Pizza Quesadillas
Cheeeeeeeese. Melty and gooey, it oozes shamelessly from these pizza quesadillas, a.k.a. my new favorite quick and easy meal.
I’m thinking pizza quesadillas are pretty self-explanatory … you take a tortilla, smear a little pizza sauce on it, and stuff it with cheese. Then you cook it up and dive in to the melty goodness.
But I thought I’d share this recipe for pizza quesadillas with you today, because they might be simple, but they’re extra delicious!
They’re also a great one-dish-two-ways meal – meat for the meat-eater, cheese and/or veggies for the vegetarian, and plain cheese for the selective kiddo. Also, they’re just absolutely easy and tasty!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Tortillas – I use flour tortillas, approximately 8-inches in diameter. For these quesadillas, I stuff half then fold it over. It makes cooking a lot easier!
- Mozzarella cheese – Low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella, preferably mozzarella you’ve shredded yourself so it melts well (pre-shredded are often coated in anti-caking agents that can give you a less-than-optimal melt).
- Parmesan cheese – For a little added boost of cheesy flavor!
- Pizza sauce – Use your favorite! Maybe you have some homemade pizza sauce on hand, or you are able to whip up this 5-minute fresh tomato pizza sauce. Or you have a fave from the store. Any will work!
- Optional toppings – Here’s where you can get creative! Add pepperoni or cooked sausage for the meat-eaters or pre-cook some veggies and stuff them in there (mushrooms, green peppers, and onions are great!). Or go with straight up cheese pizza quesadillas which are plenty great as-is!
Adaptations & Variations
- Go extra cheesy: Feel free to add more cheese like fontina, provolone, or cheddar. You’ll want to reduce the mozzarella a bit unless you’re okay with an overly cheesy pizza quesadilla. Doesn’t sound like a problem to me!
- Meat option: Add pepperoni or cooked sausage for the meat-eaters.
- Hawaiian pizza quesadilla: Add slices of Canadian bacon and pineapple. For a vegetarian Hawaiian pizza, I’ll sometimes use a vegetarian smoked ham meat product. It’s pretty good!
- Extra veggies: Dice and cook some onions, green peppers, and mushrooms for a veggie-stuffed pizza quesadilla.
- Vegan pizza quesadillas: Swap in meltable vegan cheese shreds.
How to Make Pizza Quesadillas
I like to make pizza quesadillas as half-quesadillas. Which means, I add the ingredients to the bottom “half moon” of the tortilla, then fold it over. I find the smaller size easier to handle and flip. Plus, sometimes we use our panini press for quesadillas and the smaller size fits perfectly in the press.
To prep them, simply add sauce and toppings to the bottom half of a tortilla, fold it over, and cook! To cook pizza quesadillas on the stovetop, add them to a large, hot pan coated with a little oil and cook, flipping occasionally, until golden outside and melted inside.
Serve with a little extra pizza sauce for dipping.
More Quesadilla Recipes
- Chipotle Butternut Squash & Black Bean Quesadillas
- Delicata Squash & Black Bean Quesadillas
- Grilled Peach Fontina Quesadillas
- Pear & Brie Quesadillas
- Quesadillas any which way
Pizza Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 4 flour tortillas (8-inch or so)
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce (+ more for dipping, if desired)
Instructions
- Lay 4 tortillas flat, and on the lower halves only, spread 2 tablespoons pizza sauce. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce, dividing the mozzarella cheese and then the parmesan cheese between the four tortillas.
- Carefully fold the top half over to create a half-moon shape.
- Cook in a saute pan drizzled with vegetable oil or canola oil over medium-high heat, carefully flipping occasionally, until the cheese is melted and both sides are golden-brown. We also love to use a panini press, just place the in a pre-heated panini press and cook until cheese is melted and outside is golden-crisp. You can also bake quesadillas! Bake on a rimmed cooking sheet at 375°F, brush with a little olive oil, and bake for 8-10 minute until the cheese has melted and the quesadillas are warmed through.
- Cut into wedges and serve with additional pizza sauce for dipping.