Pizza Quesadilla
All the flavors of a good pizza — caramelized tomato paste, Italian sausage, melted mozzarella, and fresh basil — pressed between two butter-toasted flour tortillas. Ready in 15 minutes and significantly better than it has any right to be.
Ingredients
Meat & Protein
- ¼ lb hot Italian sausage casings removed, cooked and crumbled — or substitute 20 slices pepperoni
Produce
- 6 leaves fresh basil roughly torn, for finishing
Dairy
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided — freshly shredded if possible
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter for toasting tortillas
Pantry & Canned Goods
- 2 flour tortillas large, burrito size
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Seasonings & Spices
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the pizza sauce base: heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and red pepper flakes if using. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens slightly and becomes fragrant. This caramelizes the sugars in the tomato paste and gives the sauce a richer, more complex flavor than raw paste. Remove from heat and set aside.
- If using Italian sausage, cook and crumble it in the same skillet over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes until browned. Drain and set aside. If using pepperoni, no cooking required.
- Lay both tortillas flat. Spread the caramelized tomato paste thinly and evenly over the full surface of both tortillas. Scatter ½ cup of shredded mozzarella over one tortilla. Add the cooked sausage or pepperoni evenly. Top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella. Place the second tortilla on top, sauce-side down.
- Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the assembled quesadilla. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the bottom is golden and the cheese begins to melt. Carefully flip using a wide spatula. Add the remaining 1 tbsp butter to the pan and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until the second side is golden and the cheese is fully melted throughout.
- Transfer to a cutting board and rest for 1 minute before cutting — this lets the cheese set so it doesn't all slide out when sliced. Cut into wedges. Scatter fresh torn basil over the top immediately before serving.
Notes
Caramelizing the tomato paste before it goes in is the step that separates this from every other pizza quesadilla recipe. Raw tomato paste has a slightly harsh, metallic edge. Two minutes in a hot pan with olive oil and spices develops a richer, sweeter, more complex tomato flavor that actually tastes like pizza sauce.
Fresh basil goes on after cooking, not inside. It wilts and blackens inside a quesadilla. Tear it and scatter on top right before serving.
Serve with warm marinara or pizza sauce for dipping — it pushes the pizza flavor even further and is a very good move.
Leftovers reheat well in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes per side — the cheese re-melts and the tortilla crisps back up. Avoid the microwave; it softens the tortilla.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!