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    Home » Recipe Index » Vegetarian Dishes

    Vegetarian Quesadilla Recipe for One

    July 3, 2019 Updated December 20, 2023 By Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD Entrees, One Pot/One Pan Meals, Pantry Dinners, Vegetarian Dishes

    Jump to Recipe
    vegetarian quesadilla on table and in a pan with text overlay
    vegetarian quesadilla and salsa on a table with text overlay

    This quick vegetarian quesadilla recipe is ready in 10 minutes, it's delicious, and it's the perfect meal for one to use up all those veggies sitting in the back of your fridge. Use up what you have on hand in this no-plan quick dinner.

    black bean & vegetable quesadilla on table with salsa and toppings

    [This vegetarian quesadilla recipe was originally posted in July 2019. It has been updated with new cooking instructions, expert tips, FAQ, related recipes, and ways to repurpose/use up ingredients]

    PIN HERE to add to your recipe box.

    Table of contents

    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Storage/Reheating Tips
    • Substitutions/Tips
    • FAQ
    • Other good recipes with beans
    • Repurpose your quesadilla
    • What to do with leftover ingredients

    If you're like me and 1. never seem to have enough room in your fridge and 2. never seem to have enough time to cook AND eat lunch or dinner, this vegetarian quesadilla recipe is for you.

    It comes together really quickly, has delicious and flavorful ingredients, and you can make a few of them to have for leftovers either at work or anytime the next day. These super easy recipes are great for cooking for one.

    Ingredients

    Scroll down to the vegetarian quesadilla recipe card for the amounts of each ingredient, but here's a quick description of what's in this recipe.

    • Onion, Bell pepper: Use whatever kind of onion and pepper you have.These are some simple vegetables to add to this quesadilla, use what you like or have. Zucchini, corn, tomatoes would also be good additions.
    • Garlic, Cumin, Oregano, Cayenne Pepper: These are some simple spices to add to your beans. This combination will make your quesadilla more flavorful, but you don't have to add them all.
    • Uncooked tortilla: my favorite grocery store tortillas are the uncooked ones, but you can use your favorite, or what you have for this vegetarian quesadilla recipe.
    • Black beans: You could use pinto beans or refried beans too. Just choose your favorite/most accessible beans. Smash them together a bit so they don't fall out as easily.
    • Lime juice
    • Cheddar cheese
    • Salsa

    Instructions

    Scroll down to the recipe card for more detailed instructions. Here's a quick overview + photos to see how to make this recipe in general.

    red bell pepper and onions with spices in sautee pan

    1. Start making your vegetarian quesadilla recipe by heating up a medium sized sautee pan over medium heat. Add oil and onion, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper to hot pan. Stir often, Remove when translucent.

    mashed black beans on half of a tortilla in sautee pan

    2. Heat up tortilla in pan. Flip before first side gets browned. Add cheese and then black beans to your vegetarian quesadilla recipe. Smash beans so they stay put.

    tortilla with black beans, sliced red bell peppers and onions in a skillet

    3. Add veggies back to tortilla and squeeze lime over veggies.

    black bean and vegetable quesadilla with cheese in sautee pan

    4. Sprinkle shredded cheese over veggies.

    folded vegetarian quesadilla in sautee pan

    5. Fold quesadilla in half and cook until cheese is melted. Enjoy with salsa, guac, and/or sour cream. Enjoy how easy this vegetarian quesadilla recipe is!

    Storage/Reheating Tips

    Store leftover vegetarian quesadilla in an airtight container for about a week. You can reheat it on the stove, until it's warmed through, or in the microwave.

    Substitutions/Tips

    • Buy a jar of minced garlic to save A LOT of time and effort. Sure it's not quite as good as fresh, but it's convenient.
    • This recipe calls for onion and bell peppers, you can use whatever you have, including onion and bell peppers. Use red bell peppers, white onion, etc.
    • Grab pre-chopped vegetables (and cheese) to save time.
    • Use taco or fajita seasonings instead of the spices mentioned above.
    • I like to mash the beans with a fork so they don't fall out, it'll make this vegetarian quesadilla recipe better.
    • Try uncooked tortillas, they taste so much better! But if you don't have any or just like precooked ones, heat them up in the microwave or stove.
    • Yes, add more cheese, this will glue the other tortilla/side to the veggies.
    • Optional Toppings/Add-ins: red onion, avocado/guacamole, pickled onions, sauteed zucchini/yellow squash, garlic powder, chili powder, etc. You can even add chicken, beef, or fish to your vegetarian quesadilla recipe.

    FAQ

    What can I put in a quesadilla?

    Some protein (meat &/or beans), vegetables, and CHEESE. Definitely the cheese. You can also add salsa into the quesadilla, but it's better dipped in salsa.

    How do you get quesadillas to stick together?

    Add some cheese on both sides of the filling that will touch the quesadilla. Treat the cheese as glue to hold the tortilla to the filling. You can always add more cheese to your vegetarian quesadilla recipe.

    What is the best cheese for a quesadilla?

    A soft, easy to melt cheese is best. Cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, Oxaca melting cheese, etc would work.

    Other good recipes with beans

    • Refried Bean Tacos
    • Breakfast Tacos
    • White Bean and Farro Bowl
    • Pasta with Black Beans
    • Burrito bowl with queso

    Repurpose your quesadilla

    • Turn your vegetarian quesadilla recipe into taco salad
    • Wrap it up in a burrito
    • Eat as tacos

    What to do with leftover ingredients

    When you're cooking for one, you often have leftover produce, cans of whatever ingredient, etc. Here are a couple ideas on how to use up the leftover ingredients. It'll help you save money by wasting fewer ingredients.

    • Tortillas, Black Beans: Egg Roll Up (Ugandan Rolex), Freezer Breakfast Tacos, serve on the side of a Burrito Bowl.
    • Onions: Egg Roll Up, Lentil Stroganoff, Stuffed Squash with Rice & Ground Beef, or Pumpkin Chili
    • Bell Peppers: roast with Roasted Winter Vegetables, add to Beef & Broccoli, add to Apple and Cheddar Omelet, Pumpkin Chili, Fig & Prosciutto Pizza, Soy Sauce Coleslaw.

    Did you make this vegetarian quesadilla recipe? leave me a comment to share how it turned out!

    black bean & vegetable quesadilla on table with salsa and toppings

    Vegetarian Quesadilla Recipe

    This vegetarian quesadilla recipe is ready in 10 minutes, it's delicious, and it's the perfect vehicle to use up all those veggies sitting in the back of your fridge.
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 quesadilla
    Author: Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN

    Equipment

    • medium sautee pan
    • rubber spatula
    • cutting board
    • knife

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon canola oil
    • ¼ whole sliced onion I used a red onion
    • ½ whole sliced red or green bell pepper
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • ¼ teaspoon cumin
    • ½ teaspoon oregano
    • 1 dash cayenne pepper
    • 1 medium uncooked tortilla
    • ⅓ cup black beans
    • squeeze of lime juice
    • ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
    • salsa

    Instructions

    • Sautee onions, bell pepper, garlic, oregano, cumin, & cayenne pepper in canola oil for about 4-6 minutes, or until veggies are translucent. Add a squeeze of lime juice to cooked veggies. Transfer to plate. Rinse, then gently smash black beans in a bowl. Prepare cheese. 
    • Place one tortilla in saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until one side has been heated, about 2-3 minutes, before it gets brown. Flip tortilla over and quickly add a smear of beans to ½ of the tortilla, then veggies and cheese on top of the beans. Fold tortilla in half and cook until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned, about 3-5 minutes. 
    • Cut into 3 slices, serve with your favorite salsa.

    Notes

    • Buy a jar of minced garlic to save A LOT of time and effort. Sure it's not quite as good as fresh, but it's convenient.
    • Grab pre-chopped vegetables (and cheese) to save time.
    • Use taco or fajita seasonings instead of the spices mentioned above. Sure it'll taste a bit different, but it'll still be great!
    • I like to mash the beans with a fork so they don't fall out.
    • Try uncooked tortillas, they taste so much better! But if you don't have any or just like precooked ones, heat them up in the microwave or stove.
    • Yes, add more cheese, this will glue the other tortilla/side to the veggies.
    • Other topping ideas: avocado, guacamole, sour cream, or your favorite salsa
    • Optional Toppings: red onion, avocado/guacamole, pickled onions, sauteed zucchini, etc.
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it Today!Mention @NourishNutriCo or tag #NourishNutriCo!

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    About Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD

    Welcome! I’m Rebecca, a food loving dietitian who has been cooking for one for over 10 years. On Nourish Nutrition, you’ll find real, quick, and nourishing recipes for one that'll get you to want to cook for yourself, because you deserve it.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Phyllis says

      May 01, 2022 at 9:02 am

      I forgot all about making quesadillas. This is perfect for spring, since it's May 1st. Thank you for this recipe!!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        May 06, 2022 at 8:58 am

        great to hear!

        Reply
    2. Rosemarie says

      May 09, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      5 stars
      I have made this recipe twice now. The pandemic is forcing me to learn to cook again. I actually like this recipe better than the quesadillas in my favorite local Mexican restaurant. I found spinach herb gluten free tortillas to use and they are really good. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        May 10, 2020 at 11:13 am

        that sounds so good! I'm glad you've found this recipe to help you get cooking again! If you get bored with the quesadillas you can make the chicken salad on the blog and wrap it in the rest of your tortillas

        Reply
    3. Jessica Levinson says

      August 02, 2018 at 6:48 pm

      Love how quick and easy this dinner is! Would be great for Meatless Monday too!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 03, 2018 at 11:18 am

        ohh yes it would! thanks Jessica

        Reply
    4. Angela Cardamone @marathonsandmotivation.com says

      August 02, 2018 at 1:12 pm

      Yum, these look so tasty! This is a great quick & easy dinner idea!!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 03, 2018 at 11:18 am

        thanks so much!

        Reply
    5. jill conyers says

      August 02, 2018 at 4:24 am

      I could easily eat Mexican food everyday. Especially with recipes like this!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 03, 2018 at 11:22 am

        right?! me too for sure!

        Reply
    6. Emily @Sinful Nutrition says

      August 02, 2018 at 3:50 am

      These look awesome! I am all about those quick and easy meals!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        August 03, 2018 at 11:22 am

        right?! me too, all about them!

        Reply
    « Older Comments
    5 from 7 votes

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