Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas are easy to make in any quantity, ultra affordable and absolutely delicious. I love Mexican food in any form but I actually prefer my quesadillas vegetarian. This is my favorite recipe in the quesadilla repertoire.
These quesadillas are a healthy, fast, vegetarian Mexican meal. They're cheesy, crispy and filled with a sweet and smoky sweet potato and black bean filling. Even the hardcore meat eaters will love this simple veggie recipe. This recipe is perfect for an easy, satisfying dinner, a quick appetizer or as part of a game day spread. Quesadillas are really an all occasion food.
Roasting the sweet potatoes in small cubes makes them just a little bit crispy and adds amazing texture to the filling when combined with black beans and melty cheese. My favorite way to serve them is with a quick and easy avocado salsa that's one of my go to store bought hacks.
The avocado salsa is just a small avocado smashed up till pretty much smooth and then stirred together with some store bought hot salsa verde, lime juice and fresh cilantro. It's creamy and spicy with a fresh pop of flavor from citrus and cilantro and the perfect accompaniment to the rich sweet potato and black bean filling.
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Tips for making perfect quesadillas
Don't overfill it. This is really hard for me but too much filling can make your quesadilla soggy. Although it will still be incredibly delicious, don't rob yourself of having that crispy tortilla exterior.
Use just a little bit of neutral oil for frying. I always use avocado oil for high heat pan cooking. You don't want your tortillas coming out greasy. It's much healthier than canola or vegetable oil and produces the same results.
Cook on medium heat. Start by laying the tortilla down flat, then add cheese all over. Let the cheese get a little melty and then add the filling. The melted cheese creates a little barrier so that any moisture in your filling is locked in between two layers of cheese, keeping your tortilla crispy!
Rotate your pan so it cooks evenly. You don't want to move the quesadilla around too much and risk filling coming out. Instead, rotate your pan a bit so they cook evenly.
Fold at the last minute. Check the underside of the quesadilla and once it looks done, fold it over. No flipping required!
My favorite tools I use for this recipe:
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 1 large sweet potato
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon avocado or other neutral oil
Black Beans
- 15 ounce can black beans
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt to taste
Avocado Salsa
- 1 small ripe avocado
- ¼ cup jarred salsa verde
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- ½ lime juiced
Assembly
- 4 large tortillas
- 8 oz Oaxaca Mexican cheese or melting cheese of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Peel and cube sweet potato. On a baking sheet, toss cubes with chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and salt. Drizzle with 1 tsp of avocado or other neutral oil and toss. Roast for 20-30 minutes until cooked through and a bit crispy.
- While sweet potatoes are roasting, dice onion and mince garlic. Add a little oil to a saucepan and heat. Add in onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes till translucent and fragrant. Add in black beans and cover. Let simmer for 5 minutes or so until flavors come together and turn off heat. Set aside.
- Scoop avocado into a bowl and mash until pretty smooth. Stir in salsa verde, lime juice and chopped cilantro.
- Heat up skillet or griddle with a little bit of neutral oil. Place tortilla in skillet and top with 2oz of melting cheese almost to the edges. Tortilla may bubble up a bit. Once the cheese is a little melty, add some black beans on one half. Top black beans with ¼ of roasted sweet potatoes.
- Check for even browning of tortilla by lifting up the opposite edge with a spatula. Rotate pan and continue cooking till cheese is melted and tortilla is brown and crispy.
- Carefull fold opposite edge of tortilla over filled side. It should stick right together with the melted cheese.
- Transfer to cutting board or baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining tortillas and filling.
Kate blinn
So, so good!! Black beans and sweet potatoes are a match made in heaven, and this is such a satisfying vegetarian meal. I’ve also added corn or left over chicken when I’ve had it!