Black Bean Quesadillas

Mexican food was always my go-to option whenever I had people round for dinner when I first moved out and started learning how to cook. Chilli Con Carne (recipe here) was the first recipe I ever mastered, and my friends loved it. Then I discovered the Fajita and Enchilada kits you can buy in supermarkets. They have the wraps, spices and instructions in the box, and you just add your own meat/veg and dips. They are great if it’s a once in a blue moon dinner for you, but if it’s a regular meal or you’re catering for more than 2 or 3 people they can end up being really expensive. I quickly realised that by buying the own brand supermarket wraps, tins of tomatoes and spices, I could make a really good version for a fraction of the cost of a kit. Once I had the spices, pulses, guacamole and sour cream, I started experimenting with other Mexican style recipes such as Nachos and Quesadillas.

Quesadillas are a filling of cheese and spiced meats, beans or vegetables, sandwiched between tortillas and fried on a griddle. I first made them to use up leftovers, but I ended up wanting them when I didn’t have any leftovers to use up, so I started developing my own filling for them. The recipe has evolved over the years and now I can’t imagine having them any over way. The spicy black bean filling is absolutely delicious and they’re quick and really easy to make. One quesadilla makes for a perfect lunch served with guacamole, or slice up a couple of them as a snack or starter between 4 or more of you.

This recipe makes enough for 2 quesadillas, but the filling keeps really well in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days if you only want one. Then just sandwich the cold filling between fresh wraps and fry on a slightly lower temperature for longer, to make sure the filling is piping hot throughout but the wraps don’t burn.

Ready in 25 mins – Serves 2

Ingredients:

Half a red onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
1 small courgette (about 100g), diced
14 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 400g tin of black beans, drained
1 teaspoon of vegan Worcestershire sauce (if you’re not veggie, you can just use regular Worcestershire sauce)
1 teaspoon of paprika
A good pinch of cumin
A good pinch of cayenne pepper
A good pinch of chilli flakes (or more if you like it hot)
A good pinch of black pepper
A good pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
150g of cheese, grated
4 tortilla wraps

Method:

Put 2 tablespoons of oil and the onion in a pan over a medium/high heat and cook for 5 mins or until the onion starts to soften.
Add the garlic and courgette and cook for a further 5 mins or until the courgette starts to colour, stirring regularly.

Add the tomatoes and black beans. Then, with a potato masher, gently crush the beans. You don’t want to turn the whole thing to mush, just break up the beans a bit so they don’t fly everywhere when you’re flipping your quesadillas over later.

Mix well and add the Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, chilli flakes, black pepper, salt, tomato puree and lemon juice.
Cook, stirring regularly for 5 mins, then set aside.

Oil one side of each wrap and place one, oil side down in a large dry frying pan on a medium heat.
Spread half the bean mixture, then half the cheese over this wrap and place another wrap, oil side up, on top.

Cook for a few mins, patting the top wrap down to help it stick to the bean mixture and cheese and then flip and cook the other side.

Once both wraps are nicely coloured and the cheese has melted, set aside, but keep warm and repeat with the remaining 2 wraps, bean mixture and cheese.
Slice (I find a pizza cutter easiest) and serve hot with plenty of guacamole.