refried bean quesadillas — hold the frying
A delicious plant-based recipe makeover!
Refried beans are a classic Mexican dish, often made from pinto or black beans that’ve been cooked, mashed, and then fried. The process starts by simmering the beans until they’re tender, mashing them into a thick paste, and frying them until they reach a creamy texture.
But here's the thing about refried beans: they're often not as healthy as you'd think.
Traditional recipes usually call for frying the beans in oil or, most often, lard, which is animal fat, and that means you're adding a significant amount of saturated fat to what would otherwise be a super nutritious plant-based dish. Even when they're made with oil there's still a surprising amount of added fat.
Store-bought versions can sometimes be packed with sodium and preservatives, which in a pinch might do the trick but if you love refried beans, as I do, then homemade is the way to go.
An oil-free version can easily be made by simmering, mashing, and seasoning the beans with spices like cumin, garlic, and maybe a squeeze of lime. You'll still get that creamy, flavorful goodness without the extra fat.
This brings me to today’s recipe: my version of refried beans.
This rendition comes together in 15 minutes and can be used in so many different ways.
Here are the healthy meals you can build with refried beans:
tacos, burritos, quesadillas
bean dip
rice and bean bowls
baked and stuffed potatoes
nachos
Mexican pizzas
stuffed portobello mushrooms
stuffed bell peppers
After making my refried beans I decided I was in a quesadilla mood. I smeared some refried beans onto whole grain tortillas, added some fresh veggies, and finished it with a bright and zesty cilantro sauce. After they were assembled I toasted the quesadillas in a nonstick pan until they got nice and crispy and served them with more dipping sauce.
Let me tell you, we devoured these! They’re on this week’s menu plan where I’ll serve them with a side salad.
Below you’ll find the refried beans and quesadilla recipes written separately but they’re both in the same printable PDF attachment.
Refried Beans
Makes 3 cups or 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
½ large red onion, diced
½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
1 to 2 Roma or Campari tomatoes, diced (optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chilis in adobo sauce (chilis minced)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 (15 ounce/439 g) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup vegetable broth or water
Juice of ½ lime
HOW-TO
In a large sauté pan, sauté the onion and salt with a few tablespoons of water for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Stir often and add more water as needed to prevent burning.
Add the tomato, garlic, minced chilis and adobo sauce, cumin, chili powder, and oregano and cook for another minute, stirring often.
Add the pinto beans and broth (or water) to the pan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Simmer for 2 to 4 minutes. Now reduce the heat to low and mash with a potato mash until the beans are creamy. Add the lime juice and mash again. The beans should be thick and smooth but not dry, if they’re dry add a bit more broth and mash again. Taste and reaseaon with salt and/or lime juice as needed. Cover and set aside until needed.
NOTES
If you don’t have tomatoes, you can omit them.
If you don’t have chilis in adobo sauce or prefer not to use them, omit them. Instead, increase the chili powder to 1 teaspoon and add ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes.
Optional additions. You can add several other flavor building elements to your refried beans. Here are some ideas; chopped jalapenos, hot sauce, lime zest, roasted red peppers.
Refried Bean Quesadillas with Cilantro Lime Sauce
Makes 3 large quesadillas (6 to 8 servings)
INGREDIENTS
Quesadillas
6 (8-inch/20 cm) whole wheat, sprouted, or brown rice tortillas
2 red bell peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
Cilantro, optional
Hot sauce, optional
Cilantro Lime Sauce
1 cup (140 g) cashews, soaked in hot water for 1 to 3 hours
½ cup (118 ml) water
Juice of ½ large lime (or 2 tablespoons/30 ml) or to taste
Large handful cilantro leaves
1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) light agave
½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
HOW-TO
If you haven’t made your refried beans, start by making them. Follow the Refried Beans recipe above. Once they’re made and covered, make the cilantro lime sauce.
Drain the cashews, discard the soaking liquid, and add them to a blender along with all the other sauce ingredients. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Taste and reseason with salt or lime juice if desired. Transfer the sauce to a lidded container.
Evenly spread a large spoonful of the refried beans onto one tortilla. You can make it as thick or as thin as you like — I like to make it thick and use anywhere from ½ to ¾ cup of refried beans per quesadilla. Depending in how much you use, you may have enough to make more quesadillas.
Layer some sliced bell peppers on top of the beans. Next spread 3 to 4 tablespoons of the cilantro lime sauce onto another tortilla then sandwich them together (refried beans and cilantro sauce facing inwards).
Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place the quesadilla onto the pan and cook for 2 minutes until you can smell it toasting, you might even hear some sizzling. Then flip the quesadilla and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Both sides should be nice and browned.
Remove the quesadilla from the pan and cut into 4 triangles. Repeat for the remaining quesadillas.
Serve the quesadillas with more cilantro lime sauce, fresh cilantro, and/or hot sauce (if using).
NOTES
Cilantro: If you don’t like cilantro, omit it from the sauce or use a basic cashew sour cream sauce instead. If you want to skip the cashew sauce altogether, you can do that too and simply fill the quesadillas with the refried beans and veggies they just might not stick together as easily. If vegan cheese is in your diet, you can add that as well.
Veg: You can add different or more veggies to your quesadillas as well. Try sautéed mushrooms, fresh baby spinach, or roasted asparagus.
Printable Recipe (Refried Beans and Quesadillas)
No Tortilla? No Problem!
If tortillas aren’t in your diet, you can easily turn these refried beans into a delicious grain bowl. I suggest serving them hot with
warm brown rice
diced tomatoes
diced cucumber
sliced avocado
sautéed mushrooms and spinach
I’d also be inclined to pair the bowl with the cilantro sauce!