Vegetarian Quesadillas

Vegetarian quesadillas are a quick and easy meal that satisfies your cravings for Mexican food on Meatless Mondays. Fresh tortillas are filled with a delicious and flavorful vegetarian mixture of beans, corn, and peppers, then topped with cheese, and cooked until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are crispy. Plus, they are completely customizable with your favorite veggies. Serve this kid-friendly dish for lunch or dinner, or as an appetizer on Game Day, along with your favorite toppings such as guacamole and salsa.

Why You’ll Love Vegetarian Quesadillas

• They’re quick and easy to make. Quesadillas are one of my favorite go-to meals when I’m looking to cook something at the last minute. The steps for making quesadillas are super simple, and it's ready in about 20 minutes. Just make the filling, heat the tortilla, add the filling and cheese, then fold and grill. Once you get this down, you can speed up the process and enjoy vegetarian quesadillas even faster.
• They are loaded with Mexican flavor. These meatless quesadillas are loaded with flavor in every bite. From the cumin and paprika to garlic and jalapeños, this meal doesn't take much to boast with authentic Mexican flavors.
• They're 100% customizable. One of the best things about making quesadillas is that you can customize it in so many ways. Add in jalapenos to make it spicy, add more seasoning to add extra flavor, add in protein, or switch up the vegetables with whatever veggies that you have on hand, or omit the cheese to make it vegan. The options are endless.

Ingredient Notes

To make these delicious Vegetarian Quesadillas, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):

• tortillas - I like the taste and texture of flour tortillas when it comes to quesadillas, but you can easily substitute with corn tortillas if you prefer. I often use my homemade flour tortillas — they are a lot easier to make than you think!
• beans - we use a 15 ounce can of black beans for the vegetarian filling. You can also cook about ¾ cup (or 4.5 ounces) of dried black beans and use that instead. Dried beans need to be soaked overnight so keep that in mind when planning to make the recipe. See all our beginners guide on how to cook dried beans.
• vegetables - we sautéed red onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and jalapeño pepper in vegetable oil.
• seasoning - all you need to throw in some Mexican flavors is ground cumin, paprika (or chili powder for extra spice), salt, and pepper. We also added some fresh cilantro.
• cheese - we opted for yellow cheddar cheese, but you can substitute with white cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, or a Tex Mex / Mexican cheese blend. And even though the cheese is my favorite part of a quesadilla, you can omit it to make the recipe vegan. Vegetarian Refried Beans make a great substitution for cheese.

How to customize

You can completely these vegetarian quesadillas to suit your palate. Here are some of my favorite ways to change things up:

• Make it spicy. Try adding chili powder or jalapeños for a spicy kick.
• Add protein. Feel free to add in cooked shredded chicken (or use store-bought rotisserie chicken), ground beef, steak, pulled pork carnitas, or shrimp. Just toss in the protein with the cooked veggies before assembling the quesadillas.
• Add pickled onions. Add in some pickled red onions to the vegetable mixture.
• Use different vegetables. Quesadillas are a great way to get rid of any veggies that you have in the fridge. Try broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, zucchini, or asparagus.

How to Make the Best Vegetarian Quesadillas

1. Make the black bean veggie filling. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the hot oil sizzles, about 1 minute. Add onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bell pepper and jalapeño and sauté until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Then, add black beans and season with cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well and cook until beans are heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in cilantro and remove the skillet from the heat. Transfer the black bean veggie filling to a bowl and set aside.

1. Assemble and cook the quesadillas. Heat a clean skillet over medium-low heat for 1 minute and brush with a little bit of oil.
   • Place one tortilla in the pan.
   • On one half of the tortilla, sprinkle ¼ cup cheddar cheese, top with 3 tablespoons of the black bean filling, and top with another ¼ cup cheddar cheese.
   • Fold the empty half of the tortilla over to create a half moon.
   • Cook until the tortilla is crispy and the cheese melts, about 2 minutes per side.
2. Serve. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Transfer the quesadillas onto a plate and slice into 3 triangles. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and/or salsa if desired.

Quesadilla Toppings

You can serve quesadillas with your favorite Mexican inspired sides and toppings, including:

• Guacamole
• Sour Cream or Yogurt
• Pico de Gallo Salsa or Mango Salsa
• Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
• Mexican Street Corn Salad

More Mexican Inspired Recipes

• 30 Best Mexican Recipes
• Salsa Verde Green Chicken Enchiladas
• Mexican Pulled Pork Tacos (Carnitas)
• Vegetarian Chili
• Fish Tacos with Lime Crema
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Baked Chicken Quesadillas

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