Food waste is something that I am always trying to find ways to avoid. This weekend we had a family barbecue and half of the people cancelled within the last two days. We were left with lots of leftovers! Things that I had to work with: cooked cheeseburgers, corn on the cob, some extra chipotle salad dressing, cherry tomatoes and half of a Spanish onion. I also happened to have an open bag of burrito wraps, lots of cheese ends and an open container of sour cream. The combination of these things was so magical my husband called it Taco Bell on steroids. Not the greatest compliment for a chef, but the whole family loved them and begged for more so… Here is what I did for two meals this week.

-Diced up the cheeseburgers, cut the corn off the cob and heated them up together in a sauté pan.
-Grated cheeses that I had leftover which were Monterey Jack, American slices and ghost pepper colby jack.
-In a non stick pan over medium heat, heat the wrap on one side, flip and add the cheeses, then the fillings. By the time you have done that the cheese will be melted enough that you can close it up and just heat it long enough to have a crispy quesadilla.
-The chipotle cream sauce is sour cream mixed with a copycat of a Chipotle dressing recipe that I found on Once Upon a Chef many moons ago that is still a family favorite. (Check it out!)

It’s so fast and easy! I added quartered cherry tomatoes on mine and it tasted like the most perfect burger in a quesadilla. The meat can be substituted with grilled chicken, pulled chicken, pulled pork, “pulled” jack fruit or you can substitute the meat for beans for a vegetarian quesadilla.

I hope that this inspires you to try some fun combinations and especially to not throw away your leftovers! Cool leftovers down and refrigerate as soon as you can to keep them safe. When in doubt, throw it out!