There are so many ways to use up leftover chilli con carne and right now these air fryer quesadillas with leftover chilli are my favourites. They’re hearty, crunchy, cheesy and absolutely delicious. Great for adults or kids!
If I just have a little bit of chilli con carne left over then I don’t always know which way to use it. I just have too many ideas! But, quesadillas are so easy to make and I’ve discovered that they work brilliantly in my air fryer too!
They cook in about 10 minutes and are just as tasty as when they are cooking in the traditional way in the frying pan. So, if you don’t have an air fryer, don’t worry, just cook these in the frying pan instead!
Ingredients notes for chilli con carne quesadillas
First of all, these air fryer quesadillas are a leftovers recipe so if you don’t have exactly the same leftovers, don’t worry. Just adapt the recipe to suit what you have.
These are the ingredients I used:
- Red pepper – Any colour of pepper is fine. It doesn’t have to be a red pepper. I air fried the pepper slices first but you could leave them raw so they are nice and crunchy. If you’re not using an air fryer then just stir fry them for a couple of minutes. Alternatively, use jarred roasted peppers. Or just miss them out!
- Chilli con carne – Although I’ve used chilli con carne, this recipe also works well with any leftover mince dish. For example bolognese sauce also works really well. And if you’ve made too much filling for a cottage pie then save some of it to use in these too!
- Cheddar – I used cheddar but any cheese will work. Mozzarella is a great choice too.
- A wrap – I used a flour tortilla but you could use corn tortillas too or any flatbread.
How to make air fryer quesadillas
These air fryer quesadillas with chilli con carne are so easy to make. I air fried the peppers first but you can avoid that as I’ve mentioned above. You can miss them out or substitute them for a different vegetable.
Once the peppers are ready, put the peppers, chilli and cheese on one half of the tortilla and fold it over.
Then just air fry for about 10 minutes at 180C.
Can you adapt the recipe?
Yes of course. I’ve mentioned a few adaptation already for example:
- Cook in the frying pan instead of the air fryer
- Use a different kind of mince based filling for example bolognese
- Miss out the peppers or add different vegetables such as sweetcorn, chopped tomatoes, roasted courgette or aubergine
Can you make these in advance?
Yes you can. You can make them in advance and eat them cold. That way they are a great option for picnics and lunchboxes.
Personally, I prefer not to cook them, store them and then reheat them as I’m already making them with leftover chilli con carne. They are so quick and easy to cook that if you want to eat them hot but later, just prep the peppers and grate the cheese. That way you can very quickly assemble and cook them.
