These are hands down the best black bean quesadillas we’ve ever had! It all comes down to the cheese and bean mixture, which gets a spicy kick from Pepper Jack made from habanero peppers. These are melty, hearty, packed with protein, and so satisfying!
You can easily scale up to feed a large crowd (e.g., Cinco de Mayo party!), and while you can certainly add chicken or steak, these make a fantastic vegetarian entrée that will be loved by veggie and meat eaters like!
Recommended for serving: sour cream, red onion, and lots of fresh cilantro! A couple slices of black bean quesadilla and a classic margarita are all I need for a perfect Tex-Mex inspired night in!
Ingredients For Black Bean Quesadillas
These oven quesadillas truly could not be simpler to make as everything is assembled and cooked on a sheet pan! This means nothing to fold over and no skillet required!
- Small, 8″ round flour tortillas
- Canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- Shredded cheese: we love the spicy kick of Cabot Pepper Jack cheese, which has habanero peppers (!), but you could easily use a Mexican blend of cheeses or even just cheddar cheese. If you’re not using Pepper Jack and want to add some heat, make sure to add a diced jalapeño pepper to the mix!
- Dried spices: ground cumin and dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- Freshly chopped cilantro
You’ll also need a medium bowl to mix it all up!
For serving, we recommend cool, creamy sour cream, diced red onion, cilantro, and lime wedges. Salsa or guacamole would be delicious!
How To Make The Best Black Bean Quesadilla In An Oven
First, preheat an oven along with a baking sheet at 450F for at least 10 minutes.
While that’s heating, making the cheese and black bean filling. Combine beans, shredded Pepper Jack (or other cheese), cumin, oregano, Kosher salt, and cilantro in a mixing bowl, then stir well.
Carefully remove the sheet pan from the oven, then drizzle 1-2 tablespoons light, neutral oil on top. Place 4 flour tortillas on top, then divide the black bean mixture evenly between them. Place a tortilla on top, then sprinkle with a little additional shredded cheese.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the tortillas are crispy and the cheese has melted. Slice into wedges (or don’t!) and serve immediately with sour cream, red onion, and cilantro. We love a hit of fresh lime juice and recommend serving these with lime wedges or rounds.
Do I Need To Preheat The Sheet Pan?
Yes! This helps to crisp up the tortillas on the bottom so nothing is soggy. The method for cooking in this recipe is inspired by a sheet pan quesadilla from Ali Slagle’s cookbook, I Dream of Dinner. We will forever be making quesadillas in the oven!
Are Black Beans Healthy?
Yes! Black beans are considered nutritional powerhouses, as they are packed with protein, fiber, antioxidants, and carbohydrates. They’re good for you, and keep you feeling full longer.
Other Fillings To Try
- Can I use other beans? By all means! The black bean filling is our favorite, but if you want to use another canned variety, make sure to rinse and drain first. And certainly fresh cooked beans are great, just ensure they’re tender before going into the oven.
- Can this be made in a skillet instead? Yes! If you’re only making a single portion, you can absolutely use a skillet. The sheet pan is nice because you can easily make 4 black bean quesadillas at a time. Preheat the skillet, same as you would a sheet pan, to ensure the bottom of the tortilla crisps up!
- Are corn tortillas okay? We recommend flour or whole-wheat tortillas instead of corn for quesadillas, as that’s what’s traditional, but use what you’ve got!
- Can I make these on the stove top? Yep! But this is way easier than standing over a large skillet and flipping quesadillas. If you go this route, we recommend cooking over medium heat to give the filling enough time to heat through and for the cheese to melt. Also, place the filling on half of each tortilla, then fold into a half-moon shape to cook.
So fire up the oven and make the absolute best black bean quesadillas. You won’t regret one single bite!
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Black Bean Quesadillas Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz) canned black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 ¾ cups Pepper Jack cheese shredded, divided
- 2 Tbsp cilantro finely chopped
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil such as canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil
- 8 8-inch flour tortillas
- Sour cream, salsa, red onion, cilantro, lime wedges For serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 450F. Place a baking sheet inside and heat for at least 10 minutes.
- Make the black bean mixture. Combine drained black beans, 1 ½ cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese, 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp dried oregano, and ¼ tsp Kosher salt in a medium bowl. Mix well.
- Assemble the quesadillas. Carefully remove the hot sheet pan, then drizzle 2 Tbsp oil on top. Place 4 tortillas in a single layer, leaving a little space in between. Divide the black bean mixture evenly between each tortilla, then place a second tortilla on top. Divide the remaining ¼ cup shredded Pepper Jack between each, sprinkling about 1 Tbsp on top.
- Cook the quesadillas. Place in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crispy. Serve immediately!
Video
Notes
- Nutrition facts do not include optional serving ingredients (sour cream, red onion, cilantro, or salsa).
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