Black Bean Quesadillas on the Griddle
Beans, corn, and cheese folded into a tortilla and pressed until the outside goes brittle.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 74
- protein
- 19 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Canned black beans | 1 can (8 oz) | drained at the water spigot, not in camp dirt |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried or frozen corn | 1/2 cup | |
| Garlic | 2 cloves | minced at home |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp, plus more for the pan | |
| Red onion | 1/4 cup, diced | |
| Taco seasoning | 1 tsp | |
| Shredded Mexican cheese blend | 1 cup | cooler item |
| Flour tortillas, 10 inch | 4 | |
| Lime | 1, quartered | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Set a heavy skillet over the fire ring or a low flame and warm the tablespoon of oil for a few minutes.
- Cook the onion and garlic until they smell like something, about two minutes.
- Add the beans, corn, and taco seasoning. Stir and cook two more minutes, mashing about a third of the beans against the pan so the filling holds together. Salt and pepper.
- Scrape the filling into a bowl or cup and squeeze a lime wedge over it.
- Wipe the pan, add a film of oil, and lay in a tortilla. Cheese on one half, filling on top, more cheese, then fold it over.
- Press it flat with a spatula. Two to three minutes a side until the crust is browned and stiff. Repeat for the rest.
- Cut into wedges. Eat standing up.
The mash is what makes this work over a fire. Whole beans roll out the open side of a quesadilla the second you flip it, so crushing part of the batch turns the filling into a paste that grips the cheese. Cheese on both sides of the filling does the same job from the outside — it melts into glue and keeps the whole thing shut.
Changes from the home version: the cilantro, avocado, and sour cream are gone, since none of them survive a cooler for long and none of them are load-bearing. The lime stays because acid is the only thing cutting through a pan of fat and starch. Cook the filling first, then wipe the pan — leftover onion bits scorch under the tortilla and taste like it.
Packing
Onion and garlic get diced at home into one small container. Seasoning goes in with them. Cheese and tortillas ride in the cooler, tortillas flat against the lid so they do not fold into a wad.
Variations
- Swap the canned beans for a pouch of dehydrated refried beans rehydrated with hot water. That drops a pound of can weight and makes it shelf-stable.
- Sliced jalapeno in the filling, or hot sauce after the fold.
- Freeze-dried corn instead of frozen: cover it with hot water for five minutes first.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/cheesy-black-bean-quesadillas