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).
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
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!
This is the best item recipe I ever tried.
These tasted really great. Any tips for how not to lose the filling when you turn them over while cooking them would be appreciated though!
If it’s cumbersome, try using two spatulas. Also, don’t pick them up too far up from the pan. Keep them close to the surface. XOXO -Monti
These are a staple in our household. They are so easy to make, and the kids love them!
excellent recipe and very economical. thank-you
Brenda
After all this time I thought I’d share that this has become a regular recipe in my rotation for about the past 3 or more years! Thank you for originally publishing this, so cheap and delicious; my friends and girlfriend love when I make this.
I’ve been a fan of this recipe for years and it used to be a staple for exam seasons back in college. Right now I’m 8 months pregnant and making a double batch of this to freeze for easy, filling and healthy-ish meals when baby comes <3 Thank you again for a great recipe Beth! ***
I ended up winging measurements since I couldn’t be bothered converting to a smaller serving size AND measurements I’m used to, but it turned out really good! I skipped the taco spice mix and went for garlic, salt, pepper and paprika to save some money, and used Violife mozzarella for the cheese. I really liked it, and seeing as it is the first of my vegan meals I’ve made myself, I think it’s a good step in the right direction. I’ll definitely make this again!
Yum!!! I was in a big rush so I used onion and garlic powder instead of fresh, but it still tasted sooo good. We had this with your Crunchy Cabbage salad and the two were delicious together. It was so good that I’m planning to have it for breakfast in the morning. Lol
Thanks to your freezer instructions, these have been a go-to for prepping meals for anyone for post-surgery or baby, especially for vegetarians. Love to add spinach for some greens as well. So easy and so nice to have some made up on hand!
OMG it was so good I had to laugh after eating. Used Gluten-free tortillas.
Didn’t have corn so added chopped tomatoes. Gobbled it up with tofu sour cream, salsa (with corn lol) and guacamole.
I came across this recipie today and had everything on hand. I do quesadillias a few different ways..but THIS is now a FAVORITE For SURE. Did it exactly..we’ll except..I use a packet of Ortega taco seasoning mix(my fav) that I had on hand and no cilantro. We loved it..Thank you..pinned it as a favorite.
Thank you! XOXO -Monti
The chokehold this recipe has on me! I have made it 3 times. I don’t love red onion so I omit it and use canned corn instead of frozen and a couple dollops of sour cream and it is perfect!
Wow these are so good and so easy! I was looking for a recipe to used up some black beans and some cilantro and this was just amazing. Do yourself a favor and make the taco seasoning — the smoked paprika adds so much. Made exactly as posted and couldn’t be happier. Thank you for introducing me to what will not be a go-to recipe!
Great easy to make recipe, I will definitely make it again. I did add a tablespoon of sour cream the the mix, because I felt the filling looked a bit to dry for my liking. Other than that, definitely a winner and repeat.
Hi, I notice that you use frozen corn in the recipe and you suggest that after it is cooked into the quesadilla, these quesadillas can be frozen. I would love to do this but I always thought that “refreezing” food after it has already been frozen was not safe. Could you please clarify? Thank you. Love your blog!
Refreezing food is not a safety issue as long as the food was not in the temperature danger zone (40-140F) for more than two hours. Most of the time when people suggest not refreezing food it’s because it can cause a degradation in the quality, mostly in the texture. For something like this you won’t notice a difference. Here’s the statement from the USDA on the matter. :)