A fast, one-pan black bean quesadilla with blue corn tortillas, sweet corn, melty cheese, and gently cooked shallots. Designed to be mixed, assembled, and cooked entirely in a carbon-steel nonstick skillet—no extra bowl required.
Ingredients
- 4 small blue corn tortillas
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- 1 small shallot, finely diced
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack, cheddar, or Mexican-blend cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
- Salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil or butter, plus a little more if needed
- Lime wedges, salsa, avocado, sour cream or Greek yogurt, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Heat a carbon-steel nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil or butter and the diced shallot. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until softened and fragrant.
- Add the corn and cook for 2–3 minutes, until hot and beginning to pick up a little color.
- Add the black beans directly to the skillet along with the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt. Cook for another 2 minutes. Use the back of your spatula to mash some of the beans against the pan, leaving plenty whole. This makes the filling hold together without dirtying a bowl.
- Scrape the bean-and-corn mixture into a compact pile at one side of the skillet. Lay two blue corn tortillas in the cleared part of the pan, working in batches if your skillet is small.
- Sprinkle cheese over each tortilla, spoon the warm bean-and-corn mixture over one half, then add a little more cheese. Fold each tortilla in half.
- Cook over medium to medium-low heat until the bottoms are crisp and the cheese is beginning to melt, about 2–3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2 minutes, until both sides are lightly crisp and the filling is hot and melty. Blue corn tortillas can be a little more brittle than flour tortillas, so moderate heat and a gentle fold work best.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling if necessary. Serve immediately with lime, salsa, avocado, sour cream, or Greek yogurt.
Notes
- One-pan method: The filling is cooked and the beans are partly mashed directly in the skillet, so there is no mixing bowl to wash.
- Shallots: They give the filling a mild, slightly sweet allium flavor without using onion.
- Blue corn tortillas: Warm them briefly in the pan before folding if they seem stiff; this helps prevent cracking.