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!
I made these last night, but to make them a bit healthier, I ended up baking them for 15 minutes on 350*F. SOO yummy!
And I don’t like onions, so instead of the red onion, I used 1/4 c. frozen chopped onions instead. The texture and filler is still there, but the flavor isn’t as hot or oniony.
Made these last night, so tasty and easy, what an awesome idea to freeze and reheat!!! Love it, got my stash in the freezer!!
I have to say my stash of these is gone! I powered through these all week, even warming them in the microwave they are delicious! Time to make more!!!
This recipe is a favourite of mine!
I made it part of my holiday party buffet, and they were a huge hit! I’m tempted to use it again this year.
Do you have any suggestions for another one of your recipes to use this year instead? For a crowd, and will be kept warm in a buffet server.
If you liked the black bean quesadillas, you’d probably like the Black Bean & Avocado Enchiladas and those would be great to keep warm in a buffet! Or you could even do something like the Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups, which are pretty much pre-portioned!
Awesome suggestions – Thanks!
I made these, they were really easy and really really good. There is nothing you need to change with this recipe. Thanks Beth.
Beth, You are a lifesaver! These were super easy, cheap, lasted a long time (left-overs for days), and flavorful! Thank you for your recipes!
I’ve made these twice now, and they are fantastic. Thanks for the recipe, and thanks especially for the storage and freezing directions! So useful.
Love this recipe. I make double batches and toss them in the freezer.
These are INCREDIBLE. I made these a few weeks ago, froze the whole batch and ate them for lunch at work over a few weeks. Phenomenal, filling, and cheap. I’ve since made four or five recipes from your site and they’ve all come out wonderfully (and I consider myself a non-cook). You’ve got something really great here – a great voice and really simple but thorough instructions for those of us who aren’t really experienced cooks. I look forward to new recipes! Thank you!
Stumbled onto your website from Pinterest. LOVE this recipe….also made the potato soup on the weekend. Your site is bookmarked as my go-to for each recipes.
Thanks for sharing!!!
Cheap, easy, and deliciously filling! Three things that are a must on any budget. We’ve been making this once a week for several months and have not gotten tired of it yet. They also reheat pretty well, too.
I’m munching on one of these right now and this stuff is amazing! Hearty, cheesy and just the right amount of spicy =) But maybe it could be a bit too hot for some people, although I’m not sure thats the recipe’s fault, because I also make my own chilli powder (there’s none for sale here in Portugal), and it already has cayenne in it, and I still added the extra cayenne when mixing the ingredients for the taco mix, so maybe that’s why my mix is hot… I like it though!
Oh, did I mention I made these with your low fat tortillas (AP flour only)? I was a bit scared because you didn’t praise them much, but since I didn’t have any tortillas in the house, or any lard I gave them a shot, and so far so good! They’re not exactly like store bought, but they’re very good =)
So, thanks for another great recipe, I’m looking forward to NOT cooking during the next week or so (finals week) since the rest of these are freezing right now along with some other freeze ahead meals =)
These were soooo good! I made a tex-mex pasta salad to go with and it was a very filling meal, which is great because we are looking to eat more vegetarian meals!
My filling was only enough for eight tortillas, but still awesome!! Thanks so much, Iove your site.
Thanks so much for the website and recipe!
I just made these really tasty quesadillas.
Tip: If you like “hot” salsa, then follow the amounts given for the taco seasoning. I prefer mild salsa, even medium salsa’s are more heat than I prefer, so next time I’d cut the chili and cayenne by half. You can always put hot sauce on it if you think it needs more kick :)
Thanks again.
These are AMAZING – am so glad I tried them! And I don’t even like black beans! Ha!
These were so DELICIOUS! I was just eating the mix before I began putting it in the tortillas… I cooked them last night and just realized I forgot to add the cilantro. I love cilantro don’t know how I forgot it. Only means I will have to make them again.
This recipe is so affordable and easy to make… it’s going in my recipe book with a star next to it so I remember to it’s one of my favorites. And my husband loved them. In the future I will try adding meat inside.
Thank you so much for sharing!