What is a Quesadilla?

We love Mexican food in our house, and one of my little guy’s favorites is quesadillas. In fact, when he was smaller he would order the same cheesy quesadilla every time we went to our favorite Mexican place.

Since then he has branched out a lot in his food choices.

He now orders a half order of fajitas or carnitas, with a side salad. However, the humble quesadilla still holds a place as one of his favorites so I like to make them at home for him often.

Quesadilla literally means “small cheesy pastry” when translated, well according to our favorite waiter. Which is pretty spot on, right?

The pastry comes in the form of flour or corn tortilla and it is filled with lots of melty cheese, yum!  Of course, there are other varieties and options that you can order or make at home.

We love to fill them with anything from chicken to shrimp, and lots of veggies and spices. It is a great way to get the little kiddos to eat protein and veggies, even the pickiest of eaters can’t resist something covered in cheese and fried to a golden brown.

These Chicken and Black Quesadillas are the second recipe in my THM Kids series. This is a fun new series we’re working on with the assistance of my son, Nate.

He’s been helping me work on recipes that we can make healthier for kids like himself. I love cooking with him in the kitchen! Be sure to check out our first recipe Taco Mac and Cheese!

Making Your Quesadillas

For This Recipe You’ll Need:

2 pounds of shredded chicken breast

3 cups of shredded cheese

1 can of black beans

Taco Seasonings of choice

Butter or Cooking Spray

Be sure to check out all the possibilities for fillings in a later section of this recipe post.  But don’t let these limit your options!  

How to Cook These Healthy Quesadillas

Choosing Fillings for your Quesadillas

Now that we’ve gone through the basics of these Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas, I thought I’d offer some filling options just in case black beans are not something your family enjoys.

After all, this is a “THM Kids” option and I know not all kids will be fond of black beans.

Since our focus with these recipes is to find foods that our kids enjoy with a healthier spin it is important to start slowly by adding things into their diets if they are picky.

So here are a few options my son and I think would work well when added to quesadillas for kids! Feel free to mix and match to find some healthy options.

• spinach
• corn
• brown rice
• bell peppers
• onions
• mushrooms
• chopped broccoli
• olives, green or black
• tomatoes
• pinto beans
• kidney beans
• pineapple
• ham
• shrimp
• ground beef
• turkey

Quesadilla Options for Adults

I love quesadillas as much as my son, but I try to take in fewer carbs than I feed him, so in order to keep these lower in carbs and higher in healthy fats I change up my filling a little bit.

Simply begin with a low-carb wrap or tortilla of choice, even the THM Wonder Wraps work nicely, but I don’t advise using corn tortillas for the low-carb option.

Next, choose your favorite fillings and enjoy. I love adding things like jalapeno peppers and chorizo to mine! These are very filling so one quesadilla and a yummy salad make a great meal.

If you follow the THM diet then for an S setting you can enjoy these yummy quesadillas too. We can have up to 1/4 cup of black beans in a meal. Trim Healthy Mama calls this an “S Helper”.  

 I recommend only a couple of tablespoons versus the whole 1/4 cup because you will also have the carbs from the tortilla so be careful not to overload your meal with too many carbs. 

Remember this one can of beans is divided among many quesadillas, so you can add as many or as little as you want to each one to meet your dietary needs. 

Freezer Instructions for the Quesadillas

Continue to Content

Yield: 8 Quesadillas

Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

A low carb tortilla filled with shredded chicken, black beans, and lots of melty cheese. An easy meal and great for a freezer meal option for grab and heat lunches.

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Ingredients

• 8 low carb tortillas
• 3 cups of shredded cheese
• 2 lbs of cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 cup of cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• butter or cooking spray

Instructions

1. Add all the seasoning to the shredded chicken and mix well before placing the chicken and other fillings near the stove for quick assembly.
2. Place a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray or add a little butter to the skillet for extra flavor. The butter will also brown nicer than the spray.
3. Next, add one tortilla to the skillet and sprinkle cheese over half of it before topping it with a good amount of the chicken, a couple of tablespoons of black beans, then more cheese.
4. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling and cook the quesadillas for 2-3 minutes on each side until the cheese is melted and the outside is nicely golden brown.
5. Sever hot. For freezer instructions please see the steps listed in the blog post right above this recipe card.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1 quesadilla
Amount Per ServingCalories 547Total Fat 31gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 152mgSodium 517mgCarbohydrates 19gNet Carbohydrates 14gFiber 5gSugar 2gProtein 46g

I am not a nutritionist. If you have strict dietary needs I always recommend using an online nutrition calculator to calculate your totals using your exact brands you're using in this recipe as values may vary per brand.

Keri Bucci

I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!