Fast, tasty, and simple - these Italian sausage quesadillas feature basic ingredients but a whole lot of flavor for a quick weeknight dinner that hits the spot. Loaded with your favorite kind of Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and more, they'll be on the table in 30 minutes.
If I have ground Italian sausage in the house, odds are it's going to use in pasta or a soup. I'm thinking of my favorite penne alla vodka with sausage or baked Italian sausage meatballs...or sausage tortellini soup and one-pan gnocchi with sausage and broccoli rabe for weeknight-fast dinners. Lots of options!
Those are put together, company-worthy dishes. These Italian sausage quesadillas, on the other hand? This is what I make when I'm out of ideas and oomph and just want to get something on the table in 30 minutes that tastes good. Maybe you could use another quick dinner recipe like that, too?
(Not to say this is a dish meant to hide away and eat shamefully! But this kind of quirky cuisine mash-up isn't exactly one of nonna's classics or anything, you know?)
Note: I've come back to update the photos in this post in August 2026 from its initial publish date in 2015. The yield of this recipe is slightly increased, just to more conveniently use a full 16-ounce package of ground sausage. If you're coming back to this recipe from a saved link, you may recognize one of the original photos I left in at the bottom of this post.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Italian sausage: Use your favorite - pork or turkey, hot, sweet, or mild.
- Tortillas: Again, go with your favorite flour tortillas. My preference is for whole wheat tortillas for the nice fiber boost (these have an 8-inch diameter).
- Roasted red peppers: These marinated, pungent little peppers liven up the sausage filling. Thoroughly pat them dry after you take them out of the jar so they don't sog up your Italian sausage quesadilla. If you'd rather, substitute in oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, also patted dry.
- Mozzarella: I recommend grating a block of cheese yourself versus buying pre-shredded bags for the best melt. Feel free to add in some grated sharp Provolone or Fontina, or supplement with some grated Parmesan.
- Basil: Fresh basil has the best flavor (can't argue with that), but what I used here was lightly-dried basil, found in small cups in the refrigerated herb produce section. The packaging says to use half the amount of fresh basil a recipe calls for. They stay fresh for about a month and the flavor is honestly pretty good! A big help if you're not able to find good-quality fresh basil.
How to Make Italian Sausage Quesadillas
Sauté.
Start by cooking the onion and garlic for a few minutes, then add the ground Italian sausage. Cook and crumble fully, then turn out onto a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
Assemble.
Onto each of 3 tortillas, add ⅓ cup of the cheese, a third of the sausage/onion mixture, a third of the roasted red peppers, and a third of the basil. Top each with another ⅓ cup of cheese then place a top tortilla onto each to cap off the three quesadillas.
Cook.
Wipe out your pan from cooking the sausage and brush the bottom with a little bit of oil. Set over medium heat and once heated, add a quesadilla and cook until both sides are browned and crisp. Repeat for the rest and slice and serve!
Quick Tips and Tricks
- The best quesadilla flipper: I *love* my gigantic turner spatula (paid link) you see in the photo above. It's over six inches wide and while it's billed as being for pancakes, it makes a fabulous flipper for quesadillas, too.
- If you still think flipping quesadillas are messy: You can split the ingredients between six tortillas, only layer them on half of each tortilla so you can fold them over. Two will fit in the skillet at a time. It's easier and you're less likely to lose filling by flipping each quesadilla over the folded side.
- For optimal reheating: Add Italian sausage quesadilla wedges in a single layer in an un-oiled skillet over low heat and cook until crisped again and warmed throughout.
More Italian Sausage Recipes
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Italian Sausage Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil more for cooking quesadillas
- Half of a large onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced (or more to taste)
- 16 ounces ground Italian sausage pork/turkey, hot, sweet, or mild
- 6 8-inch flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¾ cup sliced roasted red peppers patted dry and chopped
- 10-12 fresh basil leaves roughly chopped (about ¼ cup)
- Warm marinara sauce for serving
Instructions
- Set a skillet on the stove top over medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and let heat. Add diced onion and cook 1-2 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the Italian sausage to the pan. Using a spatula or wooden utensil, break the sausage up into small crumbles and cook fully (no pink remaining). This usually takes around 7-8 minutes for me. Stir periodically to ensure even cooking. Once done, turn out contents of the pan onto a paper towel-lined plate and set aside for now.
- Assemble the three full-sized quesadillas by placing three tortillas flat on plates or a cutting board. To each, evenly scatter ⅓ cup of the cheese (so using up half of the total cheese), one-third of the roasted red peppers, and one-third of the basil leaves. Evenly scatter the remaining 1 cup of cheese over each tortilla filling, then top with the remaining 3 tortillas.
- Wipe out the skillet so you can use it again to cook the quesadillas (be careful - it's hot). Set it over medium heat and brush with a very thin layer of olive oil (or vegetable oil).
- Place the first quesadilla in the skillet and cook for 2-4 minutes, or until the bottom tortilla has browned and crisped. Brush the top tortilla with a thin layer of oil, then flip with as wide of a spatula as you have. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes, or until the other tortilla has browned and crisped to your liking. Repeat with the second and third quesadillas. Slice each into four pieces using a knife or pizza cutter, and serve with warmed marinara sauce.
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
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Ulrike Ruetz says
If the gravy remains to be too liquid, you'll be able to thicken it with more cornstarch or cook it longer until desired consistency.
Robin says
Outstanding! Was out of bell peppers so added a little spinach and some sliced radish ... SOOOOO good! Served with tossed green salad and a bowl of fruit. Perfect! Thank you so much for recipe!
Alyssa says
So glad you liked it, Robin! 🙂
Olga says
Alyssa, it looks perfect and tasty! Can’t wait to have this anytime of the day, love it!
Alyssa says
Alyssa, , this looks really good! I think I need to make these for myself and the kids. Love this idea!
Britni says
These are so yummy! Love switching it up from our normal chicken quesadillas!
Jenn says
Holy cow these are amazing! Fantastic flavor combo and total comfort food!
Cassandra says
What an amazing idea! I tweaked it a bit by using spinach wraps! Thanks hun.
Alyssa says
So glad you liked them! 🙂
Tammy says
Thank you for the awesome recipe
Alyssa says
You're welcome! So glad you liked it, Tammy. 🙂