This Thanksgiving, use your leftovers to make a Thanksgiving Quesadilla! We all need some ideas to use up the extra food from the big feast, and this turkey quesadilla is the solution. Skip the sandwich and use this Thanksgiving leftover recipe instead!
What’s in a Turkey Quesadilla?
We make so much food for the big feast, and we end up with soooo many leftovers. They crowd the fridge and call out to you for days, begging to be eaten. This is the perfect way to use up all that turkey and also have something really fun to eat that doesn’t make you feel like you’re eating leftovers.
- Whole Wheat Tortillas: Make this dish feel a little healthier without compromising the taste.
- Thanksgiving Turkey: You thought you planned out your feast perfectly, but somehow you still have pounds of the stuff in the fridge. Might as well put it to good use!
- Cranberry Sauce: Adds a bit of a zippy, tangy flavor to the quesadillas that cuts through the cheese.
- Shredded Cheese: I used cheddar, Asiago, and pepper jack in mine and it was *chef’s kiss* — feel free to use your favorites, though!
- Fresh Sage: Adds a pop of freshness and herbal flavor that ties everything together!
Pro Tip: If you’re repurposing cheese from Thanksgiving appetizers, you can use thinly sliced or cubed cheese in the quesadillas– no need to shred it.
Variations on a Thanksgiving Leftover Quesadilla
The best thing about this Thanksgiving leftover recipe is that it’s versatile. Use whatever you have (looking at you, mashed potatoes!) mix it all up, and let it melt together. Pick your favorite leftovers and flavors. Have some sweet potatoes? Add them in! Broccoli casserole? It’s the perfect thing to mix in! Have fun with it. You really can’t go wrong with this quesadilla.
Use whatever meat you prefer, or whatever type you have the most of. Breast meat is easy to cut into bite-sized pieces, dark meat is generally moister….so much to decide!
Once the cheese is melted, everything holds together beautifully. But before that happens, it can be tricky to flip the quesadilla. Use a spatula to slide the quesadilla onto a small plate. Top with a second plate, this one inverted. Flip the whole thing, remove the top plate, and slide the tortilla wrap back into the pan to finish browning!
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover Thanksgiving quesadillas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in a pan set over medium-low heat, flipping once, until warmed through and melty.
How to Freeze
To freeze these turkey quesadillas, I recommend cutting them into wedges and stacking them in an airtight container or Ziplock bag. They will keep for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through and melty.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your Thanksgiving quesadilla with some turkey gravy for dipping and a side of basmati rice, sweet potato fries, or refried beans.
5-Star Review
“I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of leftovers quesadillas! Brilliant! And so versatile. ” – Mel
Thanksgiving Quesadilla Recipe (Turkey Quesadilla)
Ingredients
- 4 whole wheat tortillas
- 2 cups Thanksgiving turkey chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup cranberry sauce
- 2 cup shredded cheese I used cheddar, Asiago, and pepper jack!
- ¼ cup chopped fresh sage
Instructions
- Spray a large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium heat.
- Place the first wrap in the bottom of the skillet and top with ¼ cup cheese, ½ cup turkey, ¼ cup cranberry sauce, ⅛ cup sage, another ¼ cup cheese, and the second wrap. Grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until melty and delicious.
- Take off the heat and cut into quarters to serve. Repeat with other ingredients to make a second quesadilla.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Flipping the tortilla can be a little tricky. To avoid spills, use a spatula to slide the quesadilla onto a small plate. Cover with another plate; flip; remove the top plate and slide it all back into the skillet.
- Don’t overload the wraps with food. Pay attention to the quantities listed in the recipe to avoid soggy, leaking quesadillas.
- The sage leaves can be chopped to spread the flavor throughout. You can also use dried sage.
- If you’re repurposing cheese from Thanksgiving appetizers, you can use thinly sliced or cubed cheese in the quesadillas– no need to shred it.
Nutrition Information
Butter the outside of the quesadillas and put into a HOT pan. When done with the outside of the quesadilla, put in the oven for 5-8 minutes at 400 degrees and immediately salt the outsides of the quesadilla. Let rest, slice and serve. I guarantee you, by doing it this way, these quesadillas will be the crispiest, tastiest and most flaky quesadillas you will ever eat.
Thanks for sharing, John!
Is the 753 calories for the whole quesadilla or per serving?
per quesadilla :)
Quick and tasty way to use some leftovers. The sage is great (if you like it). For a little more zing, use sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese. Definitely serve this immediately to keep the flavors. I tried one that had cooled and it just went blah.
Great suggestions!! I’ll have to try those out!
Hi Becky!
I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of leftovers vet quesadillas! Brilliant! And so versatile.
May I use this recipe and an image in a Thanksgiving leftovers recipe roundup?
Thank you!
I am looking forward to making this recipe as part of my holiday leftover meal planning & sharing it w/my cooking friends, but I have a question. The amount of ingredients listed does not seem to match the directions for assembly. For example, 1/2 cup turkey per quesadilla would use 1 cup total, not 2 .. & 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese combo per tortilla would use 1 cup total, not 2. It appears this question has already been asked, but I do not see an answer Can you clarify pls. Thanks :-)
I’m confused. In 1st quesadilla you used 1/2 c turkey or only 1/4 of the total 2 C, and the same with the cheese. So did you list more than enough in the recipe or did you get it wrong in the directions?
Nice recipe, but the 20 trackers that you try to place on my computer are excessive to say the least. YOU are in control of the content here, if your host can’t remove the trackers, find ANOTHER! 20 is ridiculous!
Hey James, I’m sorry for the trouble. I put ads on my site because I do this as my full-time job. The cookie ads can be disabled by disabling cookies on your browser. Im not sure what you mean by trackers…other than the ads I don’t have any type of tracker and I don’t receive any of that type of information. The ads are just supplied by google. I do appreciate you stopping by and totally respect your opinion. Hope you have a great weekend.
Saw your quesadilla recipe in a Good Housekeeping round up and it was perfect timing because I was just thinking of things to do with leftover Thanksgiving turkey – since Thanksgiving is right around the corner. This looks amazing!
Aw thank you Melissa! Means a lot!
can you post some more pictures of the finished product?
I just started planning our thanksgiving dinner! Love this – I’m always looking for more leftover ideas! Happy Friday!
I saw your IG pic yesterday! Looked like some mighty yummy recipe testing going on!