These Italian sausage quesadillas are loaded with flavorful Italian sausage, red onion, and plenty of gooey mozzarella cheese. Served with your favorite marinara on the side for dipping, quesadilla recipes are a great lunch or dinner recipe that will make everyone a happy camper.
Just like with my Italian sausage sliders and Italian sausage meatballs, this Italian sausage quesadilla recipe requires only a handful of ingredients and is ready in less than 30 minutes, making it perfect for a quick lunch or dinner. They're hearty and satisfying, and who doesn't love dipping triangles of cheesy goodness into marinara sauce?
Jump to:
Why This Recipe is Great for Camping
- It's made in a single skillet and is ready in less than 30 minutes.
- You can prepare it on your camp stove, portable grill, or over your campfire.
- You can prepare the filling ahead of time so you've got less to do at camp.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Italian sausage--Use your favorite type of Italian sausage here. I like hot, but mild or sweet will also work perfectly. You'll need to remove the sausage from the casing, if necessary, or if you're using loose sausage, you'll need 9 to 10 ounces of meat. Got extra sausage? Try one of these amazing Italian sausage recipes.
- Mozzarella--To avoid having a soggy filling in your sausage quesadilla, use a low-moisture mozzarella, like pizza mozzarella. I recommend using full-fat cheese, and avoid pre-shredded cheese, as it doesn't melt well.
- Tortillas--Choose burrito size (10-inch or larger) to hold all of the filling. You can make them with smaller tortillas, but you may need to reduce the amount of filling you add to each one.
How to Make Italian Sausage Quesadillas
- Cook the sausage in a cast iron skillet, breaking it up, until browned.
- Stir in the onion and cook until softened. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the skillet.
- Arrange two tortillas in the cast iron skillet, so that they're folded in half. On each half, layer ¼ of the cheese, ½ of the sausage mixture, and the remaining ¼ cup cheese.
- Cook, flipping once, until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is golden brown. Slice into triangles and serve with marinara sauce, for dipping.
FAQs
Nope. The tortilla won't stick to your skillet.
These are very filling, so you don't need much to round out your meal. A plate of raw veggies with dip, or a Caesar salad would be a great side dish to serve with them.
Definitely. If you'd like to up the veggie content of your meal, go ahead and stir in diced peppers at the same time as you add the onion.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- To get ahead, cook your sausage and onion mixture before heading out to camp. Store it in a sealed container in your cooler or fridge for up to 3 days.
- I don't recommend adding additional salt to the sausage mixture because I have found that the combination of cheese, sausage, and marinara sauce already has plenty of saltiness. If you're using a low sodium sauce, or your sausage mixture needs a little bit of oomph, go ahead and season the sausage to taste after browning it.
- I recommend layering cheese on either side of the sausage mixture in the quesadilla. This will help to glue the whole thing together.
- A pizza cutter works well for slicing your quesadilla into even triangles.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers wrapped in foil in your cooler or fridge for up to 1 day. Reheat in a warm oven, or in a skillet until heated through and the cheese is melted.
More Camping Recipes You'll Love
Tried This Recipe?
If you've tried this recipe, please leave a comment below. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest for more great camping and grilling recipes.
Recipe
Italian Sausage Quesadilla
Equipment
- 12-inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 2 large Italian sausages (4 to 5 ounces each) casing removed
- ¼ medium red onoin diced
- 2 large flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Marinara sauce for serving
Instructions
- Set a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Scoop the sausage and onion mixture into a bowl. Using tongs and a paper towel, carefully wipe out the skillet.
- Arrange two tortillas side by side in the skillet so that half of each tortilla is resting on the skillet. (The other half will get folded over the filling.)
- Sprinkle ¼ of the cheese on each tortilla. Top each quesadilla with ½ of the sausage mixture, then divide the remaining cheese between them. Fold the tortillas over to create two half-moons.
- Cook over medium low heat, flipping once, until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the second side.
- Slice the quesadillas into triangles and serve with marinara sauce on the side, for dipping.
Notes
-
- Get ahead--Cook your sausage and onion mixture before heading out to camp. Store it in a sealed container in your cooler or fridge for up to 3 days.
- Seasoning--I don't recommend adding additional salt to the sausage mixture because I have found that the combination of cheese, sausage, and marinara sauce already has plenty of saltiness. If you're using a low sodium sauce, or your sausage mixture needs a little bit of oomph, go ahead and season the sausage to taste after browning it.
- Glue it together--I recommend layering cheese on either side of the sausage mixture in the quesadilla. This will help to glue the whole thing together.
- Slicing--A pizza cutter works well for slicing your quesadilla into even triangles.
- Storage & reheating--Store leftovers wrapped in foil in your cooler or fridge for up to 1 day. Reheat in a warm oven, or in a skillet until heated through and the cheese is melted.
Leave a Reply