I’ve mentioned before how Marc and I are really trying to cut back on our meat consumption. It’s for our health, for the animals and for the environment. So lately I’ve been trying to create recipes that are meatless but satisfy like they have it. It’s been an adjustment and a learning curve for this unabashed carnivore. Let me tell you, these sweet potato black bean quesadillas fit the bill perfectly though! The black beans gave them the protein while the sweet potatoes gave them some heft. Best of all, they were really simple to make.
That was all there was to this recipe! I served the quesadillas with a little toppings bar of avocado, salsa, Mexican crema, and extra cilantro. Queso drizzled on top would also be yummy. I’ll probably still have poultry and shellfish in my diet forever to some extent, along with the occasional burger or steak. It is much easier and yummier than I thought though to cook vegetarian and I want to keep it up. Let me know what you all think in the comments! xoxo
These are such hearty and flavorful vegetarian sweet potato black bean quesadillas. They're simple to make and so good with toppings!
- 6 medium sweet potatoes
- salt as needed
- black pepper as needed
- olive oil as needed
- 1 cup canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon dried onion
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 8 whole flour tortillas burrito size
- 8 ounces shredded Mexican cheese blend
- sliced avocado
- Mexican crema or sour cream
- salsa
- extra cilantro
- queso
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First, prepare the sweet potatoes. Pre-heat the oven to 350 and line a sheet tray with foil. Slice the sweet potatoes all over with a knife to ventilate them and allow the olive oil and seasoning to seep through. Then drizzle them all generously with said olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Roast them until tender for about 40 minutes, then let them cool enough to handle. When they are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop the flesh right out of the skin into a mixing bowl. Then mash them well with a fork. Stir in the black beans, cilantro, dried onion, garlic powder, paprika and cumin.
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Then get out a waffle maker and pre-heat it. Spray it well with cooking spray. You could also use a panini press or griddle here if you don't have a waffle maker. Take a tortilla and spread a 1/4 of the filling on it. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese on top and close it with another tortilla. Cook it in the waffle iron for 5 minutes, until slightly crisp on the outside and melty. Repeat this with the remaining filling to make 4 total. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!!
I LOVE the combo of sweet potatoes and black beans. I often make a sweet potato black bean enchilada dish, and this sounds up my alley too!
Oooh, love the idea of putting it into enchiladas!! Going to try that. Thanks so much for the comment! 🙂
This sounds so good. I’m such a huge fan of sweet potatoes!
Thanks very much!!
Oh my goodness those look amazing!!! Love the idea of the waffle maker as a panini press, so smart!
Thanks very much!! It really cooks the quesadillas to perfection.
I seriously adore sweet potatos so I need to try this
Thanks so much, I hope you enjoy them!! It is definitely perfect for sweet potato lovers :-).
I LOVE black beans and sweet potatoes together! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks very much, I hope you enjoy it!!
I love this idea, I’m putting the ingredients on my grocery list! Sounds awesome.
Oh wonderful, thank you so much!! Please let me know what you think.