Quick Vegan Quesadillas with Pinto Beans and Sautéed Veggies

I’ve often joked that I’m addicted to cheese.

No matter how many vegan cheese recipes I try, I always find myself going back to the real thing. I can’t get away from it, whether it be in mac and cheese, on pizza, or in quesadillas. It adds all the right gooeyness and rich flavor — and for me, it’s the biggest barrier to entry into the vegan world.

But I didn’t learn until the last couple of years that my jokes about being addicted are truer than I’d like to think. Did you know that cheese is physically, chemically addictive?

That’s right. It’s not just delicious; your brain is literally addicted. That’s because of a chemical in cow’s milk, casein, which is designed to help the calf return to its mother for the next meal.

And when we ingest cow’s milk? Like the calves it was meant for, each sip hits our brain with a dose of dopamine.

It gets worse: when we take milk and curdle it to make cheese, the potency of the casein becomes magnified.

Gross, right?

Now, speaking for myself, I understand intellectually that cheese (and all dairy products, to varying degrees) is addictive. I get it. But it doesn’t always motivate me to delete it from my life for good. I think I won’t be willing to kick the cheese habit completely until I’ve successfully replaced those must-have meals with vegan alternatives.

That’s why I was so pumped when Elana showed me her take on the vegan quesadilla!

It’s easy, scrumptious, and even works well as a quick meal-prepping option. And the best part is, you don’t even notice the cheese is missing!

The secret, of course, is the same one the makes all good vegan recipes: just rely on naturally flavor-rich veggies to do the heavy lifting for you.

In this recipe, Elana uses lots of bell peppers, onion, and garlic with Mexican spices. Can you smell the sizzle already?

Quick Vegan Quesadillas: the Rundown

Like a true southerner, Elana has a trusty cast-iron skillet that she used to sauté the veggies. Cast-iron makes for amazing cookware with correct use. It becomes a naturally nonstick surface with seasoning — and it tends to level up the flavor of whatever dish you’re making.

After trying it firsthand, I can attest that sautéeing fajita veggies in cast iron makes a huge difference in flavor.

Anyway, once you’ve cooked your veggies, throw them in a storage container (I recommend glass, since they’ll be too hot for plastic). Wipe out your skillet if necessary, then start constructing your vegan quesadillas.

Start by mashing some pinto beans onto half of your tortilla with a potato masher. Note: I prefer refried beans, but I’m lazy; I admit that pinto beans would level up the gourmet-ness of this recipe. Toss about 1/4 cup of the veggies on top, and fold your tortilla in half.

Throw that bad boy onto your skillet and heat on medium for about two minutes on each side, or until the outside of the tortilla turns a crispy golden-brown.

Pro tip: don’t assemble all the quesadillas if you’re not planning to eat them all right away. Just put together the ones you’ll be eating for that meal. These quesadillas make for a great meal prep option, since you can store the sautéed veggies in the fridge for a few days and assemble your quesadilla right before you’re ready to eat.

This is a great base meal, too. Feel free to experiment with the veggies you include (add sliced mushrooms for extra micronutrients, more jalapenos for extra spice, or get creative and try tossing in a few pineapple chunks or zucchini pieces). And of course, these vegan quesadillas are the perfect conduit for whatever dip or sauce you’re into:

• guacamole
• vegan cheese dip
• your favorite salsa

The sky’s the limit!

We hope you take this recipe and run with it. Give it a shot, tag us with your creation on Instagram @plum_savory, and comment below to let us know what you thought!

Quick Vegan Quesadillas with Pinto Beans and Sautéed Veggies

These quesadillas are easy to throw together and work great for meal-prepping (just save the ingredients and toast the quesadilla when you're ready to eat it). You won't even notice there's no cheese involved!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

Sauteed vegetables:

• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1/2 white or sweet onion
• 1 jalapeno
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp Olive oil

The Rest:

• 2 cans pinto beans*
• 8 Flour or corn tortillas medium

Pair with it:

• Mango salsa
• Red salsa
• Fresh chopped cilantro
• Vegan queso
• Avocado slices

Instructions

 

Vegetables:

• Cut bell peppers (1 orange, yellow, and green) and onion (1/2 white/sweet onion) into strips. Dice jalepeno (1) and garlic (2 clove).
• Heat skillet (my favorite to use for this is cast iron) on medium heat. Once hot, add oil, then all ingredients.
• Cook until veggies have more color and are fragrant (5-8 minutes), stirring frequently.
• Transfer veggies to a different container.

Quesadillas:

• Mash 1/4-1/2 cup pinto beans onto half of a tortilla using a fork or potato masher.
• Place about 1/4 cup of vegetables on top of beans and fold tortilla in half.
• Place quesadilla in heated cast iron skillet and cook on each side until tortilla is crispy and light brown in color (~2 minutes each side).

Notes

*Feel free to use refried beans instead of pinto beans. Make sure to look for “vegetarian” on the label, since most canned refried beans are made with lard.

Keyword easy, quick