Leftover Chili Quesadillas
on Oct 16, 2025
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If you’ve got leftover chili and a pack of tortillas and some cheese, congratulations – dinner is basically done. These leftover Chili Quesadillas are the perfect way to give chili a second life: the rich, spicy filling blends into a layer of gooey cheese, surrounded by crisped-up tortillas. Ten minutes, one pan, and you have a meal that tasted like it was the plan all along.
There are few things more satisfying than realizing that the leftovers in your fridge are actually the makings of a whole new amazing meal. Leftover chili quesadillas are easy, fast, and so good that you will probably find yourself making extra chili with an eye on these quesadillas later in the week.
The chili brings the flavor and hearty texture, the cheese brings the meltiness, and the crispy pan-warmed tortillas pull it all together into dinner. These will NOT feel like leftovers, that I assure you.
Can you use any chili you have to make these? Yes! You can! See below for suggestions.
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What's In This Post?
Ingredients
- Butter – Adds flavor, promotes browning.
- Flour tortillas – Eight-inch tortillas are a great choice for quesadillas.
- Cheese – A shredded blend of Mexican cheese is preferred, but you can use Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack, or layer in a variety of all three.
- Leftover chili – Chili recipe recommendations just below.
- Toppings – Serve these quesadillas with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, or any of your other favorite toppings.
Chili Recipes for Chili Quesadillas!
Quesadillas are just the thing to make when you have a couple of cups of leftover chili, not quite enough to feed your gang. The most awesome part is that I haven’t met a chili that doesn’t work here. Beef chili, chicken chili, turkey chili, vegetarian chili — yes, yes, yes, and yes.
How to Make Chili Quesadillas
- Warm a tortilla: Melt butter in a large skillet and place a tortilla in the pan.
- Build the quesadilla: Sprinkle cheese over half of the tortilla, then add a layer of chili, and top it off with more shredded cheese.
- Fold, flip, and cook: Flip the bare part of the tortilla over the filling, cover the pan, and sauté for 2 minutes, until golden. Flip the quesadilla, and cook uncovered for a few more minutes until the cheese is melted and the underside is brown.
- Serve: Let the quesadilla rest for a minute once out of the pan, then slice it into 2 or 3 wedges. Continue until you have cooked all of the quesadillas. Serve with guacamole or diced avocados, salsa, and sour cream.
Like Sloppy Joes, but a Quesadilla
These quesadillas need a little warning: they are messy. Even if your chili is nice and thick, it’s still chili, and chili is pretty much a loose combo of meat, beans, and vegetables (or just meat and vegetables, or just beans and vegetables, or just meat and beans, or…you get it).
So all that you need to do is not make these for someone on a first date unless you really want to fast-track your compatibility stress test process. If you think you like someone, and they eat chili quesadillas with you on a first or second date, smile when chili falls out of the quesadilla and onto the table, and hand you a napkin, then they definitely like you, too. Maybe a lot.
Speaking of which, Sloppy Joe filling would be a good option for these quesadillas instead of chili.
What to Serve With Beefy Chili Cheese Quesadillas
Another nice thing is that the condiments and toppings that go well with these quesadillas are the same ones that you may have on hand from your chili dinner. Salsa, Pico de Gallo, sour cream, and the shredded cheese that I hope you stocked up on for the chili will now be the base of the quesadilla. Avocado or guacamole, check.
The only other thing needed for a complete meal might be a simple salad.
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Chili Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons unsalted butter (divided)
- 8 8-inch flour tortillas
- 3 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican blend cheese (or a combo of cheddar and Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack)
- 2 cups chili of your choice (see suggestions above!)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a 1/2 teaspoon of butter. Place a tortilla in the pan.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture over half of the quesadilla, and distribute 1/8 of the chili over the cheese. Top that with another 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese.
- Flip the bare half of the tortilla over the filling, cover the pan, and sauté for about 2 minutes until the bottom is golden and the cheese has started to melt, then use a spatula to flip the half-moon quesadilla, and continue to cook, uncovered, until all of the cheese is melted and the underside is browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove the quesadilla to a cutting board and let the quesadilla sit for a minute before you slice it into 2 or 3 wedges. Repeat until all of the quesadillas are cooked. Serve with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.
Notes
Nutrition
More Quesadilla Recipes
- Steak and Cheese Quesadillas
- Easiest Baked Chicken Quesadillas
- Cheesy Mushroom Quesadillas
- Cheesy Ground Beef and Vegetable Quesadillas
- Pulled Pork Quesadillas
Also Read: How to Make Quesadillas
