Beef & Black Bean Quesadillas
Sometimes I forget about a favorite meal and stop making it for months at a time until I suddenly have a craving so strong that I immediately plan to scrap all my dinner plans and make it once again. I had a moment like that with these delicious quesadillas. My family adores them, I love them, they’re easy to whip up, and they help me stretch our every growing grocery bill a bit further by bulking the meat up with beans and cheese. The crema is the cherry on top, truly, I could eat it with a spoon and the yogurt adds even more filling protein. I usually cook the veggies separately so I don’t “contaminate” my kid’s quesadillas, but in a less picky home you can just dump the veggies right in with the beans and meat!
Ingredients:
Makes about 8 servings
makes 8 servings
Beef & Bean Mixture:
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
Sautéed Veggies (optional!):
1 teaspoon butter or olive oil
1 zucchini, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
a bit of salt and pepper
For Assembly:
12 tortillas
our two favorites here and here)
8 ounces shredded cheese
Chipotle Lime Crema:
½ cup greek yogurt or skyr (my favorite)
1 tablespoon hot sauce of choice (our fav!)
juice of 1 lime
Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef and let it brown very well while chopping it up in little bits with a wooden spoon. When it’s very well browned, add the seasonings and drained beans. Give it a good stir. reduce the heat to low and let it cook for another few minutes.
I like using our cast iron griddle pan for these because I can cook 4 at a time, such a time saver! You can use whatever pan you have that will fit as many as possible. Heat it over low-medium heat. Assemble your quesadillas by taking a tortilla, sprinkling a bit of cheese on half of the tortilla. layering the meat and bean mixture, then the veggies, then a bit more cheese and folding it over on itself. Keep assembling until you have enough to fit in the pan. Pop them on and let them brown on one side before flipping. Depending on your heat, it will take about 5 minutes per side. While they cook, stir up your chipotle lime crema. Cut them up and enjoy!
