Roasted Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas

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. 

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

More Sheet Pan Recipes

Chipotle Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
Sheet Pan Vegetarian Fajitas
Baked Sweet Potato Black Bean Tofu