Individual Cheese Quesadilla Pizzas

This is seriously the easiest pizza you will ever make. Using a quesadilla as a pizza crust creates a crispy, cheesy crust that is honestly delicious.

I’m a little weird – I like plain cheese pizza.  Maybe I’m just a purist.  I don’t like a lot of things interrupting the beautiful ratio of cheese to sauce to crust.  Some fresh basil – totally acceptable and appreciated.  A few crushed red pepper flakes are also welcomed.  I like a little zip.  I also don’t really like a lot of crust.  This quesadilla truly makes a crisp and delicate thin crust.

I don’t know if it comes from growing up in Manhattan, but I am super picky about pizza.  I like my cheese greasy; you know like when the orange oil is pooling on top of the cheese (heaven).  I also only like a touch of sauce.  If I taste more sauce than cheese my meal is virtually ruined.  Finally, the crust plays a supporting role.  I want it to just accent the rest of the flavors and provide a firm venue into my mouth.

I’m so excited about this quesadilla pizza because it’s incredibly easy to make and I always have tortillas in the house.  I’m not one to prepare dough from scratch (bread dough scares me) and I don’t always have a ball of purchased pizza dough on hand.  Plus, there no stretching and rolling of dough.

Please give this quesadilla pizza a try!  It’s a great and quick lunch or perfect for a family dinner with a tossed salad. I used a Panini maker so I could get cute grill marks on the quesadilla, but a non-stick or iron skillet works just as well. Enjoy.

Individual Cheese Quesadilla Pizzas

Recipe by Liz Hughes - Virtually Homemade

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 individual quesadilla pizzas
Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 8 - 6 inch flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Pizza:

• 4 tablespoons marinara sauce (or to desired taste)
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup basil chiffonnade or roughly chopped
• Crushed red pepper to taste (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl mix olive oil and garlic salt. Lay out all eight tortillas. Top four with 1/4 cup shredded cheese each. Place other tortilla on top of cheese. Brush each side with olive oil garlic salt mixture.
3. If using a Panini pan, heat to 375 degrees and cook quesadlllas until lightly browned and cheese has melted. If using a skillet, heat on medium high heat. Place quesdillas in pan and brown lightly on each side until cheese melts, about three to four minutes.
4. Top each quesadilla with 1 tablespoons of sauce and 1/2 cup of cheese. Place pizzas on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. The cheese should be lightly browned and melted.
5. Top with basil and crushed red pepper if desired.

Check out more pizza recipes from some of my favorite food bloggers and Food Network:

The Heritage Cook: Gluten-Free Pizza Crust and Homemade Pizza Sauce
Jeanette's Healthy Living: Easy Turkey Taco Pizza
Devour: Top 5 Pizzas Without Sauce
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
Weelicious: Pizza Balls
Dishin & Dishes: Iron Skillet Chicken Pesto Pizza
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomato, Red Pepper and Corn
Red or Green: Pizza with Green Chile, Chicken and Cheese (Gluten-Free)
Virtually Homemade: Individual Cheese Quesadilla Pizzas
Domesticate Me: Grilled Pita Pizza with Prosciutto, Chanterelles, Arugula and a Fried Egg
Food for 7 Stages of Life: No Yeast Pizza Dough
In Jennie's Kitchen: Easy, Homemade Pizza Dough
The Blue Apron Blog: Our Favorite Pizza Toppings
The Sensitive Epicure: Mini Deep Dish Polenta Pizzas (Gluten-Free)
FN Dish: Homemade Pizza Comfort by the Slice