Easy Cheesy Black Bean Quesadillas with Guac

…which is kind of weird for me. Usually, I don’t get overly festive or take many holidays to heart both here on the blog and in real life. But there is just something about today and about all things Mexican food that has me going. Tacos, burritos, guacamole, salsa, you name it and it has been on my mind lots lately. (Like, those Healthy Potato Nachos from yesterday.)

Maybe because the Mexican cuisine is just so delicious and summery and fresh. And maybe my very Americanized idea of Mexican food is often so quick and easy to make, which is soooo my style these days. And it also happens to be so easy to make all gluten-free, all vegetarian and all very delicious, which is also soooo my style.

Believe it or not, for as many nights a week I crave quesadillas for dinner, and especially around this time of year, this is the first quesadilla recipe to make it onto the blog. And let me tell you, it’s a good one!

MORE ABOUT THIS CHEESY BLACK BEAN QUESADILLAS RECIPE…

The star of this show, besides all that melty cheese, is the black bean! I was going for a refried-not-so-fried bean thing here. Is that actually what happened… I don’t know.  I do know that something magical happened when I warmed some canned (or use cooked) black beans with garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin and salt in a little vegetable stock and then pureed it into a flavour explosion of a quesadilla filling. It’s a little spicy, a little creamy and is the perfect match for tons of melty cheese.

Everything comes together between a crispy toasted corn tortilla. I like using 1 tortilla per quesadilla and folding it into more of a flat taco than using 2 tortillas placed on top of each other. I like having the folded edge. It keeps more of the quesadilla filling in the quesadilla instead of oozing out everywhere when you take a bite.  Know what I mean?

Best topped with lots of guacamole. I opt for my great guacamole or some quick version of it most of the time. But if you have a favourite guac, definitely go with that. 

Easy Cheesy Black Bean Quesadillas with Guac

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 2-4 1x

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Description

A recipe for Easy Cheesy Black Bean Quesadillas with Guacamole made gluten free, vegetarian and delicious with corn tortillas, melted cheese and a spicy yet super flavourful black bean puree.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Black Beans:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced or finely grated
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (heaping) cup black beans, cooked or canned
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 cup water or vegetable stock

For the Quesadillas:

• Cooking Spray or oil
• 8–12 corn tortillas (small ones, about 4-inch)
• 1–1 1/2 cups cheese, grated (I like cheddar cheese here)
• 1 batch Great Guacamole
• Optional for Serving: Salsa, sour cream

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Instructions

For the Black Beans:

1. Heat oil in a small pot over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes and salt and cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the black beans, lime juice and the water or stock to the pot. Let the beans come to a gentle boil and cook for about 15 minutes. The liquid in the pot should have reduced and thickened slightly. Remove from heat.
4. Puree the black bean mixture with all of the cooking liquid in a food processor or by using a hand blender. The puree should be just smooth – having a few lumps is ok!

For the Quesadillas:

1. Preheat the oven to 250F and line a baking sheet with an oven-safe cooling rack (optional but this is a great way to keep the quesadillas warm and crisp while the rest of the batch finish cooking).
2. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Lightly grease pan with cooking spray (I love my Misto for this) or use the tiniest bit of oil.
3. Place 1 tortilla at a time in the pan. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of grated cheese on the tortilla. Spread 1-2 tablespoons of the black bean puree over 1 half of the tortilla.
4. Cook the tortilla for 1-2 minutes until the cheese starts to melt then fold one half of the tortilla over the other. Cook for a couple minutes per side long until the tortilla starts to brown and gets really crisp. Transfer to the oven to keep warm or serve immediately.
5. Repeat until all the tortillas and black bean puree is gone, lightly greasing the pan each time.
6. Serve with Great Guacamole or your other favourite toppings like salsa or sour cream.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes