A Recipe for Pinto Bean Stuffed Quesadillas

by Liz on May 15th, 2012

I’m so glad Janice decided to learn the sometimes-tricky art of cooking dry beans. In her recent bean cookery post, the most important take-away for me was that hard water (i.e. water that contains minerals like calcium) leads to beans that never, ever turn tender. That’s when bottled or filtered water comes in handy. Anyway, my oh-so-generous co-author recently sent me home from The Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen (AKA Janice’s house) with a cup of her perfectly cooked pinto beans. My mother-in-law, Joy, was visiting from England, so I treated her to a Tex-Mex style lunch featuring my new recipe for Pinto Bean Stuffed Quesadillas. And I’m happy to report that she loved ‘em!

To kick up the heat, you can use a spicy BBQ sauce or add a few pinches of chili powder. If you have light sour cream in your fridge, use it for dipping.

Pinto Bean Stuffed Quesadillas

Makes 6 to 7 Servings

Sliced avocado and tomatoes are the perfect side dish for these easy-does-it quesadillas. If you don’t have home cooked pinto beans on hand, open up a can and use a cup. (Freeze what you don’t use in a zip top bag.)

  • 2 fully cooked chicken sausages (I used Smoked Andouli Al Fresco), casings removed and meat coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup cooked pinto beans
  • 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or more)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons barbecue sauce
  • Six to seven 8-inch flour tortillas (I used white, but you could certainly use whole wheat)
  • 3 to 4 teaspoons canola oil

1. Lightly oil or coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. In a bowl, stir together the cooked sausage, pinto beans, cheese, corn kernels, cilantro, and barbecue sauce. Spread 1/3 cup of the mixture evenly over half of each tortilla. Fold over, press down gently, and set aside.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat (you may want to wipe out the skillet first). Add 2 of the quesadillas and cook, pressing down occasionally with a spatula, until the bottoms are crisp and golden, about 3 minutes. Flip them, and cook until the other sides are golden, about 2 minutes.

4. Repeat with the remaining oil and quesadillas. Cut into halves or thirds and serve.

Print Recipe

The Smoked Andouli sausage were on the spicy side. If you prefer less heat, choose a milder sausage like sweet apple or sundried tomato.

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Comment | Filed Under Beans, Dinner, Lunch, Poultry, Vegetables 

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