Pepperoni Pizzadillas (Easy Lunch Idea!)

Easy, cheesy Pepperoni Pizzadillas (aka pepperoni pizza quesadillas). Absolutely delicious, super kid-friendly and easy for kids (and adults!) to eat, and great for a quick lunch at home or a packed lunch for daycare, school, or work.

As a mom of a picky eater preschooler, it is sometimes a struggle to figure out quick lunch ideas that my son will eat. One thing he does love are all kinds of quesadillas or anything made with tortillas. We do chicken quesadillas and broccoli quesadillas regularly, and these pepperoni pizza quesadillas are another favorite that I recently discovered!

More easy tortilla recipes for kids: Taco Tortilla Pinwheels

What's a pizza quesadilla??

A pizza quesadilla, or a pizzadilla as I call them, is simply a quesadilla made with mozzarella cheese, a little Italian seasonings, and whatever pizza toppings you choose - I am using pepperoni in this case. You cook them the same way that you cook a quesadilla: put all the toppings on one side of a large tortilla, fold in half, and cook in a dry skillet over medium/low heat for a few minutes on each side, or until the cheese melts and the tortilla is lightly toasted.

The result is the cheesy delicious goodness that we ALL love about quesadillas, but with a pizza flavor. Dip it into some pizza sauce and you've got cheesy pizza heaven!

Related recipe: Ham and Cheese Breakfast Pockets

Ingredients

This recipe is super easy. All you need is:

• 1 medium soft flour tortilla
• ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ⅛ teaspoon Italian seasoning (and/or use pizza seasoning!)
• 4-5 pepperoni slices (or turkey pepperoni), or more depending on your preference and size of your tortilla
• Optional: a little oil for greasing the pan (only if you want a crispier golden tortilla)
• Pizza sauce (marinara) for dipping

More EASY pizza snacks for kids: Air Fryer Bagel Bites

Equipment

• Large non-stick pan for cooking the quesadilla
• Spatula/turner (this one is my favorite because it doesn't scratch pans and is so easy to use! It's been with me for over a decade!)
• Small containers with lids for bringing pizza sauce, if packing for lunch. I LOVE saving tiny condiment-sized solo cups from takeout and using them to pack lunch for my son and ourselves. You can also buy them and not have to worry about someone throwing them out by accident before you get to wash and reuse takeout containers! Haha...

Related recipe: Hawaiian Chicken Salad

Instructions:

Step 1: Optional: grease a large pan. This is optional because tortillas don't stick to most pans. Adding a little oil to the pan makes the tortillas nice and crispy.

Place 1 medium soft tortilla in skillet and spread shredded cheese over one half of the tortilla.

Step 2: Sprinkle about ⅛ teaspoon Italian seasoning over the cheese and place 4 pepperoni slices over the same half of the tortilla. 

Step 3: Fold in half, then turn the heat on to medium low, and cook until the cheese starts to melt. Watch so the bottom does not burn - turn the heat down or cover with a lid to get the cheese melting faster.

Step 4: Carefully flip the quesadilla and cook for another minute on the other side, or until the other side is golden brown and the cheese is melted. The trick to flipping a quesadilla is to flip it keeping the fold side down, so that the fillings don't fall out.

Step 5: Remove from heat and allow to cool a little. Slice into wedges. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Related recipe: 5-Minute Tortilla Egg Wraps (awesome portable breakfast!)

Tips for packing lunch

If packing this for lunch, allow to cool completely before placing in a sealed container and keeping refrigerated until serving, so that the condensation does not make the pizza quesadilla soggy. If you have access to a microwave, a pan, or a toaster oven during lunch time, reheating the pizza quesadilla is the tastiest way to enjoy it for a packed lunch. 

Don't forget to pack the pizza sauce in little cups!

Related: 25 Non-Sandwich Lunch Ideas

Variations

I think pepperoni cheesy quesadillas are pretty perfect on their own, but here are a few ideas you can switch things up to make different pizza quesadillas:

• Use your favorite pizza toppings, such as mushrooms, peppers, onions, meatballs or sausage (crumbled). All the fillings have to be pre-cooked to your liking, since the quesadillas cook really quickly and do not give the fillings a chance to cook.
• Use a combination of cheeses, such as mozzarella + Parmesan, or mozzarella + Gouda
• Add a drizzle of hot sauce, or use some salsa instead of pizza sauce
• Add pizza seasoning for extra PIZZA FLAVOR! This stuff is absolutely amazing - it is made with powdered dehydrated tomatoes, garlic, paprika, oregano, basil, and other seasonings that make up a good pizza sauce. And it doesn't have any preservatives or artificial ingredients or fillers.

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!