These delicious quesadillas are made with leftover turkey, leftover cranberry sauce, and three types of cheese (brie, cheddar, and mozzarella). They take minutes to make! They are seriously so good I will be making them from now on a regular basis, not just with leftover turkey. They are also great with chicken, give them a try!

A stack of turkey quesadillas on a wooden board. Fresh cranberries and cranberry sauce in the background.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make these delicious quesadillas:

Leftover turkey or chicken – this recipe will work well with both, I used my leftover Thanksgiving turkey for this recipe (the recipe is yet to be published). You could also use leftover turkey tenderloin or turkey leg. If you want to make this from scratch, you can just cut turkey/chicken breast/tenderloin into small cubes, season with salt, pepper, and cook in a pan.
Cranberry sauce – I used my homemade cranberry orange sauce (so delicious!).
Cheese – I used three types of cheese for this recipe:
- brie cheese – it melts very good, tastes delicious and pairs perfectly with cranberry sauce – I would not recommed skipping it even if you’re not a fan of eating it raw (I’m not)
- sharp cheddar cheese – adds great flavor
- mozzarella – adds a different flavor and provides that ‘cheese pull’ – you can substitute it for more cheddar, I used low-moisture mozzarella not mozzarella in brine
Tortillas – I used wheat tortillas, corn wouldn’t go so well with the other ingredients.

Step by step instructions

A collage of 3 photos showing preparation steps of turkey quesadillas.

STEP 1: Sprinkle 1/4 of cheddar and 1/4 of mozzarella on half of a tortilla. Top with 1/4 of turkey meat.

STEP 2: Spoon over 1/4 of the cranberry sauce, and top with 1/4 of the brie (cut into small cubes). Season the filling with salt and pepper.

STEP 3: Fold the tortilla in half. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot add the folded tortilla to the pan. Cook until it’s golden on both sides and the cheese is melted.

Transfer to a cutting board, sprinkle lightly with salt while still hot, and cut in half.

Enjoy!

TIP: You can also cook quesadilla without the oil but I prefer it much more with oil – they are more crispy and tasty.

How to cook quesadillas in the oven

If you’re making more quesadillas you can also finish them in the oven instead of on the stovetop. Here’s how to do it:

Brush the quesadillas on both sides with melted butter.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 425°F/220°C for about 10 minutes or until golden.

Storage

Make ahead: These quesadillas are great to make ahead! Wrap them in plastic foil then store them in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat on a dry pan over medium-low heat on both sides until crunchy and golden. Please note that reheated quesadillas won’t be as crunchy as freshly prepared. They will always be a little more soggy, but they are still great.

Alternatively, you can store the filling and tortillas separately and assemble just before serving.

How to freeze them: wrap each quesadilla in plastic wrap and freeze in a single layer. Once frozen transfer to bags or containers. Thaw in the fridge then reheat in a pan. You can also thaw them in a microwave or in the oven. You can also bake them straight from the freezer at 350°F/180°C then broil at the end (or turn on the fan) to make them crispy.

More quesadilla recipes

Check out all my quesadilla recipes here.

Turkey quesadillas with brie and cranberry sauce on a wooden board.

Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!