When I was in fifth grade, my family took a cross country road trip. We traveled all the way from Ohio to California and back in the span of 18 days, all in our little Prius (I don’t recommend it). We drove anywhere from 3-18 hours each day, which, as you can imagine, drove my 10-year-old self crazy. However, the memories we made on that trip are unforgettable, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. My mom even made a photo album with all our picures from the trip!

There are several memories from that trip that really stand out in my mind. First of all, it was during that time that I first went vegetarian (well, technically pescatarian). We were driving past a field of cattle, and my dad starting making jokes about hamburgers. As an extreme animal lover, I was highly upset, and I threatened to never eat meat again if he continued. Just moments later, he made another comment. From that day forward, I stopped eating all meat except seafood.

I remained pescatarian for more than 2 years, until my mom begged me to start eating meat again. She was tired of cooking me separate meals, and as a middle-schooler, I wasn’t yet capable of cooking for myself. I resumed eating meat for several years, until I finally declared myself fully vegan during my freshman year of high school. Since then, I haven’t looked back, and I plan to remain vegan for the rest of my life!

Another vivid memory I have from that trip took place in in El Paso, New Mexico. My parents and I went out to eat at a restaurant that served traditional Native American food of the Navajo tribe, as well as Tex-Mex style cuisine. My mom ordered a quesadilla, which was a huge mistake. As a Japanese woman, dairy does not always agree with her digestion system (most Asians are lactose intolerant to some extent). Later that night, she became violently ill. Since that day, she won’t go near a quesadilla, even shuddering whenever she hears the word. It’s become an inside joke in our family: whenever we see a quesadilla on a menu, we ask her if she wants to order it, and we all burst out laughing.

Now that 6 years have passed since that incident, I wanted to see if I could get my mom to try a quesadilla again. Obviously, a vegan quesadilla would be dairy-free and not make her sick. I contemplated making some stretchy cashew cheese for a true vegan quesa-dilla, but I think my mom is truly traumatized by the taste of a cheesy tortilla. So, I instead opted to make an avocado-dilla, with some black beans and veggies. When she came home from yoga class, she smelled the kitchen and asked what I was cooking. “It smells good!” she said. This is the recipe that finally got my mom to like quesadillas again!

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Vegan Avocado Quesadillas With Black Beans and Vegetables

You don’t need any cheese to make a good quesadilla, and this recipe is proof of that! This vegan quesadilla recipe features mashed avocado, black beans, and seasoned vegetables inside crisp flour tortillas.

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword avocado quesadilla, avocado recipes, best vegan recipes, black bean quesadilla recipe, black bean recipes, dairy free recipes, easy vegan dinners, easy vegan meals, easy vegan recipes, easy vegetarian recipes, flour tortilla recipes, high protein vegetarian recipes, meatless meals, mexican vegan food, mexican vegan recipes, super bowl, super bowl snacks, vegan dinner recipes, vegan lunch ideas, vegan lunch recipes, vegan mexican food, vegan quesadillas, vegan snacks, vegan super bowl food, vegan super bowl recipes, vegan super bowl snack, vegetarian dinner recipes, vegetarian lunch recipes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 quesadillas

Calories 409.3 kcal

Ingredients

For the Vegetable Filling

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
• 1 medium zucchini chopped
• 1/2 medium yellow onion sliced into strips
• 1 small jalapeño seeded and diced
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• Pinch of paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For the Quesadillas

• 2 large avocados
• 4 medium flour tortillas

Instructions

For the Vegetable Filling

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat-high heat.
2. Add the garlic, bell pepper, zucchini, onion, and jalapeño and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper and mix.
4. Remove skillet from heat and stir in the black beans and cilantro. Transfer vegetable filling to a bowl.

For the Quesadillas

1. In a bowl, use a fork to mash the avocados.
2. Spread 1/4 of the mashed avocado onto one half of a tortilla. Top with vegetable filling and fold tortilla over the veggies. Repeat with remaining filling for the other 3 tortillas.
3. Lightly grease the skillet and return to medium heat.
4. Place 1-2 tortillas on the skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until browned and crisp on the bottom. Flip and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining quesadillas.