Pumpkin Black Bean Quesadillas Recipe

Pumpkin Black Bean Quesadillas are just the easy lunch you want to pull together quickly. All the protein and flavor you could want!

I’ve found myself in a bit of a lunch rut lately. With a baby on my hip, all I can manage to cook and eat with one hand is cheese and crackers. (And yes, it’s called cooking if I make my favorite rendition of cheese and crackers: nachos!). If I’m lucky, I can pour a pureed soup into a spill-proof mug and sip on that while simultaneously bouncing baby.

Not only am I tired of this lunch routine, but I also want to model eating for my little one. How can I expect her to approach vegetables and fruit with enthusiasm if I eat only white foods?

I need quick, healthy, and simple lunch ideas to be successful. I have a little formula for a healthy lunch. One healthy lunch = one whole grain + at least one vegetable + some protein + a high delicious factor. With a well-stocked pantry, I got to work!

Quesadillas are so easy to pull together, and I almost always have a bag of whole wheat tortillas in the freezer. The whole wheat tortillas took care of my whole grain requirement. As for the vegetables, I added a handful of kale. There’s not many things I don’t add a handful of kale too these days, so why should quesadillas be the exception?

Next, for protein I used black beans. I drained and rinsed them from the can, and then smashed them with a bit of olive oil, salt, and the tiniest dash of smoked paprika. Bonus points for double protein: I used shredded Monterey Jack cheese to glue it all together. The deliciousness quota was met by pumpkin butter. It sounds weird, yes, but black beans and sweet potatoes were meant for each other. I just subbed pumpkin for the sweet potato.

If you try this flavor combination, I know you’re going to love it! If you use my formula to make your own healthy lunch, I’d love to hear about it!

Are you tired of the dinner routine?

Stuck in a rut or looking for fun new recipes to try?

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