Ask a room full of kids to add some spinach and black beans into a quesadilla, and you might notice a few wrinkled noses. We know, because we’ve watched it happen in our workshops. But here’s the good part: once the quesadillas come off the skillet, the doubt melts away right along with the cheese. Kids who were unsure about spinach went back for seconds, and more than a few asked how to make it again at home. So we’re sharing the recipe, plus a little of what we saw.
What Our Students Thought
The feedback on this recipe followed the same pattern: kids were unsure at first, then asked for seconds, and a lot of them changed their minds.
At Shirpser School, almost every student had something to say about the spinach and black beans before cooking started. Once the quesadillas were done, that changed fast. We heard that the students “immediately assured each other how good the quesadillas tasted.” As one Chef Teacher put it, “Many students told me that they don’t normally eat spinach or tomatoes, but the recipe changed their mind.”
Our favorite moment came from the 4pm class at Vernon Greer. The kids loved the food so much that they wanted to cook it at home for their families. Four of the girls even asked for a plate of leftover pico de gallo to eat with a fork. They were sure the onions would be a dealbreaker, but they ended up loving it.
Make It at Home
Our Chef Teachers love to share a bit of culture in every class. This one starts with the word “queso,” which is Spanish for “cheese.” The quesadilla comes from central and northern Mexico. Our version keeps the melty cheese kids love and builds in black beans for plant-based protein and fresh spinach for fiber and a good dose of iron. If you’d like to try making these quesadillas at home, and we hope you do, know that it’s a meal that tastes delicious and still packs real nutrition.
In our after-school classes, this recipe serves about 20 people. Below, we’ve scaled it down for a family of four.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 4 large tortillas
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans
- 1 (15 oz) can corn
- 8 oz fresh spinach (about half a standard bag)
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese (½ lb)
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- ½ red onion
- Small handful of fresh cilantro
- 1 lime
- About 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt and pepper
Directions
- Prep the fillings: Drain and rinse the black beans and corn. Shred the cheddar if you haven’t already.
- Sauté the spinach: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the spinach with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Move it to a bowl lined with paper towels and carefully squeeze out the extra water. Set aside and wipe out the pan. (Kids can cut the vegetables for the pico while the spinach cooks.)
- Make the pico de gallo: Chop the tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro and add them to a bowl. Juice the lime over the top, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Cook the quesadillas: Put cheese on half of a tortilla. Top with an even layer of spinach, corn, and black beans, then a sprinkle of salt and pepper and more cheese. Fold the tortilla over. Cook in the skillet for 4-5 minutes, until golden brown, flipping only once. Repeat with the rest, cooking as many at a time as fit in the pan.
- Serve: Cut each quesadilla into triangles and top with pico de gallo.
Bring Culinary Enrichment to Your School
The quesadilla some kids were nervous to try became the one they asked to make at home. That’s what our after-school culinary program is all about: getting kids excited about real, healthy food they cooked themselves.
Want to see your students light up over a recipe like this? Book a meeting and we’ll walk you through bringing LIFT Enrichment to your school.