a simple recipe :: quesadillas, three different ways

I love having leftovers!  I usually make a little extra food every night for dinner.  My husband often takes some of it the next day for lunch, sometimes the kids and I eat some throughout the week, and usually one meal on the weekend is a leftover, clean up meal.  We all love this meal because we get to have a little variety of what we loved during the week, and some foods just taste better the second time around.

I have been trying to find some more creative ways to use our leftovers, especially when there isn’t a lot of it.  One thing we’ve all been loving is using leftover meat and making a variety of quesdadillas.  I will also take any veggies and different sauces and cheese to make different combinations and something good.  So here are a few of our recent favorites.

Basic Quesadillas

Ingredients:

Soft tortilla Shells (we like whole wheat)

Cheese (see below for variations)

Fillings (see below)

Lightly oil a non stick pan.   Layer tortilla shell, 1/8 cup cheese, fillings, 1/8 cups cheese, tortilla shell.  Cook on medium heat on stovetop until bottom tortilla shell is brown and cheese has started to melt.  Flip over and keep on medium heat until other side is browned.  Cut into 8 slices and serve with lettuce and sour cream.

Taco Quesadillas

Fillings- Leftover taco meat (1/2 cup), Colby jack cheese, 2 Tablespoons salsa

I love this combination and we always seem to have leftover taco meat!  You can add your favorite taco toppings at the end too!

Chicken Avocado Ranch Quesadillas

Fillings- 1/2 cup cubed chicken, 2 Tablespoons Ranch Dressing, 1/2 avocado sliced, mozzarella cheese

I use leftover chicken from the grill for this combination!  It’s definitely become a favorite in our house.  If you have a little extra bacon you need to use up, it adds a littler extra flavor to this delicious quesadilla!

Philly Steak Quesadillas

Fillings- 1/2 cup cubed steak (or ground beef) , sautéed onions and peppers, horseradish sauce, mozzarella cheese

If I have an extra burger or some pieces of steak left, cut it up into small pieces and make a delicious quesadilla!  This one is a favorite for my husband.

How do you use up leftovers?  What quesadilla combination would you make?