Our family loves these Bean and Cheese Quesadillas even though they thought they wouldn’t!
This idea is not new or innovative. No one will actually be very impressed. But it is still worth sharing because we all need to be reminded from time to time of the best and easiest lunch or snack ideas!
We’ve always been a simple cheese quesadilla family.
Cheese quesadillas are no-brainers. Tortillas. Cheese. Melted together. In a skillet. That is all. Cut them into triangles. Dip them in salsa. Serve them with fruit. This is lunch.
But in an effort to figure out:
- how to get my toddlers to eat more protein
- what other soft foods our barely-has-any-teeth- 1-year-old baby can gum
- more ideas for easy lunches, suppers, or snacks our whole family will like
- inexpensive ways to feed our army of children
I decided to open a can of refried beans to smear on our tortillas when I made quesadillas one evening.
Yeah. Wow. I opened a can. It’s so easy I’m wondering why this hasn’t always been my go-to meal idea?? We can always wonder about this.
How my kids first responded
When my kids asked what we were eating for dinner and I said “Bean and Cheese Quesadillas” my 6-year-old said, “Ok, but can you make mine with just cheese and no beans please?” And then my 17-year-old asked the very same thing. Because change is hard? Beans are hard? We don’t know. The bean version just didn’t sound good to them.
Fair enough. But I told them that I wanted to eat the bean version first and then if they really didn’t like it, I’d make them a plain cheese version.
Man, this story is not that exciting. Laura told her kids she was putting beans in their quesadillas. They were nervous. She made them try anyway. Thank you for sharing.
How my kids liked the Bean and Cheese Quesadillas after trying them
Well, I couldn’t keep up. I stood at the skillet and kept making quesadillas until the entire package of tortillas was gone. I cut the quesadillas into triangles and kept throwing them onto plates. I cut the babys’ quesadillas into tiny bites and kept throwing them onto the high chairs.
The 6-year-old forgot about the beans. She just ate her first quesadilla triangle and asked for another. And then another. And then another. So there you have it.
The 17-year-old? Same story. He ate his fair share and was like, “Wow Mom. These are actually good.”
Meanwhile, the 8-year-old, the 2-year-old, the 1.5-year-old, and the nearly-toothless 1-year-old ate and ate and ate.
I served the quesadillas with these smoothies, therefore we also loaded up on greens and fruit:
Bean and Cheese Quesadillas are a WINNER!
But you probably already knew that. This is old news. Everyone already makes these. Laura is 24 years behind.
Just in case, here’s how to make these:
- Whole Grain Tortillas
- Shredded Cheese
- Can of Refried Beans
- Smear beans on a tortilla.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
- Top it with another tortilla to make a "sandwich."
- Heat it on low in a skillet until the cheese is melted, turning from time to time to heat both sides.
- Cut the quesadilla into trianges and serve as-is or with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole.
Add Bean and Cheese Quesadillas to your go-to fast meal idea list!