These Vegetarian Quesadillas with Pumpkin and Black Beans are easy, healthy, and delicious! You can make a big batch of these oven baked quesadillas at once, which is perfect for meal prep or if you’re feeding a crowd. They’re freezer friendly too, and you can mix up the veggies, leave out the cheese for vegan quesadillas, or customize them any other way you like.
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Quesadillas, or ques-dilly-ass, as we call them in our house, are a favourite quick and easy meal.
I mean, what’s not to love? They’re endlessly customizable, they’re fun to eat (we go hand held because we are savages), and with the right ingredients they’re pretty healthy too!
These particular vegetarian quesadillas get bonus points in the health department because they are baked, not fried. Baked quesadillas are also a game changer move in the meal prep department because you can bang out a whole tray of them at once, rather than frying one or two at a time.
I love to mix up all kinds of different quesadilla fillings, but today we’re making pumpkin quesadillas with black beans and cheese. They’re so, so good.
What’s in these Vegetarian Quesadillas?
Great question! Today we’re making vegetarian quesadillas with a fun, fall-themed twist. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Tortillas –-> I use medium-sized wholegrain tortillas.
- Pumpkin –-> I use homemade pumpkin purée, but canned is totes fine too.
- Black beans –-> Canned is fine, but here’s how to cook dried beans if you want to go that route.
- Cheese –-> Is it even legal to make a quesadilla without cheese?
- Cilantro –-> For that punch in your mouth flavour.
- Spices –-> to spice up your life!
Do you need any special equipment to make baked quesadillas?
Nope. You need a rimmed baking sheet or other baking pan that’s big enough to fit your quesadillas, but that’s the only essential.
I like to line my baking sheet with parchment paper because it makes it easier to remove the quesadillas later, but that’s totes optional. I love this unbleached parchment, and I reuse each sheet as many times as seems reasonable.
How do you make vegetarian quesadillas?
Can you stir stuff together in a bowl? Can you spread stuff on other stuff? Can you fold things in half?
Yes? Then you go this!
Step 1: Combine the pumpkin, black beans, cheese, cilantro, spices, and salt in a bowl. Mix it up!
Step 2: Spread ⅙ of the mixture on half of a tortilla. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the pumpkin mixture.
Repeat with all remaining tortillas and the rest of the pumpkin quesadilla mix.
Step 3: Brush the quesadillas with a smidge of olive oil. You could also just spritz them if you have one of those misto thingies.
Step 4: Bake! All it takes is 20 minutes in the oven with a little flip over half way through.
That’s it! You’re done!
Ques-dilly-ass are in the hooooooouse!!!
What’s good to serve with vegetarian quesadillas?
I love keeping it simple with some sour cream (which is usually just plain full-fat yogurt in our house because that’s what I have on hand) and salsa.
If you want to spice it up or want a dairy-free option, you could serve alongside a batch of chipotle hummus instead.
Can you freeze quesadillas?
You sure can! You can either assemble your pumpkin quesadillas and then freeze them unbaked, or bake, cool, and freeze already baked.
If you’ve already baked them, you can simply re-heat in the microwave.
If you froze your quesadillas unbaked, you can bake them right from frozen.
You can also assemble your vegetarian quesadillas and keep them in the fridge for up to two days before baking.
Pro tip: Vegetarian quesadillas make a great packed lunch!
Hey Nutrition Lady, what's the deal with black beans?
Glad you asked!
Black beans are a good source of folate, dietary fiber, protein, phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium and vitamin K.
The protein-plus-fiber combination in black beans is one of the things that makes them special. A one cup serving contains 15g of fiber (over half of the daily recommended intake), and 15g of protein.
Much of the fiber is indigestible, which supports digestive health, particularly in the lower part of our digestive tract. The protein-fiber combination is also key in stabilizing blood sugar levels, as both protein and fiber move through our digestive systems at a moderate pace.
Black beans are also rich in soluble fiber, which is helpful for lowering blood cholesterol levels and supporting cardiovascular health.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
Pumpkin and Black Bean Taquitos
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Baked Pumpkin Risotto
Pumpkin Curry Soup
Vegetarian Quesadillas with Pumpkin and Black Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups black beans well rinsed if canned
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 medium whole grain tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°C / 180°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine black beans, pumpkin puree, grated cheddar, cilantro, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, oregano, and salt. Mix well.
- Spread half of a medium tortilla with about ⅙ of the mixture, stopping about half an inch away from the edge (the mixture will expand a bit as it bakes), then folding the other half of the tortilla over to make a half moon shape.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Arrange the quesadillas on the prepared baking sheet, then pop in the oven,
- Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the quesadillas over, then bake for another 10 minutes on the other side.
- Remove from the oven, and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
- I like these quesadillas hot out of the oven, but they're also great cold or at room temperature.
- Wrap extras in foil for packed lunches.
- You can also freeze them for future grab and go meals.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published October 30, 2014. It was retested, re-photographed, and most recently updated on October 22, 2019.
Amy says
These are one of my favourite quick and easy meals. Since I'm usually just cooking for myself, I'll sometimes make a batch of the filling and then assemble and cook the quesadillas on the stove as needed throughout the week. Super fast and delicious!
I freeze the pumpkin puree I make from my Halloween pumpkins (thanks for that inspiration!) to use throughout the year, and almost all of it ends up getting used for these.
Claire says
I really like having this recipe in my pocket for days when we just need quick food and I haven't really planned anything. It's easy, hot, filling, and requires ingredients we usually have. With our size tortillas (I think they are a little smaller than yours) I make 8 quesadillas. I usually serve with greek yogurt and salsa for dipping and sometimes a veggie on the side. When I first made them my husband thanked me for making "such a creative dinner." Then he devoured it. 🙂
Tom says
Definitely going to give this a try as i'm trying to cut back on dairy (included in my go-to quesadilla recipe). However, can the quesadillas be cooked in a pan, a few minutes on either side? I cook them in big batches and freeze so oven cooking wouldn't be the most efficient. Thanks
Katie Trant says
Definitely! You can cook 'em however works best for you. I like baking because I can fit a bunch on a baking sheet at once, but frying is totally fine too.
Cassie says
thank you for a delicious lunch! I made these (minus cilantro because my husband hates it & it isn't allowed in our kitchen LOL) and they went down great. Great way to use up some pumpkin too.
Maclean nash says
I have been making these quesadillas since you first posted it, way back when!
They are SO good and I love how versatile they are! I always add spinach, lime juice, and top it with Franks!
Thank you so much - your recipes truly never disappoint!
Katie Trant says
Awesome! I'm so happy to hear you've been making this recipe for so long. And love the substitutions!
Meg says
Yesterday I made black bean and squash quesadillas for my family. Coincidence? I doubt it! Black beans, a scoop of salsa, cumin, and finely chopped butternut squash. Plus cheese, obvs. But I slaved over a skillet for them. Will definitely try baking a batch next time. Thanks!
Katie Trant says
Yes! No need to stand over the stove for these beauties!
Emma says
Hmmm, leaving us in suspense over your costume, eh? These quesadillas look great! Really simple, and I love the tip on baking them in one batch- clever!
Katie Trant says
The batch baking really makes making a big batch of quesadillas a total breeze. They are simple, delicious, and nutritious! Did you check out the costume on instagram? It was a big hit!
Linda @ Veganosity says
WOW, these look fantastic! I've put pumpkin in just about everything this month, but I didn't think to put it in a quesadilla. Love it!
Katie Trant says
They work really well in a quesadilla! And being able to bake them in big batches is great especially if you're feeding a crowd. Try it out!
Jennifer says
I made these for lunch today--they were lovely! Thanks for posting such a quick and delicious recipe.
Katie Trant says
You're welcome, glad you liked them!
Meme @ Living Well Kitchen says
Oh I have some black beans and leftover pumpkin puree in my fridge now! I will be having these for lunch tomorrow 🙂
I can't wait to see what your costume is! I've never been the best at coming up with costumes haha
Katie Trant says
Yay for using up leftovers AND having a delicious lunch! The costume is coming together nicely, check Instagram later today for pics!
Sam @!PancakeWarriors says
yum I want to make these for dinner tomorrow night after all the little trick or treaters have gone. Can't wait to see pictures of your costume!!
Katie Trant says
It's coming together nicely! Better than I expected. Pics will be on Instagram tomorrow for sure.