It can be “Taco Tuesday” every day with these Smoky Black Bean Quesadillas. Although, not technically a taco, this tasty recipe still satisfies that Mexican food craving. Bonus ~ these quesadillas are vegan and gluten-free, olé!
Traditionally, quesadillas are pan-fried flour tortillas with various fillings, including some type of melty cheese. There are endless variations, so you can use your imagination and get creative.
For this recipe, we are keeping it vegan and gluten-free using cashew cheese and grain-free tortillas. That being said, you can of course use whichever type of tortillas or cheese you like.
Serve Smoky Black Bean Quesadillas with Salsa
Let’s get down with the recipe…
Quesadillas are one of those fun and easy recipes to make. You can serve it as an appetizer or as a main. It’s great to make for a party, too. Fiesta time!
You only need a handful of ingredients for this recipe.
Quesadillas-
- tortillas
- black beans
- cashew cheese
- a few spices
Avocado-Pumpkin Seed Relish-
- avocado
- cilantro
- scallion
- lime
- pumpkin seeds
- chile flakes
Of course you can vary any of the above to your liking, but I happen to love this combo.
Avocado & pumpkin seeds salsa
If you avoid gluten, corn or other grains, Siete tortillas are the answer to your tortilla prayers. Not only are they grain-free, they are super delish.
For the beans I like black, but you can swap pinto or refried. And for the spices in the beans I like traditional Mexican flavors ~ cumin, oregano and something smoky like chipotle flakes or smoked paprika.
For the cashew cheese my go-to brand is Treeline and I like their “classic”, smoked flavor. You can find this at most organic stores and ALL of their flavors are amazing. If you cannot find Treeline, I also like Kite Hill ricotta, which is also a vegan nut-based cheese.
The method…
Once you have your mise en place (i.e. ingredients in place), the recipe is rather straight forward.
Typically, quesadillas are pan-grilled with the fillings already in place. You can certainly make them this way, but I like to char my tortillas on a gas range first before filling.
Here’s how I do mine:
- make the avocado salsa, set aside
- char tortillas over open flame (this takes less than 60 seconds)
- fill with warmed beans
- add cheese
- dig in!
The warm tortillas and beans will melt the cheese. But you can also make the quesadillas to this step and then keep them warm in the oven. Or you can warm the quesadillas in a nonstick pan over low heat for a few minutes if need be.
If you don’t have a gas range, don’t sweat it, you can make them entirely in a pan.
Just top one tortilla with the fillings, then add another tortilla on top. Pan-grill over medium heat in a nonstick pan (or a lightly oiled pan if you don’t have nonstick). Cook quesadillas a few minutes per side until lightly browned, carefully flipping so fillings don’t spill out.
TIP: char tortillas on an open flame, just lay each tortilla directly on top of gas range with burner on medium heat, using tongs keep flipping a few times until both sides are lightly charred
You can also sub pinto or refried beans for black beans
I like to serve these Smoky Black Bean Quesadillas with avocado-&-pumpkin seed salsa and some spicy tomato based salsa (i.e. the yummy jarred stuff!).
The avocado salsa is pretty straight forward to make ~ just mix all of the ingredients in a bowl with a squeeze of lime and some salt and you have a fresh topping for all-things Mexican.
Recipes below, amigos!
If you make these quesadillas be sure comment below. You can also find more recipes and cooking tips by following me on Instagram.
Want more Mexican recipes? Try these…
Green Chile Enchiladas (vegan, GF)
Charred Chile Fajitas (vegan, GF)
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 5-15 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 1 cup picked cilantro leaves
- 1 each ripe avocado peeled, pitted and chopped
- 1 each lime juiced
- 1-2 each scallions thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 generous pinch flaky sea salt
- 4 each tortillas such as Siete grain-free *see blog post
- 1 cup canned black beans (or more if desired) rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup crumbled vegan cheese of choice such as Treeline, *see blog post
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika or chipotle flakes for smoky flavor, optional
Ingredients
Avocado salsa ingredients
Quesadilla ingredients
|
|
- prepare salsa: in a small bowl combine salsa ingredients, set aside or refrigerate if using later
- prepare black beans: mix beans with spices (and a pinch of salt if no salt is in the canned beans); warm beans, either in the microwave for 60 seconds or in a 350° oven for 10-15 minutes until warm, set aside and keep warm
- prepare tortillas: char tortillas over an open flame on a gas range, about 1 minute; alternatively, you can pan grill (no oil needed) until crisp
- assemble quesadillas: top a warm tortilla with filling, add another tortilla on top, slice into quarters, repeat with remaining tortillas; serve topped with salsa
Recipe yields two whole quesadillas, so can be 2 main or 4 appetizer servings
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com