Melty Four Cheese Refried Bean Quesadilla

Melty Four Cheese and Black Refried Bean Quesadilla topped with Pico de Gallo and Chipotle Cream Dressing (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Melty Four Cheese Refried Bean Quesadilla. Quesadillas are a super quick lunch or weeknight meal. Crispy tortillas filled with gooey goodness are easy to dip into salsa, sour cream, or my Chipotle Cream Dressing. No utensils necessary for my melty four cheese refried bean quesadilla! Just plenty of napkins. And everyone knows how much I love “Tex Mex” foods!

black bean quesadilla with four cheeses — Chipotle Cream Dressing and Pico de Gallo top a Refried Black Bean and Melty Cheese Stuffed Quesadilla (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Quesadillas are pretty popular at my house for lunch or dinner. I’ve already published a few quesadilla recipes including my Smoked Pork Quesadilla with Green Chiles, my Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla and my Garden Vegetable Quesadilla. I hope you get a chance to try them all.

A quesadilla is a pretty simple “sandwich” item. Just sandwich some tasty fillings between large flour tortillas and heat until crispy on the outside. This recipe starts with a slathering of refried black beans on two flour tortillas.

spread refried beans on tortilla and add spices — Spread some refried black beans on a tortilla and add chili powder, cumin, and some shredded cheese (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Sprinkle some chili powder and cumin powder over the beans. Then add a handful or two of shredded Mexican four-cheese blend over the refried beans. I like to use an organic four-cheese Mexican blend from Whole Foods Market. Fold the tortillas over on themselves to make half moon shapes and place in a skillet or on a griddle. It’s easier to flip the quesadillas if they have a fold on one side. I’m only showing one quesadilla on the griddle for simpler flipping. This recipe makes TWO half-moon shaped quesadillas.

put quesadilla on skillet — Place the bean and cheese filled quesadilla on a griddle or skillet (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Cook the quesadillas over medium heat until golden brown and crispy on both sides and the filling is hot. Be careful when you turn the quesadillas over as the gooey filling can spill out. I like to turn the quesadillas over by keeping their folded side on the griddle as I flip them.

Cut each melty four cheese refried bean quesadilla into triangles, top with pico de gallo, Chipotle Cream Dressing and cilantro sprigs and serve!

Enjoy!!

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Melty Four Cheese Refried Bean Quesadilla

Ingredients:

2 large burrito-size flour tortillas
2 c refried black beans
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin powder
2 c shredded Mexican four-cheese blend
1 c fresh pico de gallo (see ingredients below) or your favorite salsa
1/2 c Chipotle Cream Dressing
Cilantro sprigs to garnish

Pico de Gallo

1 c diced tomato
2 T finely diced sweet onion
1 T minced jalapeno, seeds removed
1 T finely chopped cilantro
1/4 t salt
Juice from half a lime

Method:

1. Combine the pico de gallo ingredients in a non-metallic bowl, mix together, and set aside.
2. Place the tortillas on a cutting board or preparation board.
3. Spread the refried beans evenly over each of the tortillas.
4. Divide the chili and cumin powders over the beans.
5. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the beans on each tortilla.
6. Fold the tortillas in half onto themselves to make half moon shapes.
7. Warm a skillet or griddle over medium heat.
8. Move the quesadilla to the skillet or a griddle. I don’t add butter or oil to the cooking surface as it can make the quesadilla soggy.
9. Cook the quesadillas until golden brown on each side and the cheese is melty. Be careful when you flip the quesadilla as the filling can ooze out onto the griddle.
10. When the quesadillas are crispy, remove from the heat.
11. Cut the quesadillas into 4 triangles each.
12. Divide the triangles onto two plates.
13. Spoon some pico de gallo onto the quesadillas and top with Chipotle Cream Dressing and a cilantro sprig.
14. And serve.

Makes 2 half-moon-shaped quesadillas for two four-slice servings as a main course or four to eight servings as an appetizer. Offer with sangria or beer. You can freeze any leftover quesadillas and reheat them either in a skillet on the stove or wrapped in foil in the oven.

Variations: Use different melty cheeses such as Monterey Jack or even Pepper Jack. Substitute regular refried beans for the refried black beans. Add some canned green chiles and some caramelized diced onions to the filling. Add some grilled chicken or beef if you want more protein. Use regular sour cream or Mexican crema instead of my Chipotle Cream Dressing. Omit the cilantro if you don’t like it.

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