caramelized onion, black bean, and mango quesadillas

by emily on August 20, 2012

in legumes,mains--meatless,sandwiches

caramelized onion, black bean, and mango quesadillas Happy Meatless Monday! Thank you to everyone who chimed in with helpful travel tips and thoughts for Sophie. Our trip was a huge success and our travel went very, very well. Thank you to everyone who sent happy thoughts our way.

We’re catching up on all the household tasks that accumulated while we were gone, so we’re keeping our meals simple.

caramelized onion, black bean, and mango quesadillas When I saw this recipe for chicken, caramelized onion, and mango quesadillas, my wheels got spinning. Michael, Sophie, and I all LOVE beans, so we decided we could easily swap out the chicken for some black beans. These made for a delicious, satisfying change from our typical refried-black-bean-and-cheddar quesadillas.

The flavor profile is divine–the caramelized onions paired with red peppers and mango is to die for. The beans are mild and creamy and don’t compete with the other flavors going on. You can use either a nice, sharp cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or pepper jack cheese for these. We like dipping these in the pineapple salsa from Archer Farms (Target brand).

One more tip: I’ve recently started buying Ataulfo mangos (sometimes sold as yellow mangos or champagne mangos). They’re delicious, and at least at my grocery store, they’re about half the price of regular mangos and have smaller pits. We love them!

caramelized onion, black bean, and mango quesadillas

5.0 from 1 reviews

Caramelized Onion, Black Bean, and Mango Quesadillas
 
 

Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • 2 large sweet onions, sliced
  • 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • ¾-1c diced mango
  • ½ red bell pepper, diced
  • 2-3 Tbsp minced cilantro
  • grated cheese (cheddar or pepper jack are nice)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • 4 tortillas (10-inch)
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
  1. In a large saute pan, caramelize onions with a small drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Stir often, and cook 15-20 minutes or so, until onions are golden brown, tender, and sweet. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together onions, beans, mango, bell pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and chili powder. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
  3. Divide filling among the 4 tortillas, placing filling on one half of the tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese and fold tortillas in half to cover the filling and cheese. Cook in a dry pan over medium heat until golden, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until golden and cheese is melted, another 3-5 minutes.

Notes
Caramelized onions can be prepared a day or two ahead of time if necessary and stored in the refrigerator. No need to reheat them before adding them to the filling.

Adapted from Cooking on the Side

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Pam Lynn August 20, 2012 at 1:14 pm

Yea! I just came home from the store with whole wheat tortillas! These look delicious!

Reply

Emily August 20, 2012 at 2:00 pm

We just got back from vacation as well–simple dinners after being totally worn out is a must. I LOVE how you make quesadillas exotic and totally tasty.

Reply

Jessica@AKitchenAddiction August 20, 2012 at 3:16 pm

Oh, this is a wonderful meatless quesadilla! We love Archer Farms salsa! Pinning!

Reply

Cynthia August 21, 2012 at 12:15 pm

Sounds yummy! Can’t wait to try them.

Reply

Tiffany April 24, 2013 at 5:32 pm

Hello! I just made this recipe and had to say how delicious it turned out. The only changes I made was adding more chili powder and garlic.

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