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!
Wonderful! Especially when dipped in salsa! Although it was my first time cooking with fresh cilantro and I think I added too much for my taste. I’m making another batch tomorrow and I’m planning to add 1/2 lb ground turkey per my husbands request.
Made these tonight and loved them! Even my 10 month old devoured nearly an entire quesadilla.
My boyfriend and I make these all the time. Pretty much our weeknight classic for at least the past year! The other day we started to make them then realized we had no tortillas. We had a couple potatoes lying around, so we boiled those and mixed the rest of this recipe with them. It turned into this really awesome cheesy potato dish. Bonus: it ended up saving a dollar or two!
Awesome!
So easy and so delicious! My freezer is stocked with these and I’m having them for breakfast now. I microwave them in parchment paper so they stay neat and clean to eat during my morning commute.
I added capsicum n corn and it tated fantabulous…awesome recipe. Love it!!!! :’)
Its so delicious…. love it… im gonna make it often from now on! :D
I made these tonight, very good! Had one for supper and froze the rest. I’ve been searching through the comments, and haven’t yet found an answer on the best way to reheat frozen quesadillas?
Suggestions?
I like to do it in a warm (but not hot) skillet. Keeping the heat in the skillet a little on the low side gives the inside time to thaw and warm before the tortilla gets to brown and burns. It takes a little bit longer, but it worth the results.
Awesome recipe that has become a staple in our house. We eat these at least once a week. Delicious!
I made these for the second time tonight, and my husband asked why we don’t do them more often! I didn’t have a good answer for him – these are SO good, simple and cheap to boot! I didn’t have any red onion so I just used yellow…also cut the cheese down to 1.25 cups this time (to help me justify seconds :-)) and it was still a great meal. Thanks for this recipe!
I added diced tomatoes inside super tasty!!!!
Made them as written and LOVED them! Though I did use packaged taco seasoning, I only used 2 TBSP and that was perfect.
Curious for those who freeze them and then microwave later, about how long do you run them for? Thinking about making them for the kids’ lunch boxes this fall, as they have microwaves they can use at school. They’ll probably be mostly thawed by the time they get to the cafeteria anyway, so probably not long. Just wondering what your experiences are.
I want to use up some red peppers in this recipe and I don’t want to use taco seasoning due to the sodium content. Any suggestions?
Yep, you can just dice up the red pepper and add it into the mix. For the taco seasoning in this recipe, I used my homemade taco seasoning, which has only 1/2 tsp of salt for the entire batch. You can always adjust that down to your liking. :)
These are fantastic! I made one batch two days ago which didn’t last very long in my house and had to make a double batch today. They’re amazing.
I use only half a packet of taco seasoning and I don’t mix the cheese into the other ingredients. I just pile the cheese on top of the bean and corn mix, then fold over the tortilla to heat. I can have more or less cheese on each one according to individual taste.
I am in love with this recipe. It’s so simple and there is a TON for leftovers.