For many years my in-laws hosted a New Year’s Day recovery open house where they served vast pots of turkey soup made from the donated carcasses of all of their friends’ Christmas turkeys. Isn’t that a brilliant idea? All afternoon their friends would come by for some restorative soup and a drink or two to welcome in the New Year.
My go-to recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas leftovers is turkey potpie. I make the filling every year from scratch, the recipe always in flux depending on the leftovers. I finally got around to trying to quantify the amounts when a reader requested it a few years back. Check it out here. The filling is super easy and I top it with store-bought puff pastry, which makes the whole thing a doddle, as my British friends would say.
This year I wanted to try something a little bit different and decided on quesadillas which incorporate the typical leftovers from my cheeseboard as well. There always seems to be a wedge of Brie, but you can surely use whatever cheese you've got. I can’t give exact amounts since you’ll make as many as your leftovers will allow but I’ll try to approximate how much I used for each quesadilla.
If you struggle with the leftover blues, make sure to scroll down to see all the great ideas my Sunday Supper friends are sharing this week.
Ingredients per quesadilla
2 fresh flour tortillas – I used mixed grain
4-5 slices Brie
5-6 teaspoons whole cranberry sauce
2-3 slices turkey
Method
Put 2-3 teaspoons of cranberry sauce dotted around on one tortilla. Break the Brie and turkey slices into smaller pieces and arrange them on top of the cranberry sauce.
Finish with a few more spoons of cranberry sauce. Put the other tortilla on top and press down lightly to stick it all together.
Warm the quesadilla on a griddle or a non-stick pan for a few minutes over a medium heat, waiting to turn it to the other side when the Brie has melted a bit and can act as a “glue” to hold the tortillas together.
Carefully turn the quesadilla over and brown on the other side, cooking for just a minute or two more, until the filling is warmed through.
Remove from the griddle and leave to cool for a few minutes before cutting the quesadillas into quarters (or smaller) with a sharp knife or pizza wheel. Serve with extra cranberry sauce if you have enough left over.
Enjoy!
Many thanks to this week's host, Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures and our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections. We've got nearly 30 outstanding ideas for transforming your holiday leftovers.
Breakfast
- Country Skillet Breakfast by The Freshman Cook
- Mashed Potato Craisin Bread by Baking Sense
- Sweet Potato Casserole Waffles by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Appetizers
- Brie Cranberry Turkey Quesadillas by Food Lust People Love
- Mini Stuffing Muffins by An Appealing Plan
- Turkey Egg Rolls with Cranberry Sauce by Brunch-n-Bites
- Turkey Glass Noodle Salad by Sunday Supper Movement
Soups
- Arroz Caldo with Turkey by Asian In America
- Bacon Egg Potato and Turkey Soup by Family Foodie
- Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Lemony Chicken-Lentil Soup with Couscous by What Smells So Good?
Mains
- "Australian Pie" – Leftover Turkey Pie with Raisins and Bechamel by Caroline’s Cooking
- Bubble Up Hot Brown Casserole by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Cranberry Chipotle BBQ Chicken Pizza by A Mind “Full” Mom
- Cranberry Pork Tenderloin by The Crumby Cupcake
- Creamed Spinach Turkey Pasta by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Healthy Turkey Quesadillas with Cranberry Apple Salsa by Food Done Light
- Leftover Turkey Noodle Casserole by Cricket's Confections
- Leftover Turkey Pasta with Mushrooms by Cooking Chat
- Turkey Alfredo Stuffed Shells by Palatable Pastime
- Turkey Broccoli and Cheddar Pot Pie by Cookin’ Mimi
- Turkey Grilled Cheese with Cranberry and Brie by Life Tastes Good
- Turkey Pot Pie Casserole by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Turkey Shepard’s Pie by Monica’s Table
Sides
- Baked Mashed Potato Pancakes by Pies and Plots
- Leftover Mashed Potato Puff Casserole by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Dessert
- Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies by NinjaBaker.com
Pin these Brie Cranberry Turkey Quesadillas!
