Roasted Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas

5 from 3 votes

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You will love these easy roasted sweet potato and black bean quesadillas.  They’re different than typical quesadilla recipes. That’s because instead of making them on the stove, you bake all of them at once on a sheet pan in the oven. It’s simple from start to finish because you roast the sweet potatoes, then combine them with black beans and kale and assemble the quesadillas. This is a great recipe for an appetizer or a sheet pan dinner.

Also give these baked mushroom quesadillas a try. 

Roasted sweet potato black bean quesadillas cut into wedges on a plate.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You can make all the quesadillas on a single baking sheet. There’s no need to cook each quesadilla individually in a skillet. Ever since I figured out how to cook them this way, I’ve never looked back. This is so handy when you’re making quesadillas for a game day snack, appetizer or even dinner.

If you want your quesadillas to be about something more than just cheese, this recipe is for you. Before the sweet potatoes go in the oven, I toss them in a mix of dried spices, which add tons of flavor. The cheese acts more like the glue that holds the quesadillas together. I love bites that are mostly potatoes and beans rather than stretches of cheese. These are healthier quesadillas.

You can keep leftovers in the fridge or even freeze them. It’s simple to reheat them in the oven, and they taste like they did when you first made them.

The Ingredients

Ingredients including sweet potatoes, black beans, spices. tortillas, cheese, oil, cilantro, kale, salsa and lime.

This is what you need:

  • Sweet potatoes: The recipe calls for 1-1/2 pounds, which is about 3 medium sweet potatoes. You should peel the potatoes before you dice them.
  • Black beans: For convenience, I use canned black beans. Pour them into a strainer and rinse them with cold water.
  • Kale: You can use either curly kale or lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale. Make sure to rip the leaves off the thick stems and then chop them.
  • Dried spices: I season the potatoes with cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and black pepper.
  • Cilantro: I sprinkle the filling with fresh cilantro leaves. If you don’t like cilantro, you can add sliced scallions, which have more of a light green onion flavor.
  • Tortillas: I prefer flour tortillas, but you can substitute with another type like corn tortillas if you want the quesadillas to be gluten-free.
  • Cheese: The recipe calls for a shredded Mexican cheese blend. These usually are a combination of cheddar, Monterey Jack and a couple other cheeses.
  • Oil: You toss the sweet potatoes with a tablespoon of olive oil and spices.
  • Salsa: You can serve the quesadillas with your favorite store-bought salsa.
  • Limes: You can also serve the quesadillas with lime wedges to give them a squeeze of something fresh and citrusy.

How To Make Roasted Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

1. Make spice mix. Stir together the cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and black pepper in a small bowl.

2. Toss the sweet potatoes with the spice mix and oil. You can do this right on the baking sheet. Spread out the potatoes in a single layer.

Spices mixed in a small bowl. Sweet potatoes on a sheet pan.

3. Roast the potatoes until they are lightly browned on the edges and tender in the middle, about 25 minutes. Add the kale, and roast for another 5 minutes until it is crisp.

4. Toss the black beans and cilantro on the sheet pan with the roasted potatoes and kale.

Roasted sweet potatoes and kale on a sheet pan. Black beans and cilantro tossed with roasted sweet potatoes.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

5. Assemble the quesadillas. Place the tortillas on the prepared pan. Sprinkle cheese on one half of the tortillas. Spoon on the sweet potato-black bean filling and sprinkle with more cheese. Fold over the tortilla, gently pressing it down.

6. Bake the quesadillas for 10-12 minutes, flipping over halfway through baking. They should be lightly browned with melted cheese. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa and limes.

Quesadillas assembled on a sheet pan before and after they bake.

Serving

Quesadillas are a great choice for game day snacks or appetizers for the Super Bowl. It makes it so convenient because you can cook them all on the same pan instead of one-by-one in a skillet. I also love these quesadillas for a sheet pan dinner. Serve them with a Mexican chopped salad or avocado corn salad.

Storage, Leftovers & Freezing

You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat them in a 400-degree F oven for 10-12 minutes, flipping over halfway through. This will warm the filling and lightly brown the quesadillas. Do not microwave them. This will soften the tortillas and make them soggy.

To freeze the quesadillas, put a piece of parchment paper or wax paper in between each one to prevent them from sticking together. Then freeze them in the same container. Reheat them in a 400-degree F oven. Frozen quesadillas will take longer than refrigerated leftovers to heat. Give them 7-8 minutes per side. You can freeze them up to 1 month.

Cut sweet potato black bean quesadillas in a stack

Recipe Tips

Remember that these are not the usual cheesy quesadillas. The most important thing the cheese does is hold the tortillas and filling together while adding flavor.

Don’t forget to drain and rinse the canned black beans. You won’t want that bean liquid from the can mixed into the filling.

You don’t need a second tortilla on top because you use the fold method for the quesadillas. This also makes them easier to flip over because they are folded into half circles.

Recipe FAQs

Can you skip the kale? 

If you don’t want greens in your quesadillas, you can leave out the kale. It should’t reduce the yield noticeably. You can add a little more cheese to make up for it, but it’s not essential.

Can you leave out the cilantro?

Yes. I recommend using thinly sliced scallions instead, so you do end up with some herby freshness. I know scallions are technically green onions and not actual herbs, but they are fragrant.

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Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas

5 from 3 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 6
With a spicy mix of cumin and cayenne pepper, you can make these roasted sweet potato black bean quesadillas on a sheet pan in the oven, so they're all ready at the same time.

Ingredients 

  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped kale leaves
  • 1-15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 6 flour tortillas
  • 1-1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro plus more for serving
  • Salsa and lime wedges for serving

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  • In a small bowl, combine the cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
  • Toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil and the spice mixture on a sheet pan. Spread them into a single layer.
  • Roast the sweet potatoes for 25 minutes until they are just starting to brown at the edges, and they are tender in the middle.
  • Add the kale to the sheet pan and continue roasting for 5 minutes until the kale is crisp.
  • Stir the black beans and cilantro into the roasted sweet potatoes and kale.
  • Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. To assemble the quesadillas, place the tortillas on the baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese one half of each of the tortillas. Spoon the sweet potato-black bean filling on top. Then sprinkle with additional cheese. (You will need 1/4 cup cheese total for each quesadilla.) Fold over the tortillas, gently pressing them down.
  • Bake the quesadillas for 10-12 minutes flipping them over halfway through baking. They should be lightly browned with melted cheese. 
  • Cut the quesadillas and top with chopped cilantro. Serve with salsa and lime wedges.

Notes

If you don’t like cilantro, leave it out or substitute with thinly sliced scallions.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat them in a 400-degree F oven for 10-12 minutes, flipping over halfway through baking. It’s best to reheat them in the oven and not in the microwave.
To freeze the quesadillas up to 1 month, place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper in between each one to prevent them from sticking together. Then freeze them in the same airtight container. Reheat frozen quesadillas in a 400-degree F oven for 14-16 minutes, flipping over halfway through baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 1167mg | Potassium: 718mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 17452IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 460mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizers
Cuisine: Mexican
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Hi, I'm Paige.

Welcome to Last Ingredient where you will find simple seasonal recipes with plenty of fruits and vegetables, all for the home cook.

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