Turn your leftover turkey into a totally new lunch or dinner with this delicious and easy-to-make leftover turkey quesadillas recipe!
Trying to figure out how you’re going to use up all your leftover Thanksgiving turkey? Here is an easy and yummy recipe that gives you a little different spin on tradition.
Since it’s so easy, it’s perfect for when you are exhausted after the big day!
Only a few ingredients are needed to make these easy quesadillas, with the first being your leftover turkey, of course!
You can prepare it by chopping into small pieces or leave larger slices. I personally prefer it shredded to distribute well throughout the quesadilla.
You’ll also need tortillas, of course. You can use any package of tortillas, but if you want to go more homemade, you can use our easy homemade flour tortillas recipe. These are really good!
When it comes to cooking the qusadillas, we love our Toaster Oven! I have this Cuisinart model, which is SO GOOD I bought the same one for my sister a couple of years ago and she loves hers too.
Cooking in the toaster oven makes this recipe extra quick and easy to make. I like this particular oven because it is so big that you can fit a lot inside and it also has a convection feature, which means you can cook things really quickly and evenly, plus it turns out nice and crispy.
You can also make your quesadillas by cooking them in a skillet on the stovetop or in an air fryer or regular oven.
If you do want to keep a Thanksgiving theme to your turkey quesadillas, or if you just want to give them a special twist, you can also serve them with our easy Cranberry Salsa recipe.
If you had some extra cranberries leftover from Thanksgiving, this is how to use them up!
NOTE: If you don’t have leftover turkey, this recipe also tastes great with leftover chicken, or else with just the beans and cheese.
Leftover Turkey Quesadillas Recipe
Ingredients:
Large Flour Tortillas
Leftover Turkey (shredded)
Canned Refried Beans
Shredded Mexican Style Cheese
Chunky Salsa
How to make leftover turkey quesadillas:
Spread a tortilla evenly with ⅓ cup refried beans.
Next, top with a decent amount of shredded turkey.
Then spread ¼ cup salsa over the turkey/beans. Sprinkle top with cheese.
Fold tortilla in half and set on toaster oven rack.
Use the TOAST setting and toast until lightly browned. (After making a few, you may want to adjust the amounts of ingredients to suit your preferences.)
What to serve with turkey quesadillas:
While they taste great all on their own, you can serve turkey quesadillas with sour cream, salsa or guacamole. Don’t forget about the homemade cranberry salsa we mentioned above!
For sides you can try black bean rice or our chunky avocado salsa that almost doubles as a salad.
Leftover Turkey Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 4 Large Flour Tortillas
- 1 ⅓ cups Leftover Turkey shredded
- 1 ⅓ cups Canned Refried Beans
- 1 ⅓ cups Shredded Mexican Style Cheese
- 1 cup Chunky Salsa
Instructions
- Spread a tortilla evenly with ⅓ cup refried beans.
- Next, top with a decent amount of shredded turkey.
- Then spread ¼ cup salsa over the turkey/beans.
- Sprinkle top with cheese.
- Fold tortilla in half and set on toaster oven rack.
- Use the TOAST setting and toast until lightly browned.
Lee McCloud-Lazarick says
This recipe looks great. I always struggle with turkey leftovers.. I am trying this!
Jana S says
Sounds yummy and what a great way to use up all the leftover turkey. Thank you for the recipe.
Terri says
This recipe sounds delicious. I’m looking forward to trying it soon. Thanks!In the past, I’ve used leftover turkey for pot pies. I buy packaged pie crusts, a can or two of mixed veggies with potatoes and a can or two of turkey gravy. You can also use homemade but this is the lazy version. Chop up turkey, add veggies and at least half a can of gravy. Bake at 350 for about 45 min. Use the rest of the gravy on the top before serving.