Mini Mac & Cheese Quesadillas

These mini quesadillas are the perfect way to use up leftover mac and cheese. They’re easy to customize, fun to make and delicious to eat!

In this house (of two people) when I’m making mac and cheese I make enough for 8. Granted we eat half of it, but the rest goes straight in the fridge. This recipe is a great way to spruce up mac and cheese for lunch the next day. It’s also great if you’re making up a big batch for Thanksgiving or big cook outs/potluck. Heck, you can even make mac and cheese fresh for this recipe!

Mini Quesadillas

Besides the fact these are cute as hell, they also make the perfect finger food. Because when is carbs squashed between carbs not the perfect finger food? 🤣

What you’ll need..

You’ll want to use large flour tortillas and slice them into mini tortillas. Flour tortillas are preferable over corn tortillas as they’re more pliable, which is important as they’re going to be mini. I usually grab a small pot and cut around that to make the mini tortillas, but a cookie cutter works just as well. Alongside this you’ll just need some melted butter (can sub olive oil).

Can I make regular sized quesadillas?

If you want a mac and cheese quesadilla and you want it all up in your face as quick as possible, yes you can skip this step and make regular size quesadillas 😛

Process shots: lay tortilla on chopping board (photo 1), slice around small pot (photo 2), remove excess tortilla (photo 3), brush one side of each tortilla with butter (photo 4).

Mac and Cheese Quesadillas

What’s the best mac and cheese to use?

As obvious as it sounds, make sure it’s macaroni that’s used (or another small short-cut pasta). Larger shapes won’t fit well in the quesadillas. You preferably want a mac and cheese that was made with mozzarella in it. This will help keep the filling compact in the tortillas. In all cases though make sure you bring the mac and cheese to room temp, just so the quesadillas cook through evenly.

Can I make mac and cheese fresh for this recipe?

Absolutely! Here’s some inspo if you needed it:

• Spicy Jalapeño Mac and Cheese
• Roasted Garlic Mac and Cheese
• Smoky Chipotle Mac and Cheese
• Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
• Brie Mac and Cheese 

Mac and cheese quesadilla fillings

To spruce up these quesadillas I love adding in an extra layer on the mac and cheese. Here’s what I used this time around:

• Crispy Bacon
• Caramelized Onions
• Buffalo Sauce, Blue Cheese & Chives

Process shots: lay tortillas butter side down in pan (photo 1), add mac and cheese (photo 2), add fillings (photo 3), fold and fry fry (photo 4).

From there, depending on how dry the macaroni was I like to serve with a dip. Completely optional though 🙂

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these leftover mac and cheese quesadillas shall we?!

How to make Mac and Cheese Quesadillas (Full Recipe & Video)

Mini Leftover Mac and Cheese Quesadillas

These mini quesadillas are the perfect way to use up leftover mac and cheese. They're easy to customize, fun to make and delicious to eat!

5 from 5 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 12 mini quesadillas

Course: Leftovers / Lunch

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 199kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £1 / $1

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Equipment:

• 4.5"/12cm Cookie Cutter (or small bowl)
• Large Frying Pan & Spatula/Turner
• Small Pot & Brush (for melted butter)
• Toothpicks/Cocktail Sticks
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board

Ingredients (check list):

• ▢ 2 cups Leftover Mac and Cheese, at room temp (see notes)
• ▢ 4x 12" Flour Tortilla Wraps
• ▢ 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter (can sub olive oil)
• ▢ Fillings of choice (see notes for inspo)

Instructions:

• Use a 4.5"/12cm cookie cutter or cut around a similar sized pot, glass or bowl to create 3 mini tortilla circles from your 4 large tortillas (12 mini in total). Brush one side of each of those circles with butter.
• Place 3-4 tortillas butter-side-down in a large pan with the heat OFF. Add 1 tbsp mac and cheese to one side of each tortilla, sprinkle with any fillings then firmly fold over the other side.
• Secure with toothpicks if needed, then turn heat to medium. Fry both sides until light golden and crispy. Prep remaining quesadillas to one side as you go, working in batches to fry.
• Remove toothpicks then serve up with any dip you fancy!

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Best Leftover Mac and Cheese - You preferably want mac and cheese made with actual macaroni (i.e nice and small). Extra points if your mac and cheese was made with mozzarella - this will keep it compacted within the quesadilla. In all cases just make sure it's room temp when you use it.

b) Can I make Mac and Cheese just for this recipe? - If you're looking for a mac and cheese recipe here's my full range. If you're using any of these you probably won't need extra fillings as they're all quite funky as they are.

• Spicy Jalapeño Mac and Cheese
• Roasted Garlic Mac and Cheese
• Smoky Chipotle Mac and Cheese
• Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
• Brie Mac and Cheese 

c) Fillings - Here's what I use in the recipe/video:

• Caramelized Onions
• Bacon (make sure it's finely diced or the quesadillas won't close properly)
• Buffalo Sauce, Blue Cheese and Chives

You can really use anything you fancy though! Just make sure it's all very finely diced to ensure the quesadillas shut properly.

d) Can I make large Quesadillas? - Yup! They're just not quite as cute!!

e) Calories - Per mini quesadilla WITHOUT extra fillings. Very rough estimate as all mac and cheeses will be different.

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Mini Leftover Mac and Cheese Quesadillas

Amount Per Serving

Calories 199 Calories from Fat 62

% Daily Value*

Fat 6.86g11%

Saturated Fat 3.186g16%

Trans Fat 0.098g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.704g

Monounsaturated Fat 2.322g

Cholesterol 12mg4%

Sodium 346mg14%

Potassium 98mg3%

Carbohydrates 27.09g9%

Fiber 1.3g5%

Sugar 2.07g2%

Protein 6.63g13%

Vitamin A 139IU3%

Calcium 120mg12%

Iron 1.43mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

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