Black Bean and Vegetable Quesadillas

This is the recipe that converted my good friend Ryan, a devout carnivore, to the gospel of love thy veggies.  He now gets excited whenever he gets to have some of these.  The vegetables here are the star of the show, cooked two ways to add sweet, savory and smoky flavors.   Serve these to the vegetarian skeptics in your life and watch them become true believers.  Hallelujah.

For years, these quesadillas were one of the most popular hors d’oeuvres I used to make when I catered.  I make these when I want a delicious vegetarian meal and need something a little heartier, but still heavy on the veggies. They are cheap, healthy, and filling,

WHAT MAKES IT HEALTHY

Whole wheat tortillas and black beans add more fiber and have relatively low glycemic indexes.

Black beans are a great source of fiber, phytonutrients, which reduce inflammation, and several minerals, including folate, magnesium and iron.  Iron is better absorbed when eaten with vitamin C, which is provided by the bell peppers in this dish. 

Sweet potato are high in antioxidants, vitamin A, beta-carotene, fiber, manganese, copper, pantothenic acid, and many other minerals.

Bell peppers are very high in vitamin c, vitamin A, and phytonutrients.

Zucchini are high in vitamin C, antioxidants, folate, and manganese and provide many other vitamins and minerals.

This is what is inside of the quesadillas

Technique makes all the difference here. Onions and bell peppers are cooked low and slow until they are very soft and sweet, while the rest of the vegetables are quickly sauteed on high heat to brown them and give a slight charred flavor.  A generous sprinkle of cheddar, beans, and spices combine to yield a filling bursting with flavor.  These are not intended to be spicy, but feel free to add more cayenne to the filling if you prefer. 

This recipe requires some pre-steps, but if you cook most of the filling in advance, you can assemble and grill these fairly quickly.  Most of the steps can be done in advance.  I use a nonstick grill pan to get them crisp, shown in the picture below.  I bought my pan at Ikea, and use it all the time. Alternatively, you can crisp these in a skillet if that is what you have.

Cut cooked quesadillas into thirds, and serve as a delicious appetizer.  Cut them in half, and they are filling enough for dinner.  Just add a tasty salad and you are all set. 

 WHAT TO SERVE WITH BLACK BEAN AND VEGETABLE QUESADILLAS

• Tortilla chips

• Guacamole

• Salsa

• Sour cream or yogurt

• Hot sauce

• A green salad

• Fruit like watermelon, pineapple, or mango

Black Bean and Vegetable Quesadillas

4-5 servings

Prep Time 15 min

Pre-Cooking Time 30 min Total Cooking Time 45 Total Time 1hr 15 min

INGREDIENTS

• 4-5 tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 large red bell peppers

• 1 yellow bell pepper

• 1 medium red onion

• 1 medium sweet potato

• 1 small zucchini

• ½ cup frozen corn

• 1 tbsp fresh garlic, chopped

• 1 tspn ground coriander

• 1 tspn chili powder

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• ¼ tspn cayenne pepper

• 1 medium can black beans

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 8 oz. shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend

• 4-5 whole wheat tortillas

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-Cooking Steps

1) Heat wide non-stick pan to medium low and add just enough oil to cover the bottom. 

Slice bell peppers into 1 inch wide strips and sautee about 30 minutes, stirring

occasionally, until very soft.  Add a splash of water if the pan gets too dry.  Once slightly

cooled, you can pull off some of the skins if they get blackened.

2) Meanwhile, heat a second pan over medium low heat and add 1-2 tbsp oil. Peel and

thinly slice the red onion and sautee 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and

slightly browned in places.

3) While vegetables are cooking, microwave the sweet potato 3-5 minutes, depending on

thickness, until just cooked through.  Allow to cool completely.

Cooking the Filling

4) Prep all remaining ingredients.  Chop the zucchini into a small dice. Peel the cooked

sweet potato and cut into large cubes.  Drain and rinse the black beans.

5)  Add 1-2 tbsp oil to a wide nonstick pan and preheat a few minutes over medium high

heat.  Once hot, add the zucchini and cook, stirring once or twice, until most pieces are

slightly browned.

6)  Add the sweet potato, spread out so most pieces are touching the pan, and allow them

two minutes to get some brown spots, stir and cook another minute or two.  Then add

the corn, stir, and allow another few minutes for the corn to brown too. 

7)  Turn the heat to medium, add a little more oil if needed, then add the chopped garlic

and spices.  Cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add

more cayenne if desired.   

8) Stir in the black beans and cooked peppers and onions, and season one more time.

Assemble and Grill

9)  Sprinkle a tortilla with cheese, then microwave for thirty seconds to melt.  Allow to cool

slightly, then spread a generous portion of the filling on one half of the tortilla and fold

the other side over.  Repeat this step for the remaining tortillas.

10)  The quesadillas can be premade and refrigerated up to this point.  Preheat a grill pan

over medium heat, or a wide skillet lightly sprayed with oil. Add two quesadillas at a

time and cook about 4 minutes on each side or until crispy.  Slice into thirds for

appetizers, or halves for a main meal. 

NOTES

COOKING THE PEPPER AND ONIONS

Do you need to spend 30 minutes cooking the vegetables?   No, but you won’t get the same caramelized flavor without the low and slow method. The peppers will be intensely sweet and taste almost like candy when you are done.  I usually do this step the day before.

SWEET POTATO

Try not to overcook the sweet potatoes beforehand or they will get quite mushy.  They will also brown up much better if they are cold when they hit the pan, so it is best to cook in advance and then refrigerate until later.

FROZEN CORN

Fresh corn will work fine if you prefer to cut it off the cob, though it is more work to prep.  Besides speed, frozen corn serves the function of slightly cooling off the other ingredients before you lower the heat to medium.   

DON'T OVER STIR THE VEGETABLES

They need to sit still for a few minutes at a time to get some brown on them.