Leftover Pork Chop Quesadillas
These one-pan Leftover Pork Quesadillas are crispy on the outside, cheesy on the inside, and ready in just 25 minutes. A simple, flavorful way to use leftover pork for an easy weeknight dinner.
Servings: 2 servings (can easily be doubled or tripled)
Calories: 780kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil divided use
- 1/3 large yellow or red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 bell pepper thinly sliced, green, red, or orange bell pepper (or a mixture)
- Mexican seasoning
- 2 cooked pork loin chops (12 ounces) 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 the tortillas over and continue cooking until lightly browned on the other side, about 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Cut each quesadilla into wedges (3 or 4 wedges per quesadilla) and serve with any or all of the recommended garnishes.
Video
Notes
Variations: Can use almost any kind of leftover cooked protein, including pork tenderloin, roast pork loin, shrimp, chicken, even roasted vegetables!
Helpful Tips for the best quesadillas:
- Warm the filling first. Even if all the ingredients are already cooked, starting with a warm filling prevents the tortillas from browning before the center is heated through.
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses contain anti-caking agents that affect melting, while freshly grated sharp Cheddar gives the best flavor and texture.
- Grate cheese while cold. Cheese straight from the refrigerator is easier to handle and grates more evenly.
- Cook quesadillas over medium heat. This gives the cheese time to melt while allowing the tortillas to crisp and turn golden without burning.
- Don’t overfill the tortillas. A lighter filling heats more evenly and makes flipping easier.
- Press gently while cooking. Light pressure with a spatula helps the melting cheese bind with the filling, ensuring the quesadillas hold together when flipping.
Nutrition
Calories: 780kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 812mg | Potassium: 884mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1243IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 298mg | Iron: 3mg