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!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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!
I made these for lunch today, they were so yummy! My husbands picky and this was a nice meal for me to treat myself to.
Thank you. just thank you….
Wow, these are good! Thanks so much for sharing. I love that you can freeze them too. This is by far my new favorite fast, easy and delicious recipe! I’m so glad I stumbled across your blog. Looks like there are lots of other recipes that I need to try. :)
Just made these. Served them with homemade guacamole, store-bought salsa, and sour cream. LOVED THEM! Will very definitely make them again.
We made these yesterday, they were awesome! We skipped the cilantro cause we don’t like it (yeah I know), and cooked the onion cause we can’t eat it raw (our stomachs just say no!). Oh and since we can’t find black beans where we live, we substituted them with red beans. I don’t know black beans, never tasted em :( And I too found that the whole seasoning batch was a bit too much, but my bf loved it! He always likes it spicy.
Btw, it’s the first recipe I try from your blog since I’ve just discovered it yesterday, and it’s definitely a keeper. So I think I’ll try some other recipes very soon. Your cooking is so different from what I’m used to, it’s giving me great ideas to diversify a bit! I love the way you explain recipes, with step by step pictures, detailed pricing, etc..
THANK YOU!
(PS: sorry if I make mistakes, english isn’t my native tongue)
Just tried these the other night. Fantastic! I was eating the filling right out of the bowl while I cooked them. Wonderful recipe as always.
just made my second batch of these. they are so filling and the best take to work lunch! thanks!!
These are delicious! And no joke about the “hearty” – I ate one, thought I wanted more, but decided to wait. An hour and a half later, I’m still stuffed! Of course, I’m 4 months pregnant, so I’ll probably finish off the whole batch later tonight. : )
These are my favorite!
black beans cook very fast from dry form, and it’s way, way cheaper than buying them canned. I think you can bring this number down. :)
I’ve been cooking your recipes all week since I found your blog (I’m eating some baked oats as I type this), and I’d say these are so far my favorite. I didn’t even need to freeze them, as I ate all ten in two days! I’m now wondering if I should make my own taco seasoning to put in these or be a slave to the packet. Talk about a first world problem…
Made these for lunch today! Just used a bit less red onion. I didn’t tell my husband what kind they were and he assumed they had chicken in them. We both enjoyed them- thanks for the great, easy recipe!!
Made these for lunch today, made a double batch and the rest is in the fridge so i can make some for the freezer later. Tjese are great with some salsa on the side..very filling and yummmmyyy :-)
I made these for dinner tonight, and they were a big hit! I had to substitute parsley for the cilantro (would have gotten a bunch, but I seldom use it). Also, I noticed the recipe for the taco seasoning looked a lot like the recipe I use for my chili seasoning, so I used some chili seasoning I already had mixed up. I will definitely be making these again!
I’ve just discovered your blog (by a friend) and tried this recipe for lunch, and wow, they’re incredibly easy to make and sooo good! I’ll be trying many more recipes in the weeks to come, so thank you :)