Leftover Turkey Quesadillas
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So you made a Roasted Herb Turkey for Thanksgiving and now your fridge is packed with leftovers. Well, these Leftover Turkey Quesadillas are a great way to use them! Easy to make and full of flavor, they’ll turn your excess holiday meat into a brand new delicious dinner.
I’m big on using my Thanksgiving leftovers to create entirely new meals with all kinds of different twists! My Leftover Turkey Enchiladas, Leftover Turkey Tacos, and Leftover Turkey Fried Rice are great ways to turn your leftover feast into something brand new.
‘Cause let’s face it, you can only eat so many turkey sandwiches (even if it is my Turkey Pesto Sandwich) before you swear off turkey forever (or at least until Christmas).
These quesadillas are a fantastic way to give your leftovers an upgrade and make sure nothing goes to waste! With lots of flavor and an easy process, you’ll love how simple it is to turn cooked turkey into a delicious, savory meal.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Minimizes waste: Instead of dumping the leftovers in the garbage after a few days, take all of that turkey meat that didn’t get eaten on Thanksgiving and give it new life!
- Low effort: You just exhausted yourself making a Thanksgiving dinner so the last thing you want to do is make another elaborate meal. Luckily, these quesadillas require minimal ingredients and steps.
- Flavorful twist: Can’t eat another bite of turkey with garlic mashed potatoes? These quesadillas completely change the turkey’s flavor profile and are perfect for customization.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Cooked turkey: A great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey, but any cooked and shredded turkey will do fine!
- Shredded cheese: A Mexican blend goes perfectly with the seasonings.
- Tortillas: I used flour tortillas for my quesadillas, but corn tortillas work as well.
*For a detailed list of instructions, ingredients and measurements, please reference the recipe card down below.
Substitutions:
- Ground turkey: If you don’t have leftover turkey, you could also brown some ground turkey. Use the same seasoning blend and onions.
- Cheese: If you prefer other varieties like pepper jack, mozzarella, or cheddar, they would all taste great!
How to Make Leftover Turkey Quesadillas
Step 1: Season turkey. Toss the shredded turkey in a bowl with seasonings, then sauté in a skillet with onion.
Step 2: Melt cheese. In a separate skillet, add shredded cheese in a circle the size of a tortilla.
Step 3: Add turkey. Once melted, add a generous scoop of the cooked turkey mixture.
Step 4: Cover with tortilla. Top everything with a slightly charred tortilla, then flip and fold in half.
Recipe Variations
- Leftover Chicken Quesadillas: If you happen to have Slow Roasted Chicken leftovers or if you made my favorite Oven Baked Chicken Tenders, or even if you just bought a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store, you can just shred the meat!
- Beef Quesadilla: Replace the turkey with shredded beef or learn how to brown ground beef for a delicious twist.
- Thanksgiving quesadillas: Instead of leaning into the Tex-Mex flavors, add other Thanksgiving leftovers like Vegetarian Corn Bread Stuffing or my Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes to create quesadillas that re-imagine the flavors of your holiday feast!
- BBQ turkey quesadillas: Coat the turkey in your favorite barbecue sauce and use cheddar, Monterey jack, or provolone cheese.
Storage and Reheating
Keep any leftover quesadillas in an airtight container or wrap tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. They should be good in the fridge for a couple of days.
Reheat quesadillas in a skillet over medium heat. Use a little spray of oil to get them golden and crispy again.
What to Serve with Leftover Turkey Quesadillas
Serve your turkey quesadillas with some fresh cilantro, green onions, and sour cream for a fun presentation and some extra flavor.
Some other great options are Authentic Guacamole or Homemade Chunky Salsa!
And if you’re looking to pair them with a refreshing beverage, whip up a batch of Easy Mint Mojitos or this crisp Rose Sangria.
FAQs
Your leftover turkey will last for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge, but re-cooking it in these quesadillas can help extend that shelf life a little bit.
If you have leftover cranberry sauce, like my cranberry sauce made with orange juice, that’s a great option! You could also use some dijon mustard, chipotle mayo, sour cream, or your favorite salsa.
A true authentic quesadilla is made with Oaxaca, which is a Mexican cheese that’s super creamy and rich and similar to mozzarella. The seasonings in this recipe also pair well with a Mexican blend, pepper jack, Colby jack, or Monterey jack cheese.
More Leftover Turkey Recipes To try
If you tried this Leftover Turkey Quesadillas Recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and tell me how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Leftover Turkey Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 cup cooked turkey finely shredded
- ½ yellow onion finely diced
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ lime juiced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 small flour tortillas about 4 ½ inches in diameter
- 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- olive oil spray for cooking
Instructions
- Combine the turkey, onions, spices, lime juice, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil and let sit for 15-20 minutes1 cup cooked turkey, ½ yellow onion, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ lime, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Meanwhile, lightly char the tortillas over a gas burner on high, for about 30 seconds, don’t let them get too crispy.6 small flour tortillas
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté turkey mixture for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions begin to soften. Transfer the turkey mixture to a plate and set aside.3 tablespoons olive oil
- Spray the same skillet with olive oil. Place ⅓ cup of cheese directly into the pan in a circle roughly the size of the tortilla (should be about 5 inches). Spoon 2 tablespoons of the turkey mixture into the center of the cheese. Let the cheese melt and bubble, when the edges begin to look crisp place a charred tortilla on top and press down firmly with a rubber spatula for about 30 seconds.Carefully flip the quesadilla over so the cheese is facing up, then remove it from the pan and fold in half, place the quesadilla into the oven at 200F to keep warm while you prepare the rest.olive oil spray, 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Serve with your choice of toppings! I suggest sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, or salsa.
Notes
- Variations: This recipe would also be great with leftover chicken!
- Using a rubber spatula will help lift the edges of the quesadilla and keep the cheese in tact.
- If you don’t have a gas burner, you can char your tortillas for about 1 minute on a sheet pan under the broiler in the oven.
