Some weeks, when I plan my menu on Sunday, I have so many ideas for exciting and delicious meals. Other weeks, the page stays blank for awhile. On my less inspired weeks, quesadillas are an easy meal that I know no one will complain about. They are great for using up leftovers like grilled shrimp or roasted veggies, but this spinach and black bean version is definitely the one we make the most.
This week, all three of us were working from home, and we somehow ended up with not one, not two, but three packages of cheese open! For these quesadillas I used a combination of Pepper Jack and cheddar, which works really well. Pepper Jack or cheddar jack alone is great, too, and we have made many versions with cheddar or plain Monterey Jack as well. Quesadillas are flexible like that! 😉
Depending on the size of your tortillas, you may get more or less than 4-6 quesadillas. If I don’t need to make all of them for a meal, I save the extra filling and cook fresh ones another day. Leftover, already cooked quesadillas reheat really well as leftovers the next day for lunch, too.
We love these with homemade pico de gallo, sour cream and smashed avocado with a little salt and lime and a dash or two of Cholula hot sauce, but they are good plain or with just one or two of those toppings as well.
Let’s make some quesadillas!
Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add green onion and cook for 1 minute until beginning to soften. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. (You may need to add half of the spinach and add the rest when the first half wilts.) Add the black beans, taco seasoning and salt (if using). Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 more minutes until heated through.
Prepare your quesadillas: On an unheated griddle or skillet, place a sprinkling of cheese on half of each tortilla. Divide spinach mixture evenly between the tortillas, placing it on top of the cheese. Top each tortilla half with the remaining cheese.
Heat griddle/skillet to medium heat. Fold tortilla over so that the empty side covers the other side to make a half circle. Heat for 2-3 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and the cheese is starting to melt. Flip over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the other side is golden brown, the cheese is fully melted and the spinach and beans are hot. (Sometimes I reduce the heat to low if the quesadillas are browning too much.)
Transfer to a cutting board and use a pizza cutter or knife to cut each quesadilla into 3 or 4 wedges. Serve immediately with pico de gallo or salsa, guacamole, sour cream and hot sauce.
Spinach and Black Bean Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 can (14 oz/400 g) black beans rinsed and drained
- 11 oz/320 g baby spinach washed and spun dry
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- 8 oz shredded cheese (Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, cheddar or a combination) can add more to taste
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt optional
- 4-6 medium to large flour tortillas
- pico de gallo or salsa
- guacamole
- sour cream
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add green onion and cook for 1 minute until beginning to soften. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. (You may need to add half of the spinach and add the rest when the first half wilts.)
- Add black beans, taco seasoning and salt (if using). Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 more minutes until heated through.
- Prepare your quesadillas: On an unheated griddle or skillet, place a sprinkling of cheese on half of each tortilla. Divide spinach mixture evenly between the tortillas, placing it on top of the cheese. Top each tortilla half with the remaining cheese.
- Heat griddle/skillet to medium heat. Fold tortilla over so that the empty side covers the other side to make a half moon. Heat for 2-3 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and the cheese is starting to melt. Flip over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the other side is golden brown, the cheese is fully melted and the spinach and beans are hot. (You may need to reduce the heat if the quesadillas are browning too much.)
- Transfer to a cutting board and use a pizza cutter or knife to cut each quesadilla into 3 or 4 wedges. Serve immediately with pico de gallo or salsa, guacamole, sour cream and hot sauce.