Cheesy on the inside and crispy on the outside, Leftover Pork Quesadillas are the perfect solution for busy day dinner. Start with leftover pork tenderloin, chops or roast, then add in more flavor by tossing in sausage, peppers, onions, seasonings – and, of course, lots of cheese. You’ll have a mouthwatering dish that you’ll make over and over again, like I do!
Note: You can use just about any leftovers in this recipe – pork, steak, chicken, shrimp, even chopped vegetables!
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What to do with Leftover Pork Loin Chops
One night when my husband Robert and I were camping in our Airstream trailer, I created these super quick and easy Leftover Pork Quesadillas for dinner. We had arrived late at our campsite (just outside Cincinnati – read about our traveling adventures on that trip here) and didn’t finish setting up until after 7 pm, so I wanted a meal that didn’t take much time or effort to put together. Quesadillas seemed like the perfect idea. Crispy on the outside, full of flavor on the inside, these Leftover Quesadillas will be your new go-to for easily and creatively using up leftovers.
Leftover Pork Quesadillas Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what I put in these pork quesadillas. Note that this recipe is extremely flexible; you can use just about any leftover protein – pork, steak, chicken, shrimp, etc. I’ve even used chopped vegetables.
- Olive or vegetable oil
- Yellow or red onion
- Green, red or orange bell pepper
- Mexican seasoning
- Cooked pork loin chops (can also use leftover pork tenderloin or pork roast)
- Cooked breakfast turkey sausages
- Flour tortillas
- Sharp Cheddar cheese
- Tomato-Mango Salsa (or purchased salsa), for garnish
- Additional optional garnishes: sour cream, nonfat yogurt, chopped avocado, chopped cilantro.
Can this recipe be made with Leftover Pork Tenderloin or Leftover Pork Roast?
Yes, this recipe can be made with any type of leftover cooked pork – or any leftover protein for that matter!
How to make Leftover Pork Chop Quesadillas
These quesadillas are super quick and easy to prepare. You’ll have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes!
- Prep onions and peppers.
Peel, cut off root end and slice 1/2 a large yellow onion into 1/4-inch wide slices. (Can also use red onion.) Cut the top and bottom off of 1/2 a large green or red bell pepper. Remove the core and seeds, then slice into 1/4-inch wide slices. - Cook onions and peppers.
In a large, flat bottomed skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add sliced onion and bell pepper; sprinkle with a coating of Mexican seasoning and cook, stirring frequently, until soft.
- Add pork and sausage.
Stir in chopped cooked pork and turkey sausage and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Stuff quesadillas – first layer of cheese.
Place tortillas side by side on a cutting board. Sprinkle 1/4 of cheese on half of each tortilla.
- Add pork-onion mixture.
Spoon pork filling on top of cheese, dividing evenly between the 2 tortillas.
- Add second layer of cheese.
Sprinkle remaining Cheddar cheese on top of filling.
- Fold tortillas; cook.
Fold tortillas in half around filling; brush one side with oil. Reheat the same large skillet (no need to clean it out) over medium heat. Add stuffed tortillas, oiled side down and side-by-side in the pan. Cook until until lightly browned on the bottom, around 3 to 4 minutes. Flip tortillas over and continue cooking until lightly browned on the other side, around another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Slice and serve.
Cut each tortilla in half or thirds and serve with any or all of the recommended garnishes.
Watch the video!
FAQ Leftover Pork Chop Recipe
It’s easiest to shred pork when it’s freshly cooked, or warm. So, with chilled leftover pork chops, you have a few choices:
– Chop into 1-inch pieces, place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a few times until shredded.
– Or, place chops in a skillet with around 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or broth, cover and cook over medium-low heat until the chops are warmed through. Remove from heat. Use to forks to shred the meat: insert forks into middle of a chop (with backs of forks touching) and pull the forks in opposite directions. The meat should fall apart into shreds. If it doesn’t easily come apart, cut the chop into smaller pieces and try again.
Refrigerated cooked pork will last three to four days, according to the USDA.
More Favorites from A Well-Seasoned Kitchen
Leftover Pork Quesadillas
Quesadillas are an excellent way to use up leftovers – like these scrumptious Leftover Pork Quesadillas. Cooked pork is combined with sausage, peppers, onion, seasonings and lots of cheese then stuffed inside flour tortillas and sautéed. Crispy on the outside, full of flavor on the inside. You can use just about any leftovers – pork, steak, chicken, shrimp, even chopped vegetables!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings (can easily be doubled or tripled) 1x
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, divided use
- 1/3 large yellow or red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 green, red or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
- Mexican seasoning
- 2 cooked pork loin chops (around 1/2-inch thick), chopped
- 2 cooked small breakfast turkey sausages (like Jimmy Dean), chopped
- 2 8-inch flour tortillas
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided use
- Tomato-Mango Salsa (or purchased salsa), for garnish
- Additional optional garnishes: sour cream, nonfat yogurt, chopped avocado, chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large, flat bottomed skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat.
- Add sliced onion and bell pepper; sprinkle with a coating of Mexican seasoning and cook, stirring frequently, until soft.
- Stir in chopped cooked pork and turkey sausage and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place tortillas side by side on a cutting board. Sprinkle 1/4 of cheese on half of each tortilla.
- Spoon pork filling on top of cheese, dividing evenly between the 2 tortillas.
- Sprinkle remaining Cheddar cheese on top of filling.
- Fold tortillas in half around filling, and brush one side of tortillas with oil.
- Reheat the same large skillet (no need to clean it out) over medium heat. Add stuffed tortillas, oiled side down and side-by-side in the pan. Cook until until lightly browned on the bottom, around 3 to 4 minutes. Flip tortillas over and continue cooking until lightly browned on the other side, around another 3 to 4 minutes..
- Cut each quesadilla into wedges (3 or 4 wedges per quesadilla) and serve with any or all of the recommended garnishes.
- Category: main dish, leftovers, quick and easy
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Southwestern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 quesadilla (excl. toppings)
- Calories: 680
- Sugar: 2.6 g
- Sodium: 1071.9 mg
- Fat: 41.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 11.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.8 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 40.4 g
- Cholesterol: 113.7 mg
This recipe was a great find! I made it with leftover pork roast, no sausage, added in some chopped green peppers and topped it with Pace salsa and cilantro. Yum yum. Thanks!
★★★★★
Thanks Suzy.
I tried this recipe, excellent!
Very good.
★★★★★
Glad you liked it!
Perfect! Love this recipe – will make again with other leftovers.
★★★★★
Great!