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!
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!!