These super tasty Black Bean Quesadillas have been a runaway Budget Bytes hit since they were first posted in 2012. The spicy mix of cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, and onion makes and incredibly flavorful quesadilla that’s perfect for dipping in some cool sour cream or salsa. Make up an entire batch and freeze some for later!
Why I’m In Love with These Quesadillas ❤️
I love these quesadillas for three reasons:
- they’re bursting with flavor
- incredibly EASY to make
- perfect for the freezer!
Students and other busy people take note: this recipe is perfect for you!
I called them “hearty” black bean quesadillas because they are surprisingly filling. I hastily ate two and then promptly felt like my belly was not just full, but full-full. This is one of those vegetarian recipes that meat-eaters won’t feel deprived when eating. Promise.
How to Freeze Hearty Black Bean Quesadillas
These quesadillas are perfect for freezing and will last two to three months in the freezer. Just fill and fold your quesadillas, but before you cook them, stack them with parchment paper in between each quesadilla. Place the stacked quesadillas in a gallon-sized freezer bag (or two) and pop them into the freezer. When you want to eat one, take a quesadilla out of the freezer and reheat it slowly over medium-low heat until the outside is crispy and the inside has melted. Using a lower heat gives the black bean quesadilla time to thaw and heat on the inside before the outside overcooks or burns.
Or, for a faster method, microwave from frozen for 30-60 seconds, or until the inside is thawed, then finish in a skillet to crisp up the outside and melt the cheese on the inside.
What Kind of Taco Seasoning to Use
To make these black bean quesadillas super fast and easy, you can use a packet of store-bought taco seasoning. Or, if you have a well-stocked spice cabinet, you can use my homemade taco seasoning recipe
What to Serve with Quesadillas
I love to have something like Cumin Lime Coleslaw on the side for an extra dose of vegetable freshness. Warm Corn and Avocado Salad or Charred Corn and Zucchini Salad are also great choices. And don’t forget a little salsa or sour cream for dipping. :)
Make it Meaty
These black bean quesadillas are incredible on their own, but if you DO decide you want to add some meat, try adding some Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, ground beef, Carnitas, or something as simple as chicken breast cooked in a skillet, then diced. They’d all be delish!
Hearty Black Bean Quesadillas
Servings 10 quesadillasIngredients
- 1 15oz.can black beans ($0.49)
- 1 cup frozen corn ($0.20)
- 1/2 cup red onion ($0.22)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro (about ½ cup chopped) ($0.20)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ($1.69)
- 1 batch taco seasoning* ($0.67)
- 10 flour tortillas (7-inch diameter) ($2.00)
Instructions
- Drain the black beans and add them to a bowl along with the frozen corn (no need to thaw)
- Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic, and roughly chop the cilantro.
- Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, shredded cheddar, and taco seasoning to the bowl with the beans and corn. Stir until everything is evenly combined and coated in seasoning.
- Place a half cup of the filling on one side of each tortilla and fold over. Cook the quesadillas in a skillet over medium heat on each side until brown and crispy and the cheesy filling has melted. Slice into triangles then serve.
- To freeze the quesadillas, stack the filled and uncooked quesadillas with a piece of parchment paper between each quesadilla. Place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. To reheat either microwave (for a soft quesadilla) or cook in a skillet on low heat (make sure to use low heat so that the filling has time to thaw and melt before the outside burns).
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Notes
Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos
How to Make Black Bean Quesadillas – Step By Step Photos
Add 1 cup frozen corn (no need to thaw) and one 15oz. can of black beans (drained) to a large bowl.
Next, finely dice about ½ cup red onion, mince one clove of garlic, and roughly chop about ¼ bunch fresh cilantro. These ingredients are super flexible, so you don’t need to be exact on the measurements.
You can use either one packet of store-bought taco seasoning, or make your own using my Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe.
Add the taco seasoning and 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese to the bowl. The cheese is the “glue” that holds the quesadillas together.
Stir the ingredients until everything is mixed.
Now it’s time to stuff the quesadillas. You’ll need about 10 7-inch diameter flour tortillas for these quesadillas (the tortillas I had today were slightly larger so my quesadillas ended up being a bit thinner). Place a half cup of filling in each tortilla and fold it over. You can either cook them or freeze them at this point (see instructions for freezing in the post above the recipe).
To cook the black bean quesadillas, place the quesadilla in a skillet over medium heat and cook on both sides until golden brown, crispy, and the filling has melted. I don’t use any sort of oil or butter, but you certainly can if you want more of a fried finish to the quesadillas.
Slice then serve! You can slice each quesadilla into two or three pieces. I find that if I cut starting on the outside edge going in toward the center fold, I get less of the filling oozing out. A pizza cutter also works great!
Great Recipe! I threw in a diced red pepper I had to use up- and fried them up on a griddle using a cast iron frying pan to get them nice and flat… Thanks!
I tried these last night for dinner & they turned out awesome. The filling was great! I’ve actually never used 1 tortilla & folded it over like instructed. I will definitely do that from now on!
Thank you for a great recipe!
Made this today, so easy and filling! This is a very good recipe that i’ll definitely be using again!
OMG this took me less than 10 minutes to prep! Wow I love this!
Tried them tonight and they were delicious!
Greetings from Germany :)
I added the juice of half a lime and more cilantro. DIVINE.
They were great! Very simple to do, and much tastier than the ones in stores. Thank you!
These are great! Even my 8-year-old likes them (I use a little less taco seasoning for her). They really do freeze well, too! I like the suggestion of adding some lime juice. Perfect for a day when you don’t want to turn on the oven.
Just made these, and my mouth wants more, even though my belly is perfectly content. This is the first time I’ve found a recipe with black beans that I enjoy, but they were delicious. The hubby started to eat one raw and wasn’t that impressed (lol!). Once cooked, he was hooked too. I just barely got some in the freezer, because they were in dire threat of being all eaten instantly.
Next time, I’d probably add a little lime juice and maybe some lime zest for a little extra zing. Also, I had the little 6″ taco tortillas, so I had a lot of extra filling left over (horray!). I found it a lot easier to cook them in the skillet on low heat open-faced, then when the outside was just starting to get crispy, flip them closed and let the melted cheese glue it together.
I’m going to try this tonight but add some avocado to the recipe. Thanks!
I’ve been making these since the original posting, always gluten free. Either make my own GF tortillas or use Rudi’s plain or spinach GF tortillas (from Whole Foods). These freeze well. Just wrap in foil and put several in a freezer bag. Also easy to adjust the recipe for various allergies. These are also fun to cook in a quesadilla maker, although it is faster to cook 2 at once in a frying pan. Just put the ‘flat sides’ toward the middle and the half moons on the rounded edge of the pan. Thanks for the great inspiration!
thought these looked interesting and decided to try them out… fantastic! i only give mine a 8/10 because i used wheat+gluten free tortillas which weren’t the tastiest. but thats my own twist on the recipe, i think its a winner all in all! 7 left in the freezer, might last me the next week. will be great to come home after work and able to have something hot, healthy and tasty ready to be warmed up!
Loved these! Only made 7, even though I followed the recipe exactly. Fast and easy for a night when I was short on time.
Just tried this, and it was so freaking delicious and filling.
I added chicken, used two kinds of beans (kidney and black beans) and used three kinds of cheeses (monterrey jack, pepper jack, and cheddar) and I wanted to like…lick the plate.
Happily, I made enough to have for lunch AND dinner tomorrow, and I can’t wait!
I also made your mexican rice to eat with it. :D
When I made the recipe as written, putting 1/2c filling in each tortilla, I filled exactly 9, not 10. (They were still delicious.) I recently made the recipe again and added a chopped bell pepper in and it came out to 10 perfectly.
Someone up above asked about calories… It depends entirely on the kind of cheese and tortillas you use. I use Sargento’s shredded 4 cheese reduced fat Mexican blend (which conveniently comes in 2 cup bags! 640cal per bag) and Giant Eagle’s “fiber rich” taco-sized flour tortillas (70cal/ea) — and, as said, I add bell pepper. The nutritional information for these is, per quesadilla:
217 calories
29g carbs
9g fat
13g protein
20g fiber (v. high for mine because of the tortillas I use)
3g sugar
Hope this helps someone. Cheers!