We love Mexican dishes in our house and make tacos and fajitas every week. One thing we don’t make is gluten free quesadillas. I think I believed that it wasn’t possible since we are also dairy free. I mean, how could you have a cheeseless quesadilla, right? Well, I’m happy to admit that I was wrong.
I recently bought amazing almond flour tortillas from Siete at the grocery store and they are out of this world amazing. I like them so much that I find myself using them at breakfast, lunch and dinner…any excuse to eat them. So yesterday, I got to thinking about ways to replace the binding effect that cheese has in quesadillas. My first thought was refried beans, and my second was guacamole. Together, they made the ultimate veggie gluten free quesadillas that were so delicious, and I’m happy to report that both the kids and adults in our house enjoyed them.
The recipe is really quite simple to prepare, and they work well when eaten hot or cold, making them perfect for meals at home or on the go. They’re also a nice addition to a school lunch box full of plant-based protein.
Avocado Pinto Bean Gluten Free Quesadillas
Avocado Pinto Bean Gluten Free Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 medium sized tomato
- 1/4 small white onion
- 1 15 oz can pinto beans drained
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 1/4 tsp coarse salt more if desired to taste
- splash of lime half of a lime
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp safflower oil
- 1/8 cup water
- 2 gluten free tortillas
Instructions
To make the guacamole:
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Dice the onions and tomatoes, add to a small bowl.
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Mash the avocado and add it to the bowl.
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Mix the avocado, onions and tomatoes well.
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Add course salt (we like using red hawaiian or grey salt) and a splash of lime to taste. We use about 1/4 tsp of salt, but you can continue to add more until you reach your desired salty flavor.
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Mix the guacamole again and set aside.
To make the refried beans:
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Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet on medium heat.
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Mince the garlic and add it to the pan, cooking until browned which is about 3 minutes.
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Add the drained beans, cumin and 1 tsp salt to the pan and cook until beans are fully cooked, about 5-7 minutes.
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Remove the pan from heat, add 1/8 cup of water and mash the bean mixture. Alternatively, you can add it to a food processor if your kids are texture eaters.
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Cover to keep warm and set aside.
Final steps:
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Heat 1 tbsp of safflower oil in a medium skillet.
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Add each tortilla and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until it starts to brown.
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Remove tortillas from heat.
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Cover one tortilla with a layer of refried beans.
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Next, add the guacamole layer.
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Add the second tortilla on top.
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Cut in triangles and serve with extra guacamole and lime wedges.
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These look delicious! That guac, yummy!!
This is SO up my alley. I need to make these dillas this week …
Yum!! I love avocado in everything. I usually add it on top but I never thought of using it as filling.
OMG i love avaocado and this looks amazing. The recipe seems easy to do as well!
It’s super easy to make and totally yummy!
Looks delicious! Making me hungry for lunch!
Thanks, Megan!
This sounds like all sorts of ooey and gooey. I bet you don’t even realise you are missing the cheese.
Totally! No cheese necessary and it didn’t taste like it was missing either which was so exciting!