Turkey Cranberry Quesadilla
Freeze-dried turkey, dried cranberry sauce, and cheese pressed between tortillas over a stove.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- 120 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Flour tortillas | 4 small | corn tortillas crack in a pack; flour folds |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried shredded turkey or chicken | 1 1/2 cups | a foil pouch of chicken works if you skip the soak |
| Dried cranberries | 1/2 cup | |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp | |
| Hard cheese | 3 oz | gouda, havarti, or a firm jack; anything soft sweats |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste |
Method
- Boil about 120 ml of water. Pour half over the cranberries and sugar in a mug and half over the turkey in your pot. Let both sit ten minutes.
- Mash the cranberries against the side of the mug with your spoon until they break down into a rough jam. Salt and pepper the turkey.
- Drain any standing water off the turkey. Wipe the pot dry and set it back on low heat with a few drops of oil.
- Lay a tortilla in the pot. Cover it with sliced cheese, half the turkey, and half the cranberry mash. Top with the second tortilla.
- Cook three minutes, then flip with your spoon and a hand. One or two minutes more, until the cheese gives when you press it.
- Slide it out, repeat for the second one, and cut or tear into wedges.
This started as a Thanksgiving leftovers dish, which means it assumed a fridge full of roast turkey and a can of cranberry sauce. Neither travels. Freeze-dried turkey rehydrates in ten minutes and weighs almost nothing, and dried cranberries with a little sugar and hot water break down into something close enough to sauce once you mash them. The sweet-and-salty contrast is the whole point of the dish, so the cranberry step is not optional.
A dry pot on low heat is the closest thing to a skillet you have. Keep the flame low and the tortilla will brown before the cheese has a chance to run out the sides. Hard cheese matters more than the type: soft cheese turns to grease in a pot, while gouda or a firm jack melts and stays put.
Packing
Turkey, cranberries, and sugar each get their own small bag. Cheese rides wrapped in paper, not plastic, so it does not sweat. Tortillas go flat against the back panel of the pack or they arrive as crumbs.
Variations
- Foil-pouch chicken skips the soak entirely and cuts five minutes.
- A spoonful of instant stuffing mix scattered inside gives it the leftover-plate flavor.
- Powdered gravy mixed with a little hot water makes a dip on the side.
https://domesticsuperhero.com/turkey-cranberry-quesadillas-thanksgiving-leftovers-recipe