Black Bean Quesadillas with Pepper Jack Cheese

Super tasty, crispy, easy black bean quesadillas are filled with gooey cheese, hearty black beans, sweet corn and peppers, spicy jalapeño and pepper jack cheese. These bean and cheese quesadillas are filling, satisfying, and are perfect for the whole family!

Quesadillas are always a hit with my family. I can totally see why: the cheesy, crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth goodness of a quesadilla with spicy and creamy toppings — what’s not to love?

I love looking for ways to make classic Mexican comfort food dishes healthier – and these black bean quesadillas are no exception. I have made the best, good-for-you, unbelievably addictive, restaurant quality, crispy quesadillas with just a few healthy swaps!

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Perfect for picky eaters too, this is an easy, 30 minute meal, a great option for a quick weeknight dinner or when you don’t have a ton of time to cook!

Why You’ll Love This Black Bean Quesadillas Recipe

• Ready in 30 minutes
• Bursting with flavor
• Super healthy (but doesn’t taste healthy!)
• Crispy and cheesy
• Easy to make
• Great for kids!

Recipe Ingredients and Notes

Olive Oil and Olive Oil Cooking Spray: For cooking the quesadillas and filling. I like olive oil because it is packed with healthy fats (vs. a more processed oil like canola oil).

Veggies: Red Onion, Red Pepper, Poblano Pepper, Frozen/Canned/or Fresh Corn. You can use any kind of bell pepper you like – yellow, orange or green pepper(s) would all work well.

Jalapeño and Pepper Jack Cheese: For added spice! You can even add a little bit of cayenne pepper or hot sauce if you want even more heat. To make vegan quesadillas, omit the cheese or use a vegan cheese. To make these less spicy for kids, use monterey jack cheese.

Spice Mixture: I used taco seasoning, ground cumin, chili powder, sea salt, garlic to make the veggies and beans super flavorful.

Refried Black Beans: I used canned refried black beans to save time, but you can also use a can of black beans (whole) and mash them yourself or just add them whole!

Tortillas: I used whole wheat flour tortillas, but you can use corn tortillas, sprouted wheat tortillas, or even gluten-free tortillas to make these veggie quesadillas gluten-free.

Optional Toppings: Fresh Cilantro, Green Onions, Lime juice or lime wedges, salsa, creamy guacamole or ripe avocado slices, sour cream or plain Greek Yogurt

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Heat a pot or a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, onion, bell pepper, poblano pepper, corn, jalapeño and garlic. Saute until cooked through – about 5 minutes.

Step 2: While the veggies are cooking, heat the refried beans in a small pot, add taco seasoning to flavor the beans (to taste).

Step 3: Once the veggies have cooked, add the cumin, chili powder and salt to taste. Meanwhile, grate the pepper jack cheese and set aside.

Step 4: Assemble your quesadilla and get ready to cook it! First, take slather half of each tortilla with the refried black bean mixture (about 1/4 cup per tortilla). Top it with the veggies (1/4 the veggie mixture). And then top it with the cheese (1 oz per quesadilla).

Step 5: Fold tortillas in half. Spray a large nonstick skillet or a large griddle with olive oil cooking spray, and let the quesadilla cook until it’s brown and crispy. Flip it to cook the other side and continue cooking until the cheese has melted and the side of each tortilla is crisp and golden brown.

Step 6: Cut into slices, serve with salsa, guacamole or any of your favorite toppings.

What Makes These Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas Healthy?

• High-protein: Each serving has 19 grams of plant protein! Protein helps you feel full longer and keeps your muscles strong.
• Low Calorie: Each serving has just under 400 calories. Totally guilt-free. 
• High Fiber: There is 12 grams of fiber in each serving! Fiber is important for digestion and heart health.

Recipe FAQs

How to Store and Keep

To Store: Allow the quesadillas to cool, cut them into wedges, and place them in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for up to 4 days.

To Reheat: Warm a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the quesadillas to the skillet – cook for 2-3 minutes until warmed through. refrigerate them!

For Meal Prep: Cook the filling, let it cool and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Keep the cheese, toppings, and tortillas in separate containers as well. Right before you want to serve — you can just assemble, heat and eat!

Top Tips For Making The Best Black Bean Quesadillas

• Remember to add the spices after the veggies have cooked so you don’t burn the spices on the pan.
• When cooking the quesadillas, I recommend using olive oil cooking spray instead of olive oil itself – that way your tortillas won’t soak up too much oil and get greasy.
• Let the quesadillas cool slightly before slicing, that way the toppings will hold together inside (if you cut them too quickly after cooking, all the toppings will ooze out of the quesadillas!). Additionally, you want to wait for the quesadillas to cool before adding toppings (so the toppings don’t melt from the heat of the tortillas!)
• To make this easy quesadilla recipe gluten free, use gluten-free tortillas (I love almond flour or cassava tortillas the best! Gluten free corn tortillas would work well too).

Check Out These Other Mexican Inspired Dishes and Quick Meals!

• Mexican Pizza
• Vegetarian Mexican Flautas
• Healthy Black Bean Tostadas
• Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes
• 30 Minute Vegetarian Meals
• Vegetarian Mexican Recipes

If you have tried this Black Bean Quesadillas recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious, healthy, family friendly food.

🎥 Watch How to Make It

https://youtu.be/NiHYb67_LmU

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Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Black Bean Quesadillas with Pepper Jack Cheese

Super tasty, crispy, easy, black bean quesadillas are filled with gooey cheese, hearty black beans, sweet peppers and corn, spicy jalapeño and pepper jack cheese. These bean and cheese quesadillas are filling and satisfying, and are perfect for the whole family!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 396kcal

Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tsp olive oil and olive oil cooking spray
• ▢ 1 red onion diced
• ▢ 1 poblano pepper diced
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper diced
• ▢ 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• ▢ 1 jalapeño seeded and diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 4 oz pepper jack cheese shredded
• ▢ 1 15oz can refried black beans
• ▢ 2 tsp Taco seasoning more or less to taste
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cumin
• ▢ 1 tsp chili powder
• ▢ salt to taste
• ▢ 4 whole wheat flour tortillas 120-150 calories per tortilla with at least 4g fiber

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Instructions

• ▢
  Heat a pot or a large pan over medium heat. Add the oil, onion, bell pepper, poblano pepper, corn, jalapeño and garlic. Saute until cooked through – about 5 minutes.
• ▢
  Heat the refried beans in a small pot, add taco seasoning to flavor the beans (to taste)
• ▢
  Once the veggies have cooked, add the cumin, chili powder and salt to taste.
• ▢
  Meanwhile, grate the pepper jack cheese and set aside.
• ▢
  Assemble your quesadilla and get ready to cook it! First, take your tortilla and slather half of it with the refried black bean mixture (about 1/4 cup per tortilla). Top it with the veggies (1/4 the veggie mixture). And then top it with the cheese (1 oz per quesadilla).
• ▢
  Fold the quesadilla in half. Spray a large pan with the olive oil cooking spray, and let the quesadilla cook until it’s brown and crispy. Flip it to cook the other side and continue cooking until the cheese has melted and both sides are crisp.
• ▢
  Cut into slices, serve with salsa, guacamole or 2% Greek Yogurt.

Notes

Top Tips For Making The Best Black Bean Quesadillas

• Remember to add the spices after the veggies have cooked so you don’t burn the spices on the pan.
• When cooking the quesadillas, I recommend using olive oil cooking spray instead of olive oil itself – that way your tortillas won’t soak up too much oil and get greasy.
• Let the quesadillas cool slightly before slicing, that way the toppings will hold together inside (if you cut them too quickly after cooking, all the toppings will ooze out of the quesadillas!). Additionally, you want to wait for the quesadillas to cool before adding toppings (so the toppings don’t melt from the heat of the tortillas!)
• To make this easy quesadilla recipe gluten free, use gluten-free tortillas (I love almond flour or cassava tortillas the best! Gluten free corn tortillas would work well too).

Inspired by, but significantly modified from this Cooking Light Recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 1quesadilla | Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 785mg | Potassium: 554mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 7g