Pizza Quesadillas

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 Flour Tortillas (or 2 for each pizza you want to make)
  • 1 – 6oz bag pepperoni slices
  • 12 oz shredded mozzarella or provolone
  • 1 – 14oz jag of pizza sauce
  • Hellman’s mayoniase
  • Your favorite pizza toppings. (I used onion, banana pepper rings, bell pepper and green olives on this one because it’s what I had.)
  • Garlic powder (optional)
  • 1/4 cup – ish Grated Parmesan
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Yes. My ingredients and instructions call for mayo. Don’t shy away from this. Several years ago, I started using mayo in place of butter when making grilled cheese after reading that suggestion on Pinterest. I saw the save advice regarding quesadillas on Food Network last weekend and tried it with this recipe. So, so much better. What is mayo except egg and oil? It’s perfect for this. You don’t taste it. It is only an agent for browning your tortilla.

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Prepare all ingredients. There’s no time for slicing and dicing once assembly starts
  • Preheat over to 400F
  • If making 4 quesadillas, line two baking sheets with parchment. If making 2 quesadillas, you’ll need one baking sheet and so on.
  • Spread a thin layer of of Hellman’s mayo on one side of your quesadillas
  • Using a skillet over medium heat, add 1 quesadilla, mayo side down to brown
  • While in the pan, top the quesadilla lightly with shredded cheese, pepperoni and any other toppings you have selected. Remember, this is a quesadilla so don’t overload it with toppings. We’re still going to have a second layer for toppings. You want coverage. Just don’t go crazy.
  • No. I did not forget about the sauce. There is no sauce on this layer.
  • Once the bottom of the tortilla has browned, lift it from the pan with a spatula or “turner” and set on your baking sheet. These are creating the bottom layer of your pizza quesadilla so do not stack them on each other. Repeat this step three more times. Now let’s move on to the toppers.
  • Again place the mayo side down in your skillet, but this time top with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni only. Cook until tortilla is browned on the bottom and cheese is slightly melted
  • Remove from heat and place (mayo side down) directly on a quesadilla from round 1. This isn’t a typical quesadilla where all the toppings are in the middle. This is a stack and it’s going in the oven soon to finish cooking like a traditional pizza.
  • Repeat three more times. You should now have two, double-decker pizza quesadillas on two sheet pans.
  • Top each pizza with remaining cheese and toppings. Feel free to add small dollops of additional sauce if you are a sauce-lover.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes until hot and bubbly.