High-Protein Black Bean Quesadillas
A tin of black beans and a tortilla is a fifteen-minute lunch that beats anything you would buy at a counter. The trick is getting the pan hot before the tortilla goes in.
You need
- 1 nonstick pan
- 1 bowl
- 1 fork
Ingredients
For 2 servings
- 2 large flour tortillas
- 1 tin (400 g) (14 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 60 g (2.1 oz) reduced-fat cheddar, grated
- 100 g (3.5 oz) 0% Greek yogurt, to serve
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 red pepper, finely diced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 lime
- salt, pepper and fresh coriander
How to cook
Fry the onion and pepper in 1 tsp of the oil for 4 minutes, then add the cumin and smoked paprika and stir for 30 seconds.
Tip in the drained beans with a splash of water and mash about half of them with a fork, leaving the rest whole.
Half mashed is the right texture. Fully mashed slides out of the tortilla, fully whole falls out of it.
Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime, then take the pan off the heat.
Wipe the pan, add the rest of the oil and get it properly hot over medium-high heat.
A lukewarm pan gives you a floppy, pale quesadilla. You want it hot enough that the tortilla hisses on contact.
Lay a tortilla in, spread the bean mix over one half, scatter cheese on top, and fold the empty half over.
Press down and cook 2 minutes a side until the outside is blistered and the cheese has melted.
Cut into wedges and serve with the yogurt, the rest of the lime and a scatter of coriander.
Why it fits a maintain goal
- 30g protein without any meat, from beans, cheese and the yogurt on the side.
- One tin of beans costs less than a coffee and feeds two people at 535 kcal each.
- Portions are auto-sized to your target, no counting required. Tell Pann you have a tin of beans and it builds the meal around it, then walks you through it.
Cooking guides
Pann is your AI cooking assistant: tell it what you've got and it builds the meal around it, quietly sized to your maintain goal. No food database, no log spiral.