Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add onion and cook until onion softens. Add garlic and spices. Cook briefly while stirring until fragrant. Take care not to burn the garlic.
Add black beans, tomato paste, and 2 tablespoons of broth. Cook and mash with a large fork, mixing ingredients together. Add broth as needed until about half the beans are mashed.
Lay tortillas on a flat surface. Cover half of each tortilla with ¼ the bean mixture. Top the mixture with sliced avocado. Fold the tortillas in half to make 4 quesadillas.
Heat a ten-inch cast iron or steel skillet. Brush both sides of quesadillas with melted vegan butter. Brown quesadillas, two at a time, until golden on both sides. Cut quesadillas in half to make 8 pieces.
Homemade Black Beans
Soak overnight in 3 cups of water. Or for quick-soak, cover beans with boiling water and let them sit for one hour. Drain beans. Rinse well in a colander and shake off excess water.
Place soaked beans in a deep pot. Add water, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, and salt.
Bring beans to a boil. Lower heat and cover pot with a lid. Cook at a slight boil until tender. If broth evaporates, add more water to keep beans just submerged.
Cooking time can vary with the freshness of the beans. The average stovetop cooking time is 60-90 minutes, and 30 minutes in an Instant Pot.
Once beans are soft, remove onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf and discard.
Serve
Enjoy right away or refrigerate for later. If eating later, toast quesadillas until hot and crispy.
Top with salsa and sour cream as desired.
Notes
Homemade black beans are easy to make, digestible, and taste so much better than canned. If doubling or tripling the recipe, use this guide to adjust the proportion of water and salt:
1 cup dry + 2 ½ cups water + 1 teaspoons salt = 2 ½ cups cooked.
2 cups dry + 4 ½ cups water + 1 ¾ teaspoons salt = 5 cups cooked.
3 cups dry + 7 cups water + 2 ½ teaspoons salt = 7 cups cooked.
More tipsThin whole wheat tortillas that fold easily are best for this recipe.Homemade beans - Soak before cooking for the best creamy texture. You can do this overnight or by a one-hour quick soak method covered with boiled water.Cook beans in an Instant Pot for perfectly cooked beans in 30 minutes.Cool leftovers before refrigerating and wrap them well.Store leftover quesadillas in the refrigerator for up to one week.