Cheesy beef and bean quesadillas
40 min · 49 g protein · 557 cals / serving
Crisp, toasty tortillas folded over a filling of taco-spiced beef, creamy refried beans, sweet corn and melted cheddar, cut into wedges for dunking in salsa and cool yogurt. A crunchy chopped salad on the side, and quesadilla night is a full dinner.
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 12 oz ground beef (95% lean)
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 medium bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 2/3 cup frozen corn
- 2 handfuls baby spinach, chopped
- 1 cup fat-free refried beans
Quesadillas
- 4 large (10-inch) high-protein tortillas low-carb protein wrap, or whole wheat
- 3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
To serve
- scant 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup salsa
Chopped salad
- 1 medium head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 2/3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large cucumber, diced
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, onion and pepper and cook, breaking up the beef, 6–8 minutes, until browned with no pink left, 160°F.
- Stir in the taco seasoning with 3 tbsp water, then the corn and spinach, and cook 2 minutes until the spinach wilts and the pan is nearly dry. Tip into a bowl and wipe out the skillet.
- Lay out the tortillas. Spread a quarter of the refried beans over one half of each, top with a quarter of the beef mixture and a quarter of the cheddar, and fold the empty half over.
- Cook the quesadillas one or two at a time in the dry skillet over medium heat, 2–3 minutes per side, pressing down with a spatula, until crisp and golden and the cheese has melted.
- Toss the lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber with the lime juice and a pinch of salt. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges and serve with the salsa, yogurt and salad.
Good to know
How do I get the kids involved?
Quesadillas are the ideal first cooking job: children can spread the beans and sprinkle the filling and cheese on their own tortilla, then fold it. A grown-up does the hot pan.
My picky eater only wants cheese
Make their quesadilla with just the refried beans and cheese; the beans melt into the cheese and taste like the inside of a burrito. The beef and vegetables can go in everyone else's.
Which tortillas?
High-protein, high-fiber flour tortillas toast up just like regular ones and carry more protein and fiber for fewer calories. Whole wheat or regular flour tortillas work exactly the same way; they are a little higher in calories: with whole wheat, about 62 instead of 68.
Can I bake them all at once?
Yes. Lay the folded quesadillas on two baking sheets, spray lightly with oil and bake at 425°F for 10–12 minutes, flipping once, until crisp.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 92
- Protein
- (36%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (30%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (34%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 225 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2227 kcal goes into the pot and 2572 g of ingredients comes out as about 2430 g of food: 92 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.