The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of The University of Scranton.
Last year, when I became a junior, I was inspired by one of my roommates to begin meal-prepping. I quickly became attached to this routine as it was comforting to know my dinners were all planned out for the week, and I would not need to cook it during the week when my schedule is busy. As a senior, I have continued meal-prepping but found that it has also provided me with an outlet and a break from schoolwork, which has been a mutually beneficial experience.Â
One of my favorite and new recipes that I have been making is quesadillas. I am a fan of Mexican food but do not eat chicken or meat, so I have adapted and crafted my own personal quesadilla using black beans! First, after draining and rinsing them in the sink, I cook the black beans. I then set these aside while I begin to fry the tortillas one-by-one on my pan on the stove. I normally let the tortilla sit for 60-90 seconds on one side before flipping it to the other side. Once I flip the tortilla to the other side, I can add the black beans with either guacamole or fresh salsa and sprinkle a little cheese on top. I add these ingredients to only one-half of the flat tortilla so that I can fold the other half on top and press down on the folded parts with a spatula to create the thin and crispy quesadilla look. I normally let it sit for another minute or so before removing the quesadilla from the pan and adding it to my Tupperware container. I repeat this process so that I can have a couple quesadillas per day available.Â
When I go back home, my mom has a long-length pan that can cook multiple tortillas at a time, which is always a fun treat as I can cook more at the same time! Because I also create my own salads for each day, I normally make the salads during the periods I am waiting for the tortilla to cook on the pan so that I am being efficient with my time.Â
This is an example of a quick and tasty meal-prep option that does not require an extensive amount of time cooking as black beans can be cooked in as little as 5 minutes. While I don’t make this meal every single week, I find that if I am on a time crunch and need to get my meal-prepping in, this is a good option that is fun to cook, tasty, and does not take too long to prepare!