Black Bean Quesarito (Taco Bell Recipe)

Black Bean Quesarito combines everything you love about the Taco Bell™ menu in one easy to eat meal! Spicy black beans and rice wrapped in a blanket of gooey melted nacho cheese and Chipotle sauce, all tucked in a grilled soft tortilla. This fast food favorite is outrageously delicious!!

 

Black Bean Quesarito

There is just so much to love about this meal! The ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find, and black beans are packed full of fiber and nutrients.

Honestly, I think this Taco Bell Quesarito is even tastier than the Beef Quesarito. Don’t believe me? Make one of each and decide for yourself.

Let me show you how to make a perfect Taco Bell black bean quesarito recipe at home. It’s so simple, and you’ll save some money, too!

Looking for some meat with your meal? Check out my copycat Taco Bell recipes for the Mexican Pizza and Steak Power Bowl.   

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Flour Tortillas – Grab the big “burrito sized” ones – You’ll thank me later!
  
  Getting a tightly packed, well-proportioned Taco Bell quesarito is way easier with large tortillas.
  
• Velveeta and Evaporated Milk – The two secret ingredients to the cheesy, smoky Taco Bell nacho cheese!
  
  If you aren’t a fan of Velveeta, using American cheese, cheddar cheese, or some combo of the two is a fine substitute.
  
• Black Beans – Drain and rinse them well. Some people prefer to cook dried black beans. You could do that, and go through the whole soaking and cooking process.
  
  But it takes much more time, so I recommend just going with canned to get as close to the original Taco Bell black beans as possible.
  
• Chipotles in Adobo Sauce – These chiles come in a thick, tangy, and equally spicy sauce.
  
  Personally, I’d never make Mexican red rice without them! But if you don’t want that much heat, swap in smoked paprika or chipotle powder.
  
• Mexican Seasoning – Super smoky, slightly spicy, and sure to level-up any dish it’s in!
  
  Sure, you could grab a pre-made blend at the store – but why not make your own for a fresher flavor and less money? 

Black Bean Quesarito Recipe Variations

• Control the Spice Level – Each component has a bit of spice, from the sauce to the cheese and the beans.
  
  You can tone all of it down by leaving the jalapenos or cayenne out of the cheese sauce, eliminating the chipotles and/or the adobo sauce, and by excluding the jalapenos from the rice.
  
• Add Some Protein – Any protein can be added to a Taco Bell quesarito!
  
  Pulled pork, shredded chicken, or ground beef will fit right in when seasoned with my Mexican spice blend.

Storing and Reheating

After you make the quesaritos, you will have extra cheese sauce and Mexican red rice, so store those in separate containers.

This way, you can assemble more Taco Bell quesaritos the next day, or use the ingredients to create something entirely different. 

Microwave everything separately, too. To get the best rice the next day, microwave in a bowl with a damp paper towel over the top. 

Keep leftover black bean quesarito ingredients chilled and use within 4 days.

Quesarito Recipe FAQ

Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours. 

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Other Copycat Taco Bell Recipes

Black Bean Quesarito (Taco Bell Recipe)

Donna Elick

Black Bean Quesarito is my copycat Taco Bell recipe combining the best parts of a bean burrito and a quesadilla into one delicious dish!

5 stars from 2 reviews

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine Mexican

Method Stovetop

Servings 4 quesaritos

Equipment

• small bowl
• whisk
• large skillet
• medium sauce pan

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

Quesarito Ingredients

• ▢ 8 flour tortillas, (see Note #1)
• ▢ 1 cup nacho cheese sauce, recipe below
• ▢ 15 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• ▢ 2 cups grated colby jack cheese, or Mexican cheese blend
• ▢ 2 cups Mexican red rice, recipe below
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream, or to taste
• ▢ 1/2 cup creamy chipotle sauce, recipe below

Creamy Chipotle Sauce

• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped

Nacho Cheese Sauce

• ▢ 16 ounces Velveeta
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• ▢ 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno juice, (brine from can of pickled jalapenos)

Mexican Red Rice

• ▢ 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• ▢ 1-3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 2 cups long-grain jasmine rice
• ▢ 2 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
• ▢ 1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• ▢ 8 ounces tomato sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Mexican Seasoning Blend, link recipe
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

 

Creamy Chipotle Sauce

• Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Mexican Red Rice

• Warm the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Once you can feel the heat when you hold your hand 6 inches above the skillet, add the onion and jalapeños to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic and stir to combine. Continue cooking for 30 seconds.
• Add the rice and stir until it is well coated in the oil. Cook until the rice starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, seasoning blend and salt. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
• Cover the pot, decrease the heat to a simmer and cook until the rice is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the nacho cheese sauce. and warm the black beans.

Nacho Cheese Sauce

• Cut Velveeta into cubes and place in a medium saucepan.
• Add cayenne pepper, evaporated milk and pickled jalapeno juice.
• Heat over medium-low, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until the cheese melts completely and is smooth.
• Taste for flavor and adjust with additional cayenne pepper and/or jalapeno brine.
• Use while hot; sauce thickens as it cools.

Quesarito Assembly

• If necessary, rewarm black beans, rice and nacho cheese sauce in the microwave.
• Place one flour tortilla on a microwave-safe plate. Spread ¼ cup nacho cheese sauce over the flour tortilla. Sprinkle with ½ cup of grated cheese.
• Microwave in 45-second bursts, until the cheese melts.
• Place a second flour tortilla on top of melted cheese and cheese sauce.
• Mound ½ cup black beans and ½ cup red rice in the center of the tortilla.
• Drizzle more nacho cheese sauce, creamy chipotle sauce, and sour cream over the meat.
• Add ½ cup Mexican red rice on top of the sauces.
• Fold in the sides and roll up the quesarito like a burrito. Enjoy!

Donna’s Notes

Use burrito size flour tortillas to make stuffing and rolling the quesaritos easier – they are well stuffed with the soft taco size tortillas and portions in this recipe.

You will have leftover cheese sauce, and red rice. Adjust the amounts of the fillings to taste. We like a tightly stuffed quesarito, but smaller amounts of beans and rice and/or using a larger size flour tortilla will make it a closer match to a Taco Bell black bean quesarito.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 1544cal | Carbohydrates: 154g | Protein: 65g | Fat: 75g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Cholesterol: 159mg | Sodium: 4593mg | Sugar: 23g | Fiber: 12g | Calcium: 1459mg | Iron: 7mg

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published September 2022

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