A closeup of a slice of Black Bean Quesadilla with cheese and beans oozing out, yummy & maybe a little messy
Black Bean Quesadillas are my latest experiment with main dish quesadillas. I’m on a quesadilla kick because: 1) we love quesadillas, 2) quesadillas are super easy to make, 3) they are great in front of a TV, and 4) I came home with a package of about 25 12-inch tortillas so I’m making lots of dishes using tortillas!
In the photos here, I’m showing a closeup of a quesadilla slice, a photo of a half-made quesadilla, and a photo of a complete quesadilla except for the top tortilla.
This really takes only 10 to 15 minutes to make. Most of the time is spent cooking it – I cook it over medium heat until the tortilla is starting to crisp and brown and bottom layer of cheese is fully melted. Then I flip it over onto a flat pizza pan, place the skillet upside down over the quesadilla, and flip it back over so that the uncooked side is on the skillet ready to get browned. I peek inside to see how much the cheese has melted and I use a spatula to check the bottom to see if it’s lightly browned and starting to crisp yet.
First I sautee the onions and bell peppers and set them aside. Then I actually put the the skillet on the burner, put the first tortilla in, turn the burner on (it’s electric so it takes a minute or so to warm up) and start building it while the skillet is heating up. The quesadilla only takes about 2-3 minutes to assemble, but it takes at least 5 minutes to cook each side. One quesadilla will typically make a main dish for 2 to 4 people; generally I eat about a fourth and my son eats at least a half quesadilla.
Also note that you can use any size tortilla, even little 4-inch corn tortillas if you want. You’re just layering the fillings to be no more than 1/2 inch thick total. You can also add seasonings if you wish, but the canned beans already have a lot of flavor.
Black Bean Quesadilla half-made, with bottom tortilla, layer of cheese, and filling of black beans, onions, bell peppers, and green chiles
Black Bean Quesadilla, complete except for the top tortilla
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained (I used Safeway's Signature Select brand)
- ¼ to ½cup diced green chiles (depending on desired heat level)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar jack blend
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (approximately)
- 2 12-inch tortillas (white or whole wheat)
- Drain the black beans and set aside the liquid.
- In a small to medium skillet, saute the bell pepper and red onion in olive oil until soft.
- Stir in the black beans, then add the green chiles, adjusting the amount to get desired heat. Set aside.
- In a very large skillet, place the bottom tortilla and then spread half the shredded cheddar cheese evenly so that the tortilla is mostly covered. Then lightly spread half the feta cheese over the cheddar cheese.
- Evenly spread the black bean mixture over the cheese, then top with a second layer of cheddar and then feta cheese. Top with the second tortilla.
- Cook over medium heat until bottom layer of cheese is melted and bottom tortilla is getting crisp.
- Using a very large plate or pizza pan, flip over and cook the other side.
- Slide off onto a large platter, cut into wedges, serve & enjoy!
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