These Easy Italian Quesadillas are stuffed with ground meat, basil pesto, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and cheese. They’re simple to make in less than 30 minutes and PACKED with big flavor and meatiness. The whole family will LOVE this weeknight-friendly recipe.
Some nights, supper feels less like a meal and more like a relay race. One person is coming home from work. Another is rushing in from piano lessons. Before long, everyone is eating at different times while standing over the kitchen counter.
But these Italian Style Quesadillas cook quickly, require simple ingredients, and bring everyone to the table at the same time. As a husband and father, I've learned that some of the best family dinners don't happen on long Sunday afternoons, but on ordinary Thursday nights when everybody sits down together, passes a big plate of quesadillas, and talks about their day.
My wife Melissa appreciates meals that don't leave a mountain of dishes behind, and my daughter Lucia loves anything she can dip into a sauce. These crispy quesadillas do both of those things while delivering familiar pizza-inspired flavors while offering something a little different than the usual pasta night.
The combination of basil pesto, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, melted cheese, and your choice of either ground venison or lean ground beef creates an Italian quesadilla recipe that your family will ask you to make again.
Tips for the Perfect Italian-Style Quesadillas
A few simple techniques make a big difference.
Let the Meat Brown Before Breaking It Up
One of my favorite tricks is allowing the ground meat to cook undisturbed for a couple of minutes before breaking it apart. That brief contact with the hot skillet creates flavorful browned bits and develops deeper flavor throughout the filling.
Don't Overfill the Tortillas
It's tempting to stuff every last bit of filling into each quesadilla. Resist the urge. Too much filling makes the quesadillas harder to flip and more likely to spill into the skillet. Leaving a small border around the edge helps everything stay neatly inside.
Press the Quesadillas While Cooking
A thin spatula gently pressed against the tortilla helps create better contact with the skillet. As a result, the tortillas brown more evenly and develop a crisp, golden exterior.
Drain on a Rack
Placing finished quesadillas on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet instead of directly on paper towels helps preserve their crisp texture. Steam escapes more easily, which means the tortillas stay crunchy rather than becoming soggy.
What Makes This an Italian Quesadilla?
Traditional quesadillas typically feature ingredients associated with Mexican cuisine. This version takes a different path. The basil pesto, Italian cheese blend, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and marinara dipping sauce shift the flavor profile firmly toward Italy. Think of it as the love child of a quesadilla and a pizza - perfect for picky eaters!
Easy Italian Quesadilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground venison or lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- 2 (4-ounce) jars or cans sliced mushrooms, drained
- 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and diced
- 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
- ¾ cup Italian cheese blend or Mozzarella, shredded
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or canola oil for frying
- ½ cup jarred pizza sauce or marinara sauce, for dipping
Instructions
1. In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and season with salt and pepper. Let it sizzle in a single piece for 2 minutes. Break into small pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula.
2. Stir in the basil pesto and continue breaking the meat apart. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.
4. Stir in the roasted red peppers and remove from the heat.
5. Spread ¼ cup of the meat mixture over half of each tortilla, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge.
6. Top each with 2 tablespoons shredded cheese.
7. Fold tortillas in half.
8. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and line underneath with parchment paper or paper towels.
9. Heat the vegetable oil in the skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Carefully place two quesadillas in the skillet. Press gently with a thin spatula and cook until browned and crispy on both sides and the cheese has melted, about 1½ minutes per side. Transfer to the prepared rack and repeat with remaining quesadillas.
10. Cut into wedges and serve with pizza sauce or marinara sauce for dipping.
More Ground Venison Recipes
If you are looking for more great ideas on how to cook with some of that ground venison in your freezer, be sure and check out these family favorites:
- Venison Egg Rolls in a Bowl
- Deer Meat and Gravy over Mashed Potatoes
- Venison Queso Dip
- Venison Tater Tot Casserole
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If you are headed our way for North Dakota deer season, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.
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Easy Italian Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground venison or lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- 2 (4-ounce) jars or cans of sliced mushrooms, drained
- 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and diced
- 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
- ¾ cup Italian cheese blend or Mozzarella, shredded
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or canola oil for frying
- ½ cup jarred pizza sauce or marinara sauce, for dipping
Instructions
- In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat, and season with salt and pepper. Let it sizzle in a single piece for 2 minutes (getting a little crust on the bottom makes it easier to break up), then with a wooden spoon or spatula or sturdy heatproof spatula, break it into small pieces.
- Stir in basil pesto continuing to break the meat into small pieces. Continue cooking until the meat is browned and cooked through, 2 minutes.
- Stir in mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in roasted red peppers and remove from the heat.
- For each quesadilla, spread ¼ cup of the cooked meat mixture over half of each tortilla, leaving ½-inch border at edge.
- Top with 2 Tablespoons of shredded cheese.
- Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and line with a piece of parchment paper or a single layer of paper towels.
- Heat ¼ cup oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Carefully place two quesadillas in skillet, pressing into pan with thin spatula, and cook until browned on both sides and cheese has melted, 1½ minutes per side. Transfer to prepared rack. Repeat with remaining quesadillas.
- Cut into wedges and serve with pizza sauce or marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
Jonathan says
Very good recipe for using ground venison. I liked the overall flavor and using pizza sauce as a dip hit the mark.
I made two slight modifications. I did not add the mushrooms because my boy is pretty picky because we were using his ground venison.
I baked in the oven versus frying, but that was a personal preference.
Jeff Benda says
Thanks Jonathan! Glad to hear you enjoyed these Italian Quesadillas with some ground venison. And happy to hear t turned out without the mushrooms and baked in the oven! We really appreciate your feedback.
Kathy says
These were absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making them again.
Jeff Benda says
Thanks Kathy! Glad you enjoyed them