Breakfast Quesadilla with Black Beans and Eggs

Comfort food comes in different forms for different people. For example, my husband, who’s Latino, reaches for scrambled eggs and tortillas when he’s in the mood for Sunday breakfast or a late-night snack. You really can’t turn this idea around, but you could take it even further in the form of breakfast quesadillas!

These quesadillas are what I would call “bonus” quesadillas: not only are they cheesy, but they have an extra helping of protein with scrambled eggs and black beans. Mild green chilies add plenty of flavor, and if you’re feeling spicy in the morning, add jalapeños and cilantro to the mix. What’s more, they’re vegetarian, so if you’re cutting back on your meat consumption these days, you’re going to love these.

They’re especially handy when you want a quick protein breakfast in the morning before you head out the door. But in our house we might have them as a snack on their own, or with a bowl of soup or salad for an easy dinner. However you slice it, these make an easy meal, morning, noon or night!

How to make breakfast quesadillas

As the name suggests (if you know a little Spanish), quesadillas are “little cheesy things”. Cheese is folded and melted in a tortilla and then cut into wedges.

But a breakfast quesadilla is so much more! Here’s how they’re made:

1. Beat up some eggs.
2. Add the canned beans, onions and green chillies to the pan.
3. Spoon some onto one side of a tortilla and top with your favorite cheese.
4. Fold it over and cook it in a pan until the cheese melts and the outside is nice and crispy.

This makes a quesadilla version of a breakfast sandwich. Simple and delicious!

The best tortillas for quesadillas

In this recipe I use large flour tortillas like this one, you can just use the best ones available in your market.

You can also substitute corn or whole wheat tortillas if you prefer. Corn tortillas are usually smaller than the large flour tortillas, so you just need to keep track of the amount of filling and cheese you use.

• Want to make your own tortillas? Try this recipe: Homemade Flour Tortillas

The best cheese for quesadillas

This recipe is so flexible that you can really use almost any cheese that melts well. If you like your quesadillas extra cheesy, just stack them up.

These are some of my favourites:

• Spicy cheddar
• Monterey jack
• Gouda cheese
• Fontina
• Muenster

Ways to customize this recipe

You can easily adapt this recipe to your taste: use pretty much any beans you have on hand (kidney beans, chickpeas, white beans), add cooked sausage or bacon or vary the cheese.

Want more veggies? Add some cooked veggies or chopped cooked cauliflower or broccoli. Try not to overfill them so the ingredients stay inside. Just look at the filling – use the recipe as a guide. Use your best judgement. Everything goes!

Get ahead and freeze

Here comes the beauty part: You can make and freeze a ton of quesadillas!

After making the egg filling, simply fill the tortillas, add the cheese and fold in half. Since some brands of tortilla are stiff right out of the box, it helps to microwave them to make them pliable and fold them before they cool too much.

To do this: Stack them on a plate, cover with a paper towel or wax paper, and microwave for 30 to 40 seconds, or until pliable and easy to fold in half.

After filling, cut each folded tortilla in half, place in a single layer on a baking sheet, and place the baking sheet in the freezer. When frozen, place in a ziplock bag and stack the quesadilla between small pieces of parchment or wax paper. They last about two months.

How to reheat frozen quesadillas

Remove them from the freezer and microwave for about two minutes until mostly thawed. Fry them in a lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat, about a minute and a half on each side, so they crisp up on the outside.

Breakfast in minutes, next to no tidying up, there’s no denying that!

More quesadilla recipes

• Quesadilla Pie
• Shrimp Quesadillas
• Easy Avocado Black Bean Quesadillas
• Sweetcorn and Goat Cheese Quesadillas
• Squash Blossom Quesadillas
• Cheese Quesadilla