Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Pizza Quesadillas

Pizza Quesadillas @menumusings.com
The new school year is just a few weeks away, and that means starving kids walking through the door in the afternoons!  It also means lots of busy "taxi cab" moms and dads in a hurry to get everyone to this practice, that club meeting, and all sorts of other activities before dinner time.  Over the summer break, I was telling my kids that I used to make pizza out of all sorts of things when I would come home from school as a kid.  It was one of my favorite "go to" snacks before starting my homework.  

These ingredients are fairly common items that most of us have on hand in the fridge and pantry, so we got creative and had some fun for lunch over the summer.  Everyone agreed that while they weren't what you would typically find in a quesadilla, they sure were darned good!  And just like pizza, you can customize each of them to everyone's tastes.  You could even set up a "design your own" bar with different toppings... er... fillings.  :)  By all means, though - don't forget the warm pizza sauce or marinara to dip them in.  Yummm! 


Ingredients:  
  • flour tortillas
  • jarred pizza sauce
  • shredded cheese
  • pepperoni slices (or meat of choice)
  • dried oregano
  • optional red pepper flakes 
Step-by-Step:
These are our players.  By all means, feel free to choose your players of choice.  I've loved Pizza Quick sauce since I was a child. (giggle)  I'm using a shredded "pizza" cheese blend, dried oregano to make it smell and taste like pizza, pepperoni slices which I'm cutting in half first, and a little bit of red pepper flakes for a little bit of a kick.
To a dry skillet, add the flour tortilla.  You don't need to add oil or cooking spray.  The size tortilla you use is up to you.  I had some leftover tortillas in the fridge.  The point of this is to use what you have.  Add a couple spoons of pizza sauce (I didn't measure), and a handful of cheese.  I had the fire on about medium.  I added the cheese near the bottom to give it time to start melting while I was adding the other stuff.
Next I added the pepperoni pieces.  I cut them in half with a pizza wheel.  That seemed to work great. I felt like whole pieces were too large and may just pull out when you bit into the quesadilla.  Feel free to use deli meats (leftover ham/turkey/ground beef/Italian sausage) cut into small pieces. 
Season this baby up!  I added dried oregano as I mentioned.  But you could use Italian seasoning, or dried basil as well.  If you have older kids (or men watching a ballgame), they may like the red pepper flakes.  Consider leaving them off for the younger kids.  
Now notice that I have TRIED to keep my ingredients contained on one side of the tortilla.  Now take the other side (the side without the goodies), fold it over to match, and press it down.  If you don't have a panini press, use another skillet.   This first side shouldn't take too much longer before you need to flip it to the other side.  
Slide it onto a cutting board, cut with a long knife or pizza wheel, and watch them go fast!   Isn't ooey gooey cheese just the BEST?!
Don't forget that warm pizza sauce for dipping!  - oh.  And some extra napkins.  Ha! 
Pizza Quesadillas @menumusings.com

I hope you enjoyed this simple and delicious recipe!
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Written Method:

To a dry skillet, add the flour tortilla.  You don't need to add oil or cooking spray.  The size tortilla you use is up to you.  Add a couple spoons of pizza sauce (I didn't measure), and a handful of cheese.  I had the fire on about medium.  I added the cheese near the bottom to give it time to start melting while I was adding the other stuff.  Next add the pepperoni pieces.  I cut them in half with a pizza wheel.  Feel free to use deli meats (leftover ham/turkey/ground beef/Italian sausage) cut into small pieces.  Season this baby up!  I added dried oregano as I mentioned.  But you could use Italian seasoning, or dried basil as well.  If you have older kids (or men watching a ballgame), they may like the red pepper flakes.  Consider leaving them off for the younger kids.  

Now notice that I have TRIED to keep my ingredients contained on one side of the tortilla.  Now take the other side (the side without the goodies), fold it over to match, and press it down.  If you don't have a panini press, use another skillet.   This first side shouldn't take too much longer before you need to flip it to the other side.  Slide it onto a cutting board, cut with a long knife or pizza wheel, and watch them go fast!   Isn't ooey gooey cheese just the BEST?!  Don't forget that warm pizza sauce for dipping!  - oh.  And some extra napkins.  Ha! 


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