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!
Very delicious! I left out the cilantro and added one breast shredded chicken…soo good! I also put a dollop of sour cream on the plate and some salsa to dip in. Thanks beth for this awesome recipe
This was so simple to follow! I was skeptical, as I am not so well versed around the kitchen. Followed the instructions (Thanks for the way you present them. Pictures are good!), but substituted the onions for tomato. I was blown away how good they were, I ate 3 of them. Next time I want to impress a date this is a go to. Got another easy healthy recipe like this?
Keep up the great work!
Brad
These are fantastic!
I added a little habanero sauce to the mix just to give them some extra kick.
My girlfriend and I really loved this recipe after I made it tonight. We’ll probably either substitute or omit the cilantro for her benefit next time (it tastes like soap to her), but the original recipe is excellent to me.
What would you substitute for the cilantro?? I don’t like it either…
I woul just leave it out. There will still be plenty of flavor.
I used chopped parsley instead of the cilantro…They were delicious!
These are so delicious I accidentally burned the first one I made and I still ate it with delight.
If I had been at my parents house I would have been tempted to slap my mother.
Just made a small batch of these and they were gorgeous! Perfect teatime fare if you don’t feel like something light. Thank you!
These are truly better than you can imagine!
These are so good. I make them ALL the time at our house.
Thank you for taking the time to post these recipes. they are of great help!
Just made these! Cooked two and threw the rest in the freezer. They were super filling and went nicely with a generous pool of sriracha. I also drained and rinsed my beans completely, and they still stuck together/ came out perfectly well. Thanks for the easy, cheap freezer recipe!
I followed the recipe verbatim. It turned out awesome. I used a packet of Taco Bell taco seasoning and froze them (with the exception of the one I cooked immediately) so I’m interested to see if they get soggy once defrosted and cooked.
If you reheat them over low flame in a skillet, they should defrost and get crispy on the outside. If the heat is too high, though, the outside will burn before the inside heats up.
These were really good. I had to replace the fresh cilantro with dried, but they were still really good :)
Is there any way to make your own homemade taco spices using cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder? How much would you use? The premade seasonings usually have so much sodium.
I’ve got ya covered! Here is my taco seasoning recipe. :)
These were some very satisfying quesadillas! I substituted hatch green chiles for the cilantro to give them a kick ’cause that how I like it! ;) I also sauteed the red onions in a little olive oil before adding them to the mix just because that’s how I prefer onions to be in a quesadilla. I froze half of them and am very excited that I now have homemade, delicious, and healthy snacks in my freezer! Thanks Beth!
Made these last night and WOW. I made homemade salsa to go with (red onion, cilantro, plum tomatoes, 1/2 jalapeno, garlic, lime…). Since i used the raw red onion in the salsa, I ommited it from the quesadillas.
Also, we drained the beans, seasoned them and roasted them at 400F for like 5 minutes…amazing!