This dish will give your tortillas an identity crisis. What am I supposed to be in life? What is my purpose?! 

Your purpose, flour tortilla, is to support this mashed bean mixture and light corn salsa. You will be half pizza and half quesadilla. You will be cut into wedges and eaten immediately off the baking sheet because who has time for plates?

This might look like a tossed together recipe, but the ratios and amounts are pretty meticulously measured. I know this because the recipe is from the new Best Mexican Recipes cookbook from the America’s Test Kitchen crew. They aren’t really known for being estimators.

So while I found the recipe to be flexible enough to adjust, if you were so inclined, it’s also perfect as listed. Dig in and check out the giveaway at the bottom of the post for your chance to win a copy of the book!

Black Bean Tortilla Tart

Sliced black bean tortilla tart.
Print Pin
5 from 4 votes
Author: Nick Evans
Servings: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Black bean tortilla tart with a spiced mashed bean mixture and fresh corn salsa is the perfect mix of a quesadilla and a pizza. Hard to go wrong!

Ingredients 

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 ½ cups fresh, or frozen sweet corn
  • 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 4 scallions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
  • ½ lime, juice only
  • 1 white onion, chopped fine
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed
  • ¾ cup vegetable broth
  • 4 medium flour tortillas
  • 6 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
  • 2-3 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
  • Salt and pepper
  • Cilantro, garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is blistered and browned in parts, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and stir in tomatoes, scallions, 1 tablespoon cilantro, lime juice, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Wipe skillet clean and add another drizzle of olive oil. Add onions and cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Then add jalapenos, garlic, and cumin and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds or so. Add rinsed black beans and broth and simmer until broth is mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and mash until the mixture is mostly smooth, but some chunks are okay. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Invert a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Brush a tortilla with olive oil. Smear a 1/4 of the bean mixture on the tortilla (leave some space around the edge). Top with 1/4 of the corn mixture, 1/4 of cheddar cheese, and 1/4 of queso fresco. Top with second tortilla, brushed with oil. Repeat layers. Make a second tart the same way.
  • Bake tortilla tarts for 20-22 minutes until they are bubbly in the center and crispy around the edges.
  • Cut tart into wedges and sprinkle with cilantro as a garnish. Serve immediately.

Notes

Recipe from The Best Mexican Recipes Cookbook.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5stack | Calories: 677kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 803mg | Potassium: 894mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1250IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 485mg | Iron: 5mg
Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: Tex-Mex

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Black Bean Tortilla Tart

The Corn Salsa

These tarts have a nicely spiced black bean mixture that we’ll get to in a minute, but what makes it the dish really pop, in my opinion, is this corn salsa. Blister the corn in a large skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil until it’s browned in spots.

Then toss the corn with some tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and scallions.

Black Bean Tortilla Tart corn salsa.
Corn situation.

The Black Bean Mash

To make the mash, which is the heartiest part of this dish, add a fresh drizzle of oil to your skillet long with the onion. Cook that until the onion is soft, then add the jalapenos, garlic, and cumin and cook until fragrant, just 30 seconds or so or the garlic might burn.

Then add the rinsed black beans and broth. Simmer this for 5-7 minutes to soften everything.

Black bean tortilla tart mash.
Black Bean mashers.

When most of the liquid is evaporated add this to a bowl and mash it up!

Black bean tortilla tart mashed.
Okay now mash.

Making the Tarts

The best way to bake these tarts is to invert a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. The brush a medium tortilla with olive oil. Pile on 1/4 of the bean mash, and 1/4 of the corn salsa (the recipe makes two of these tarts).

Layering tortilla tart.
Starting the layers.

Then add 1/4 of each of your two cheeses. Easy enough!

Cheese for tortilla tart.
Two cheese.

Top all of that with a second brushed tortilla and repeat the layers. Get it? It’s like a quesadilla but with a top layer!

Black bean tortilla tart cheese.
Cheesiness.

Pop this whole sucker in a 400 degree F. oven for 20-22 minutes until the edges are nicely crispy and the center is bubbly and melted.

This was my finished black bean tortilla tart situation!

Baked tortilla tart.
Baked!

Chop it up and garnish with fresh cilantro. Transfer it to a plate if you can wait…

Sliced black bean tortilla tart.
This serves one.

This is a very awesome, hearty vegetarian Tex-Mex dish. Definitely give it a shot if you’re a Tex-Mex fan!

Black Bean and Corn Tortilla Tart: A half quesadilla and half pizza meal that's easy to make but different from your standard Tex-Mex recipe. Layers of black beans mashed with spices and a fresh corn salsa with two kinds of cheese and baked until crispy.

The Giveaway!

I have two copies of The Best Mexican Recipes to give away to you all!

Leave a comment with your favorite Tex-Mex dish and I’ll pick two random winners a week from today (03/20)!

Winners!

The two winners are Harmony and Terry! Congrats!