Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas

It’s Sunday!  It’s my day to catch up on sleep and everything around the house that I was too busy to do all week.  It’s also my day to cook something delicious!

During the week I stay busy with ice skating and work, so it’s nice to have a day on the weekend that I can take the time to make some healthy meals.  One thing that I’ve been making a lot lately is this recipe for Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas.

These quesadillas meet all my requirements for recipes!

• They’re easy to make
• They require a reasonable number of ingredients that are readily available at my closest grocery store
• They’re amenable to variations, so I can adjust the recipe if I’m missing a few ingredients
• At least one of my kids will eat them

AND

They’re super satisfying, delicious, and include a number of superfoods:

• olive oil
• garlic
• black beans
• sweet potato
• avocado
• onion
• tomato
• cilantro

After having some health issues several years ago, it is so important to me to eat healthy foods.  That’s one of the reasons I started drinking green smoothies (like this Peachy Green Smoothie), and I definitely notice a difference in the way I feel.  I like to eat in a way that’s sustainable for me for the long run, especially because I don’t believe in diets.

And especially because I plan on ice skating for another 50 years!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas

CategoryDinner

Yields5 ServingsServingsQuarter (1.25 Serving)Half (2.5 Servings)Default (5 Servings)Double (10 Servings)Triple (15 Servings)

Total Time35 mins

Quesadilla Filling

 2 tbsp Olive Oil, plus more for baking

 ½ tsp Minced Garlic

 ¼ tsp Cumin

 ¼ tsp Chili Powder

 15 oz Black Beans (1 can, drained)

 Salt and Pepper to taste

 1 ½ fl oz Water (I use a shot glass to measure this!)

 1 Sweet Potato (medium)

 1 cup Mexican Four Cheese (shredded)

 10 Corn Tortillas

Avocado Topping

 1 Avocado (large, chopped)

 ¼ cup Vidalia Onion (chopped)

 1 Roma Tomato (chopped)

 ½ tsp Minced Garlic

 1 tbsp Cilantro (chopped)

 3 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice

 Salt to taste

1

Preheat the oven to 450ºF and find your cookie sheet.

2

Wash the sweet potato and poke it several times with a fork. Wrap it in a paper towel and microwave it for 5 minutes. Let it sit for a few minutes.

3

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, cumin, and chili powder and lightly saute for 1-2 minutes. Turn the heat to low and add the black beans, seasoning with salt and pepper. Heat through for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat. Add one shot of water and mash the beans with a potato masher. Set aside.

4

Retrieve the sweet potato from the microwave and check to make sure it's soft - if it's not, microwave for another two minutes. After letting the sweet potato cool down a few minutes, slice it in half and scoop out the inside into a bowl. Mash it up with a fork and set aside.

5

Place the corn tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, and cover them with another plate. Microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until warm.

6

Brush the cookie sheet lightly with olive oil. Assemble the quesadillas by placing a spoonful of the black beans in the center of each tortilla. Add a spoonful of mashed sweet potato and top with shredded cheese. Fold the tortillas in half and brush them lightly with olive oil. Bake 12-15 minutes, flipping them halfway through.

7

While the quesadillas are baking, prepare the avocado topping by combining all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add salt to taste.

8

Serve the quesadillas with a heaping spoonful of avocado topping.

Recipe Notes

• To make a shortcut version of this recipe, use canned refried black beans and canned sweet potato puree.
• I like to prepare the avocado topping in a glass storage container.  That way I can easily store the leftovers (if there are any!) without having to clean another dish.

Ingredients

Quesadilla Filling

 2 tbsp Olive Oil, plus more for baking

 ½ tsp Minced Garlic

 ¼ tsp Cumin

 ¼ tsp Chili Powder

 15 oz Black Beans (1 can, drained)

 Salt and Pepper to taste

 1 ½ fl oz Water (I use a shot glass to measure this!)

 1 Sweet Potato (medium)

 1 cup Mexican Four Cheese (shredded)

 10 Corn Tortillas

Avocado Topping

 1 Avocado (large, chopped)

 ¼ cup Vidalia Onion (chopped)

 1 Roma Tomato (chopped)

 ½ tsp Minced Garlic

 1 tbsp Cilantro (chopped)

 3 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice

 Salt to taste

Directions

1

Preheat the oven to 450ºF and find your cookie sheet.

2

Wash the sweet potato and poke it several times with a fork. Wrap it in a paper towel and microwave it for 5 minutes. Let it sit for a few minutes.

3

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, cumin, and chili powder and lightly saute for 1-2 minutes. Turn the heat to low and add the black beans, seasoning with salt and pepper. Heat through for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat. Add one shot of water and mash the beans with a potato masher. Set aside.

4

Retrieve the sweet potato from the microwave and check to make sure it's soft - if it's not, microwave for another two minutes. After letting the sweet potato cool down a few minutes, slice it in half and scoop out the inside into a bowl. Mash it up with a fork and set aside.

5

Place the corn tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, and cover them with another plate. Microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until warm.

6

Brush the cookie sheet lightly with olive oil. Assemble the quesadillas by placing a spoonful of the black beans in the center of each tortilla. Add a spoonful of mashed sweet potato and top with shredded cheese. Fold the tortillas in half and brush them lightly with olive oil. Bake 12-15 minutes, flipping them halfway through.

7

While the quesadillas are baking, prepare the avocado topping by combining all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add salt to taste.

8

Serve the quesadillas with a heaping spoonful of avocado topping.

Notes

Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas

IngredientsDirections

By the way, did you know you can check off the ingredients in the recipe on this webpage as you go?  You can also edit the number of servings and the ingredient amounts will be recalculated!

If you liked this recipe, you may also like this recipe for simple avocado toast and this peachy green smoothie recipe.

What’s your favorite recipe to make on the weekend? Let me know in the comments!

Chai for now!