These delicious turkey quesadillas are a great recipe for Thanksgiving leftovers. It's a quick and easy lunch that gives this traditional meat a non-traditional spin. The turkey, cheese, black beans, and more tucked inside a tortilla make the perfect combination.
Why this is the best leftover turkey quesadilla recipe
These gooey, cheesy quesadillas are a delicious way to serve leftover roast turkey without your family complaining that it's leftovers again.
They're filled with veggies and roast turkey! All that lean protein and fiber make these super healthy and hearty at the same time.
These quesadillas use common ingredients. You probably already have everything you need in your pantry.
These quesadillas are very simple and quick. Just a few quick steps, and dinner is done in under 15 minutes!
Leftover turkey quesadillas are customizable. I give one suggestion for a loaded quesadilla below, but you can add as many or as few toppings/fillings as you'd like! The only requirements for a turkey quesadilla are turkey, shredded cheese, and tortillas. Everything else is up to you.
Leftover turkey quesadillas are allergy-friendly and good for special diets. If you're gluten-free, use gluten-free corn tortillas. If you're dairy-free, use a dairy-free shredded cheese. If you eat a keto or bariatric diet, use low-carb or carb-free tortillas. Everything else should be fine for everyone, but you should always check your specific ingredients to ensure they are acceptable for your dietary needs. If you're vegetarian, you can either make these tortillas without the turkey or skip over to cheese and onion quesadillas and make those instead.
What you'll need to make leftover turkey quesadillas
Equipment
- Quesadilla maker or a large nonstick skillet or cast iron frying pan
A quesadilla maker makes quick work of these. We invested in one a few years ago, and it is awesome. They aren't expensive, and there is no better or easier way to make this simple and easy meal.
Ingredients
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.
- Olive oil - I prefer cooking spray to actual oil because I can use less and still prevent the quesadillas from sticking.
- Leftover roast turkey, shredded or cut into small cubes - I think the smaller you cut this, the better. You can use leftover roast turkey, ground turkey, shredded turkey, canned chicken, shredded chicken, leftover rotisserie chicken - the protein options are almost limitless!
- Fajita seasoning mix - You can substitute this out for
- taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, BBQ seasoning, dry ranch mix, or even a cup of your favorite sauce like BBQ, ranch, or buffalo sauce.
- Diced tomato - My daughter likes tomatoes in her quesadilla. I personally hate raw tomatoes and leave them out of mine.
- Diced avocado - Avocados are food from the gods, so naturally you must include them.
- Sliced black olives - I buy pre-sliced black olives because seriously, who has the time to stand at the counter slicing individual olives?
- Black beans, drained and rinsed - I put black beans in everything because they are healthy and delicious.
- Corn kernels - I typically prefer frozen corn, but canned Mexicorn is nice too.
- Shredded Mexican cheese blend - If you can't find this, shredded monterey jack, pepper jack, or sharp cheddar cheese is also good, but any shredded cheese will work. I wouldn't recommend mozzarella, but feel free to use what you have.
- Flour tortillas - You can use flour or corn tortillas, as you prefer.
- Sour cream and salsa to serve
- Fresh cilantro to serve
How to make leftover turkey quesadillas in a quesadilla maker
These quesadillas are so simple and so easy. It's just a matter of sprinkling ingredients over the tortilla and cooking it. If you have a quesadilla maker, it will be super simple. This is how we make ours. Keep scrolling for skillet instructions.
- Prepare the turkey. Sprinkle chopped or shredded turkey with fajita seasoning, taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, BBQ seasoning, jerk seasoning, or the sauce of your choice. We really like the seasoning blends, but you could use almost any sauce - BBQ, ranch dressing, sweet and sour, buffalo wing sauce (with or without blue cheese or ranch dressing), or no sauce at all. Microwave the spicy or saucy turkey for 2 minutes to get it nice and warm.
- Prepare the quesadilla maker. Oil the top and bottom plates of the quesadilla maker with a spritz of cooking spray or a tiny bit of oil on a paper towel. Preheat the machine as indicated in the instructions.
- Assemble the quesadilla. When the machine is hot, place on tortilla on the bottom plate, then top with cheese, chicken mixture, tomatoes, avocado, black olives, beans, and corn. End with more cheese and close the lid of the quesadilla maker. (See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for how much of each thing to add.)
- Cook until the cheese is completely melted and the tortilla is crispy.
- Cut and serve. When the quesadilla is done, remove it from the quesadilla maker and cut into 4 wedges. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt and salsa, if desired.
How to make leftover turkey quesadillas on the stovetop
- Prepare the turkey. Shred or slice your roast turkey.
- Sprinkle chopped or shredded turkey with fajita seasoning, taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, BBQ seasoning, or the sauce of your choice. We really like the seasoning blends, but you could use almost any sauce - BBQ, ranch dressing, sweet and sour, buffalo wing sauce (with or without bleu cheese), or no sauce at all.
- Mix it up really well, and then microwave the spicy or saucy turkey for 2 minutes to get it nice and warm. You're going to cook the quesadilla on the stove, but it will only cook for a couple of minutes, and that is not long enough to heat up the turkey.
- Prepare the bottom tortilla. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and then add a tortilla. Top with cheese and allow the cheese to melt and the tortilla to get crispy. When it is golden brown on the bottom and the cheese is melty, remove from the skillet and set aside but close by.
- Assemble the quesadilla. Place a second tortilla in the pan, then top with cheese and the turkey mixture.
- Then add tomatoes, avocado, black olives, beans, and corn. (See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for how much of each thing to add.)
- Add more cheese as per the recipe card.
- Top with the previously crisped tortilla with the cheese side down. Cook until the cheese is completely melted and the quesadilla is glued together.
- Cut and serve. When the quesadilla is done, remove it from the skillet and cut into 4 wedges.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt and salsa, if desired.
How to make leftover turkey quesadillas in the oven
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Prepare the turkey as directed above in the skillet section.
- Brush half of the tortillas with melted butter or a spritz of cooking spray. Place these butter-side down on a baking sheet.
- Assemble the quesadillas as directed above in the skillet section. Tortilla, cheese, turkey, toppings, more cheese, second tortilla.
- Brush the top tortillas with melted butter or a spritz of cooking spray.
- Bake the tortillas for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Tips for the best turkey quesdillas
My favorite method to cook the quesadillas is the quesadilla maker, followed closely by the skillet method. My least favorite is the oven. It's the easiest because you can make multiple at one time, but the top tortillas get too crispy and not brown enough in my opinion.
Watch the tortillas carefully as they burn quickly. If yours seems to be getting too brown before the cheese melts, turn the heat down to medium or even medium-low.
No salt is added to this recipe because there's already salt in the fajita seasoning (and in all the other seasoning recipes I suggest).
Don't use too many fillings. There is a point at which the cheese can't hold the quesadilla together and then it will fall apart when cooking. So use what you want but be mindful not to stuff it too full. See the photos for a guide.
Variations and substitutions
Of course, you could make these leftover quesadillas with shredded rotisserie chicken, even leftover taco meat (ground beef or ground turkey), or leftover pulled pork.
I suggest putting fajita seasoning (which I make myself) on your leftover turkey to give it some flavor. I like the fajita seasoning because it has cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and a few other spices mixed in, and it gives the turkey a really nice, barely spicy Mexican flavor. You could also use taco seasoning, BBQ seasoning, jerk seasoning, or cajun seasoning, or any number of different sauces including buffalo wing sauce or BBQ sauce. (There's a tasty sugar-free BBQ sauce recipe in this sloppy joes post.)
Fajita seasoning is flavorful but not spicy. If you want spicy quesadillas, add a pinch of cayenne to the seasoning and whisk it together before putting it on the turkey.
The fillings are customizable and completely up to you. I personally hate raw tomatoes, so I don't put them in my quesadilla. One of my kids loves them, and one hates them. The nice thing about quesadillas is that everyone's is made separately so can be customized to their individual tastes.
Additional fillings that can be delicious:
- You could use almost any veggies, although you may want to cook them first as they will not get tender in the couple of minutes your quesadilla needs to cook.
- Diced onion, either raw or caramelized
- Diced green or red bell pepper, either raw or sautéed
- Diced zucchini, sautéed
- Spinach, either raw or sautéed
- Diced jalapeno or poblano pepper
- Guacamole (this can go inside or on top)
- Refried beans
- Pinto beans
- Kidney beans
The only thing I would caution you about is not to use too many fillings. There is a point at which the cheese can't hold the quesadilla together and then it will fall apart when cooking. So use what you want but be mindful not to stuff it too full. See the photos for a guide.
And great toppings include:
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Cucumber salsa
- Black bean & avocado salsa
- Tomato salsa
- Guacamole
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh lime wedges (to squeeze)
How to store leftover quesadillas
As with most sandwiches, quesadillas are best when fresh. They aren't going to taste as good after being stored. Even so, it is possible to store them.
Place leftover quesadillas in an airtight container, such as a plastic storage bag, and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat leftovers, I would put them in the air fryer at 400ºF for 2-4 minutes or until hot and gooey. You could also reheat them in a skillet over medium-low heat or on a sheet pan in a 375ºF oven for 10-15 minutes. My last resort would be the microwave, because that will make the tortilla soggy.
I would not freeze leftover quesadillas.
The Rest of our Thanksgiving Menu
We don't get creative with our Thanksgiving menu. We like routines. We like the comfort of the same old food.
- Roast Turkey
- Creamy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Candied Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Vegetable & Cornbread Stuffing
- Old-Fashioned Chestnut Stuffing Recipe
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole
- Traditional Green Bean Casserole
- Fluffy Cranberry Fruit Salad with Pineapple
- Homemade Orange Cranberry Sauce
- Praline Pumpkin Pecan Pie
- The Worlds' Best Pecan Pie
- Couldn't Be Easier Cherry Pie
- No Church Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
And for the leftovers, try one of these delights:
You can read more about my easy and traditional Thanksgiving menu.
Recipe
Leftover Turkey Quesadillas
Equipment
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 pounds turkey shredded or cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 1 avocado diced
- ½ cups Black olives sliced
- ½ cups black beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cups corn Mexicorn is nice
- 1 cups Mexican blend cheese
- 8 flour tortillas
- sour cream to serve
Instructions
- In a shallow microwave-safe bowl, combine the turkey with the fajita seasoning, tossing to coat. Cover the bowl, leaving one side open a bit. Microwave until heated through, around 2 minutes.
Using a quesadilla maker
- Preheat the quesadilla maker until the light goes on (or off, depending on the model). Spritz the plate of the quesadilla maker with cooking spray or use a tiny bit of olive oil on a paper towel to grease it. Place one tortilla on the plate then top with 2 tablespoons of cheese, 4 oz of the chicken mixture, and a sprinkle of tomatoes, avocado, black olives, beans, and corn. End with another 2 tablespoons of cheese and close the lid of the quesadilla maker. Cook until the cheese is completely melted and the tortilla is crispy.
- Cut in quarters to make 4 wedges, and serve with a dollop of sour cream. Repeat with the other tortillas.
Using a skillet on the stovetop
- Heat a bit of olive oil in small sauté pan over medium heat. Place one tortilla in the pan. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese over the first tortilla, and heat until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Place a second tortilla in the pan. Sprinkle with another 2 tablespoons of cheese, then 4 oz of the chicken, and a sprinkle of tomatoes, avocado, black olives, beans, and corn. Top with the second tortilla, cheese side down. Heat the whole thing for a minute or two, until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is browned.
- Cut in quarters to make 4 wedges, and serve with a dollop of sour cream. Repeat with the other tortillas.
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