This is 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, and black beans tucked inside a tortilla make the perfect combination.
Grace resists taking naps these days. She's just so over all that baby stuff. Nonetheless, she gets very tired some days. Don't we all?
Once in a while, I can convince her to lay down in my bed - with me and Allie - so that we can encourage Allie to take a nap.
Allie really resists taking naps; she always has. So, the three of us lay in my bed, pull up the covers, read a story or two, and then we are quiet and still for fifteen minutes. Most of the time, quiet and still turns into a little snooze.
One day last week, I tried to get Allie to take a nap all afternoon. She was so tired that her eyelids drooped every time I held her close. She was exhausted.
Finally, around 3:15, I enlisted Grace, who wasn't acting tired at all, to help me out by laying down next to Allie in my bed. She was happy to oblige me, choosing a couple of books and heading for my bedroom. We read her Christmas stories, cuddled under the blankets, and we were all quiet and still.
Exactly three minutes later, Grace was asleep. When Joe came home fifteen minutes later, Grace was snoring, and Allie was babbling and laughing and trying to attack the cat.
Joe took Allie to her dark bedroom (hooray for black out curtains), and they took a nap together.
Two hours later, everyone was still quiet and still.
I replied to emails, wrote blog posts, and made a productive afternoon for myself.
Nobody made dinner.
The whole crew woke up just a few minutes before 6, hungry and ready to eat.
Nobody had even made plans for dinner.
Fortunately, we still had some turkey left over from Thanksgiving, and we had the ingredients to make these quesadillas. We threw them together in a few minutes, and they tasted great.
What you'll need to make leftover turkey quesadillas
Equipment
Ingredients
- Olive oil - I prefer cooking spray to actual oil because I can use less and still prevent the quesadillas from sticking.
- 1 pound turkey, shredded or cut into small cubes - I think the smaller you cut this, the better.
- 2 tablespoons 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 cheddar is good.
- Flour tortillas - You'll need 2 tortillas for each quesadilla, unless you intend to fold a large tortilla in half and just make a half circle.
- Sour cream and salsa 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.
- Prepare the turkey. Sprinkle a pound of chopped or shredded turkey with 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning, taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, BBQ seasoning, or a cup of 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. 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 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 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. Sprinkle a pound of chopped or shredded turkey with 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning, taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, BBQ seasoning, or a cup of 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. Microwave the spicy or saucy turkey for 2 minutes to get it nice and warm.
- Prepare the bottom tortilla. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and then add a tortilla. Top with 2 tablespoons of cheese and allow the cheese to melt and the tortilla to get crispy. When it is done, remove from the skillet and set aside but close by.
- Assemble the quesadilla. Place a second tortilla in the pan, then top with 2 tablespoons of cheese, 4 oz of the chicken mixture, and a sprinkle of tomatoes, avocado, black olives, beans, and corn. 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.
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.
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 shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 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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