the fridge already…so easy, simple and delicious! Took no time to put together and cook, love that, and tasted fabulous!! I absolutely love all of Beth’s recipes-she is my go to girl for recipe ideas!!
Thank you Sandra!
My friend made this for dinner last night and it was a hit. My 10 year old son loved it. I will be making this soon.
Hooray for a win with your son! Thanks for sharing.
My wife enjoyed this so much she asked for it again 2 nights later.
First time I had no sour cream so drizzled olive oil for moisture and part-smashed many of the beans. Came out tasty but a touch bland. Tonight, I added sour cream, pumped up the spice with a bit of dried ancho powder and increased the kosher salt a bit. I pressed the bean cheese spice mix in half the tortilla, sprinkled diced sweet onion (really small pieces) and tossEd the chopped spinach onto the open tortilla before folding it in half. Toasted on a dry pan, the tortilla came out beautifully..
For those wondering, a can of beans makes 3 good-sized quesadillas (8” burrito tortillas).
That’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
I think it would be fantastic!
I can’t remember if I’ve commented on this before but I decided I can’t say enough good things about this recipe so it doesn’t matter! Love this! So easy and quick and tasty! Perfect for Meatless Monday. I like to roughly mash the beans before stirring in the rest of the ingredients. My husband who hates all things green doesn’t even mind the spinach!
Ha thank you Elizabeth!!
My friend recommended your site and this was my first try at a recipe! I loved it! I made it vegan with vegan cheese and an almond milk based spiced sour cream from a local producer. White beans definitely made it creamy, and I loved the simplicity of the recipe. Can’t wait to try out more!
So happy to hear it Grace! We’re happy you’re here!
Very tasty! The only problem is that mine didn’t stick together, and it ended up being a huge mess to eat. Any suggestions for next time?
Hi Christina! Sorry to hear that. Did the cheese melt okay? Maybe they weren’t quite cooked through?
Hi this recipe looks great and I’ve enjoyed a bunch of your recipes in the past. I was curious what the salsa was that you used and whether it was homemade or store bought?
Thanks!
I was trying to keep it super easy that day, so I used a store bought salsa. It’s Kroger’s Private Selection brand. :)
I was nervous about this recipe…I’ve never had a “creamy” quesadilla before, and certainly not one with beans as a main ingredient. I’m so glad I ventured out and tried this! It was so flavorful and delicious. Kept me full all evening (which is a rarity).
Happy you gave it a try Danielle!
Thanks to this recipe, a true miracle happened in my home today: my husband ate spinach and loved it!! I could tell by his face he didn’t even want to try the meal at first (bc spinach) but after one quesadilla he went up for seconds and thirds, telling me how good it was, and then asked me to make this meal again!!! The white beans blend so well w the cheese, I couldn’t believe how creamy they tasted.
I made the recipe w frozen spinach and doubled the spices, as others suggested. Perfection!
Best review ever!
This was so delicious and so easy! I didn’t have any sour cream, so I used greek yogurt instead, and it still turned out great. Thanks for sharing an awesome work night recipe!
Greek yogurt is my go to sub for sour cream too. No one can tell!
Beth- I love this recipe (like many, many others that you have). Like someone else had mentioned wanting to add more veggies to it. So I added them, but cooked them down with the rest of the mix and added the cream and cheese at the end. It kept them from getting watery, but kept the recipe yummy and full of more veggies.
Wow! Delicious!!! And so easy. Thanks for a great recipe. Did you make the salsa shown in the pics? It also looks yummy. Can you share the recipe? :)
This looks great and I’m eager to try them! I’d like to up the amount of veggies in there – any recommendations of what will go well? I was thinking maybe some red onion and bell pepper will cut through the creaminess a bit? And then might I need to up the cheese to keep them from falling apart?
Red onion would definitely go well. Just be careful with adding more veggies because it might get kind of watery. 😅
Got it! Thanks! :-)
I really loved how easy this recipe was! I used whole wheat tortillas for mine. I calculated the calories, which were pretty low, which I know isn’t the most important thing, but it is still nice. This recipe made me feel full. I feel as though you can use the mixture with many different proteins. Thanks for the recipe Beth! Keep up the good work.
making these today ,using my barese chard and beans bin soaking and cooked yeserday ,, great Idea for the filling who what thought ?? would be a great filling for a Gozlemei. a Turkish flat bread !!!!!
What would you recommend to substitute for sour cream?
I’m not sure I would recommend a substitute for the sour cream in this, but I suppose it depends on the reason for substituting. Is it just because you don’t like sour cream, are you looking for a non-dairy option, or is there another reason?
Greek yogurt!!! It’s an amazing substitute.
Made this but did one thing different. I saw it on the “The Kitchen” a used Mayo instead of oil. I buttered (lighlty) the tortilla with Mayo and put that side on the skillet. DELICIOUS.
Delicious and really easy to make! I used fresh-made tortillas from the grocery store with these.
Delicious! Saved to my desktop. I adored it!
These are so good and easy that I could cry. That’s all I came to say!
Oh, one more thing. I made a creamy salsa verde by just blending a little can of mild store-bought salsa verde with some avocado and cilantro. The flavors complimented the dish perfectly and balanced out the spice a bit.
This may be the easiest dinner I’ve ever made, which would be great on it’s own but it’s also freaking delicious. My husband and I were making audible yummy noises. I know that’s weird, but it’s also very real. Make this recipe. Just do it. And if you’re like me and enjoy life on the edge, throw some cayenne on those beans. Also double the spices.
These are so good and easy. I’ve made them several times now.
These are delicious! I ate mine with some Tabasco Chipotle hot sauce and it went very well with them
Do you think the filling will hold up ok in the fridge? I’m cooking for one and am considering making one quesadilla at a time for the next couple days…
Yes, the filling holds up, just don’t pre-fill the tortilla or they will get soggy. :)
FWIW- I doubled the seasoning
So fantastic. Boyfriend and I are meat-eaters but I challenged him to pick something vegetarian for us to make and he chose these. First, these make four FAT quesadillas, so you could certainly stretch it to five, especially if serving as a snack or with a side. Second, I added a lot more spices the second time I made these (close to double what’s originally called for) and I think it balances out the super creamy flavor more and goes well with the pepper jack. I am not a spinach lover and I was skeptical but they are a total gem. Try it!
Do you think these would freeze well?
I haven’t tried this one, but I’m going to guess not because sour cream usually doesn’t hold up so well to freezing.
I was worried these would be too spicy as I tasted some of the mixture before cooking and the heat didn’t slowly kick in, it broke down the door and took me hostage but after cooking the quesadillas turned out creamy and heavenly cheesy with the perfect amount of spice. The filling was falling out a bit in the pan but who cares when the recipe is this easy, cheap, and CHEESY.
This shit is divine.
Hi, Beth,
Love, love, love all of your recipes and can’t wait to try these! Have you ever thought about including nutrition info, specifically calories? I’m trying to keep my meals to 1200/day with 1500 overall for the day.
Keep the yumminess coming!
Cindy
Yes, I get this request a lot, but unfortunately I don’t have a reliable source for the information and I don’t want to post information that I can’t verify. :(
The easiest way to do it would be to download a calorie tracker app (I use Cronometer) and punch in all of the ingredients in the full amount into a Custom Recipe. That’ll spit out the nutritional information, and if you want to portion it out by servings you can do that within the app as well.
The reason I don’t use calculators like most other websites is because the databases they use for the information are just unreliable. The calculations are rough estimates at best and can be completely erroneous at worst, which can be dangerous for people with certain health conditions. So I’d rather leave it up to the readers to use the calculator they trust, rather than me supplying information that I can’t verify.
These are so good. They are definitely going into the dinner rotation around here. Thanks!
This was delicious! I made all four at one time and at them for leftovers. In retrospect I wish I saved the filling separately and made them to order the next couple of days, but they were still very tasty reheated. I’ve had a couple of cans of cannellini beans lingering in the pantry, and this was the perfect way to use one up :)
Such a great tasting, simple recipe! I made it for lunch today and I’m a huge fan! I used cheddar cheese I stared but only because thats what I had on hand—I followed everything else from the recipe. I will be making this again and again!
There’s a good vegan pepperjack at my local grocery store, along with a vegan sour cream, so this was an easy vegan recipe for me. Nice quick dinner, great for after I get home from the gym. Thank you!
I agree with Susan will make on a Friday in Lent!
SO delicious and perfectly satiating! Thanks for sharing! :)
Yum–I fork mashed the beans a little and added some leftover roasted mushrooms and diced sauteed onion to the existing recipe. One thing I do with quesadillas is LIGHTLY butter or oil one side, plop it into the skillet, spread the cheese over the entire tortilla, then pile the filling on one side. As soon as the cheese is a melty, I fold the tortilla, and continue cooking until both sides are nicely browned. I use this method for breakfast tacos–it’s the way they were made on The Drag in Austin 30+ years ago, and I watched the grill cook do it–works well to “glue” the filling to the tortilla, and speeds up the cooking time. Of course the downside is that if you have a home kitchen you only manage one at a time. I thought about adding cilantro, but wanted the spinach flavor to shine so restrained myself. This really is delicious, and I went on from there to making your white bean and spinach enchiladas for dinner last night, using a verde sauce–more fiddly and time consuming, but even more delicious.
Creamy, cheesy and so tempting. I find this recipe very interesting and new.
I will try for sure.
Really yummy and fast! I didnt have sour cream so i used 1/4 cup greek yogurt and 1/4 cup cottage cheese, and instead of the pepper jack I used cheddar and some feta.
This is bomb! I used small canned white beans, because that’s what is easily accessible in my country and substituted sour cream for Greek yogurt. I’m devouring second quesadilla right now!
Made these today. I’ll be trying the chicken version as well. I used black beans this time because that’s what I had. 5/5 will make again.
These were just okay for me, I used black beans instead, used 3 oz cheddar instead of 4 oz pepper jack. With the sour cream it was very mushy and didn’t bind together very well, made quite a mess and hard to eat. I only used half the spinach called for so I’m not sure if that would have fixed the problem 🤔 Also, I’m not sure about leftovers as everything is mixed with the sour cream, hoping it keeps well in the fridge 😬 Spices and flavour were spot on though 👍🏻
Using less cheese will definitely make them less binding, as the cheese acts as glue. :) I had some leftover filling from one of my batches and it made great quesadillas the next day. You just want to make sure to keep the filling separate and not pre-fill the tortillas if you plan to make them the next day. Sour cream won’t pose any food safety issues as long as it’s refrigerated.
These look like the perfect recipe for Lent, or anytime. I’ll be trying this one soon.
Hey Beth – these looks super tasty (and even a little healthy…?!!). Excited to try this recipe out. One quick question: I usually swamp sour cream for plain greek yogurt. Would this negatively affect the cook/flavor? Or this seem like an okay swap? Thanks for your help!
I personally am not a fan of using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream because I find their flavors are very different. If you’re used to that swap you may not mind it here, but I think it will just come down to a personal call. :)