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 and even my toddler loved them. However, I did have issues with flipping them in the pan and eating them without half the filling falling out. Any tips? I even added more cheese as I figured that would help them stick.
Hmm, I think by the time I flip them the bottom has gotten crispy and stiff, so that helps them to not flop around and spill the filling. :) A wide spatula should also help!
I’ve made this recipe a few times and it’s always a hit with my family. Though I find that adding dried oregano, cummin, paprika powder and fresh jalapeno INSTEAD of fabricated Taco seasoning enchances the flavors in a really positive way. When adding taco seasoning I always find it too overpowering. Then I always serve with sour cream, a hot tomato salsa and guacamole. It’s a nice, filling dish and depending on the side dishes is great for family dinnes as well as when having company.
Very filling and tasty. I used maybe 6oz of cheese, because I was using up an already open bag, and used fajita tortillas because they looked good. I dipped them in a bit of left over crema from the Mexican grocery, although salsa or guacamole would have been even better!
I’ve made these a few times (without onion) for my husband and one year old. We all love them!
So im going to start off by saying this is the FIRST time ive ever actually left a comment on the food recipes I have made so far. So to anyone skeptical, THATS HOW GOOD THIS RECIPE IS! LOL. Super tasty, the ONLY thing I did was cut up a few fresh grape tomatoes and add them in. Spot on! Really great mix of ingredients, packed full of flavor! And I even have a great tip on freezing. I actually COOK them, cut them, line them on a baking sheet in the freezer, then when frozen put them in a container. But the reheating process is where its different, if any of you own a Toaster Oven, I highly suggest using that to reheat. SO the outside is nice and crispy as its already been cooked, and the insides get warm and gooey! (thawed out first from the freezer).
I cannot believe how good these are! They’re so simple to make and, according to what I logged on My Fitness Pal, under 300 calories. I made these by the recipe, except I added Rotel tomatoes and totally forgot the corn. The taco seasoning has some amazing flavor in it. I got 8 out of it instead of 10. I ate one today with some sour cream to dip it in. A delicious, low calorie lunch that’s easy to carry to work & reheat; how can you beat that?!
This was way good. Will be making it again soon and often.
Just made these and they remind me of Chili’s southwest egg rolls, but much healthier of course! Great recipe! Love your blog!
The perfect college kid food. I made about 8 of these (I used too much filling to make all 10) and froze them. Great to learn this quick little trick. I followed the slow cooker black bean directions and froze the leftovers so I have plenty more leftover for the future. Thanks very much for your recipes! I’m addicted!
This was wonderful!!! Thank you so much!! Made it once the regular way, then made it again but added chicken. Great both times!
My head exploded when I saw that you mixed all of your ingredients together before building your quesadilla. I have never even considered that! I can’t wait to make these. I think I might also make a frozen batch for my boyfriend who works crazy hours and never has time to cook.
Can you use corn tortillas?
If you prefer them, yes, but I find they tend to break when folded over so tight.
One word for this recipe: DELICIOUS! Even my picky five year old liked it. Will definitely be making again.
Just made these! Added diced green chilies, and sauteed some onion and bell pepper. Had to cook chicken (used your taco seasoning to season it), and cut it into cubes. 1/2 cup per taco seemed like too much, so I used 1/4 cup scoops and was able to fill 16 quesadillas. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Goddddd these are so good. And such a brilliant idea. I take to work and just microwave them and they still taste amazing! They thaw perfectly between waking up and lunch time. I just made a couple last night with excess enchilada filling I didn’t know what to do with. DELICIOUS AS ALWAYS! Thank you!!