These quesadillas are an amazing way to transform ingredients from your pantry into a crowd pleasing appetizer or meal prep snack. While they’re not the highest protein recipe on my blog, they have a whopping 13 grams of fiber per quesadilla to keep you full. And I’ve included some suggestions below for boosting the protein if you have some extra meat in the fridge.
I’ll run you through the recipe and cover other ingredient notes as we go. And you’ll find a printable recipe card that just gets down to business at the bottom of this post.
Add a can of black beans and whole kernel corn to a skillet with a little spice.
Feel free to add other ingredients to the mix. I made a batch with diced green chiles and Trader Joe’s chili lime seasoning instead of the spice blend the recipe calls for. There’s also the option of starting with fresh onion and garlic like in my refried black beans. And you could also use something like taco seasoning or other spice blends for convenience.
Though adding ingredients will likely affect the number of quesadillas you make. I wouldn’t go too far above the recommended 1/4 cup of filling per tortilla or you’ll have overflow. You could, however, use larger tortillas or make more quesadillas.
Since these black bean quesadillas are meatless as-is, you could add something like the lean chorizo I used in my easy breakfast quesadillas or rotisserie chicken like in my cheesy chicken burritos.
And here’s a bonus handful of ideas for beefing them up with a little extra protein (pun intended):
Cook over high heat until no liquid remains, about 12-15 minutes.
The larger the skillet, the faster you’ll be able to reduce the mixture. Don’t be afraid to crank up the heat to get this done in a hurry. Just be sure to stand watch to avoid burning. And be sure to get the crispy bits off the edges of the skillet before cooling to fill your quesadillas.
An important note here: You really want almost no liquid remaining in your mixture. If you don’t cook off the excess enough, you’ll have trouble sealing your quesadillas without some overflow. It also helps to let the mixture cool for a few minutes before assembling the quesadillas.
Throw tortillas on a griddle or in a skillet with cheese, filling, and more cheese on one half of each tortilla.
Cheese, filling, cheese. Easy enough, right?
The recipe calls for eight 6-inch tortillas. I used Mission whole wheat carb balance tortillas, but you’re welcome to use any tortilla. For a protein boost, check out these high protein tortillas from a company I’m an investor and advisor for, Counter.
Also, be sure to use freshly shredded cheese for best results. The packaged stuff is inferior when it comes to melting, and we want some melty, melty action here.
Gently fold the empty half of the tortilla to seal via the cheese melting mechanism.
Emphasis on the gently. You’re not smashing your quesadillas like Shake Shack burgers. Fold the empty half just enough to let the top layer of cheese melt from residual heat so it sticks together.
And then…
Flip to get both sides extra toasty.
If you do press too hard or have a little too much liquid left in your black bean and corn mixture, you can use the flat side of your spatula to kinda push any bits back inside. The cheese should form a crust-like barrier to keep everything sealed in (see: top taco in the photo above).
Pro tip to speed things up: If you pre-measure your shredded cheese and filling for each tortilla, you can easily manage 4+ tortillas going at once. That is, if you have the pan space.
Serving Your Black Bean Quesadillas
The dip you see in the photos is a simple mix of 1/2 cup (113g) fat free Greek yogurt and 2 tablespoons (30g) Trader Joe’s spicy taco sauce. You could swap the taco sauce for hot sauce, salsa, pico de gallo, or even cheddar powder like in my queso mac and cheese.
One of my favorite salsa + Greek yogurt combos is guacamole salsa. I used it for my creamy chicken enchiladas, and it’s too legit to quit. You may also like my creamy jalapeño Greek yogurt dip.
For more sides and fixin’s ideas, check out my air fryer quesadilla recipe.
That should cover it. You’ll find the printable recipe card below. Be sure to let me know what you think about these quesadillas once you give ’em a go!
Cheesy Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 15 oz can Black Beans
- 15 oz can Whole Kernel Corn
- 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 8 Tortillas, I used 6-inch Mission Carb Balance tortillas
- 8 oz Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Instructions
- Add the corn and black beans, undrained, to a large skillet over high heat. Add the spices and cook, stirring occasionally, until no liquid remains, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from the heat to briefly cool before making the quesadillas.
- Heat a second skillet or griddle over medium heat with nonstick cooking spray. Add the tortillas to the griddle. Place 2 Tbsp (14g) of cheese on one half of each tortilla followed by 1/4 cup (65g) of the beans/corn mixture and another 2 Tbsp (14g) of cheese.
- Gently fold the tortilla in half, holding the top half closed for a few seconds to melt the top layer of cheese. Cook for another 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown. If you have any filling or cheese leaking out of the quesadilla, use the flat side of your spatula to press it back in until the cheese forms a crust-like seal around the edges. Repeat for all 8 quesadillas.
Quick, simple, easy, DELICIOUS. Definitely a keeper.
First of all, extremely delicious exactly as written! Anyone try freezing what was leftover? If so, how did they turn out?
Good question. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone freeze them yet, but I bet they’d do fine if you can reheat in an oven/air fryer. Maybe someone else will chime in with some personal experience.
I went back and forth on a few recipes on which one is my “go-to” because I make Mason recipes weekly. I decided this one is because the base of it is so versatile. You can truly do anything with the recipe as long as you have a can of black beans and a can of corn you are good to go. I have added shredded chicken & shredded pork. I have added eggs for breakfast quesadillas. I have used different spices. I have made tacos, burritos, burrito bowls. The options with this are absolutely endless. in my opinion it is the easiest recipe ever. If you have not made this yet you NEED to.
**one of my favorite things to do with this recipe is to bake a sweet potato and to stuff it with the corn/bean/spice mixture. Add some cheese, chives, and greek yogurt. no regrets!
Made these for meatless Monday and they were a big hit. Saving this to use again!!
Hubby AND KID approved. I added chicken and used taco seasoning (because I’m lazy and that was easy 😂).
I made these for lunch. So good!!! And quick tip, a packet of taco seasoning saves about 12.3 seconds if you’re into that kind of thing.
My husband and I absolutely love this recipe! The best homemade quesadilla’s hands down. We also added ground turkey one of the times we made it! Delicious.
My husband and I love these quesadilla’s! One of my favorite recipes, hands down. Added some ground turkey for protein!
The dipping sauce!!!! Holy smokes the sauce mentioned right above the recipe with salsa/greek yogurt is a game changer. I use it all the time to spice up literally any boring meal.
To save about .32seconds I used a packet of taco seasoning. My favorite is from Aldi, reduced sodium. I almost always have these ingredients on hand, and it’s kid and husband lunch approved!