Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas

Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas make a great packable school lunch, full of flavor and easy to eat. No utensils needed! 

If you are packing lunches for multiple people, quesadillas are super flexible. Just a couple of triangles might do as the main for younger children while older students or grownups might eat a whole quesadilla. Or more! 

Our jalapeños aren’t really spicy hot but they do add a little crunch and flavor. You can leave them out if you or your lunch eaters can’t do spicy at all. 

Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas

As you might have read here before, my preferred tortilla is one I can buy at my local grocery store. They are called mitad y mitad because they're made from a combination of corn and wheat flour. Use your favorite fresh tortillas. 

Ingredients to make four quesadillas

8 tortillas

3 1/2 oz or 100g grated mozzarella

1/2 cup or 128g pizza sauce, homemade or store-bought

24-28 pepperoni slices

2 whole pickled jalapeños, sliced

Method

Use one tortilla to estimate how many slices of pepperoni you will need. My tortillas are about 5-6 inches or 12.7 – 15.3cm so seven pepperoni slices each looks about right. You don’t want to overcrowd the quesadilla.

Start by warming the tortillas in a nonstick frying pan. Set them aside.

Put one tortilla back in the pan then top with 1/8 of the pizza sauce and the pepperoni and jalapeño slices. 

Sprinkle on 1/4 of the grated mozzarella. 

Spread 1/8 of the pizza sauce on another tortilla and carefully set it, sauce side down, on the one with topping in the pan. 

Cook until the bottom tortilla is toasted and then carefully turn the quesadilla over to toast the other side. 

When both sides are toasted, remove the quesadilla to a cutting board and leave to cool briefly before cutting into triangles. 

Repeat the process until you've made four quesadillas, cut into triangles. 

Pack into lunch box containers. I love the flat ones I use also for salami and ham because, unlike the deeper containers, they don’t take up much room in a lunchbox or picnic basket. You can also wrap these in foil.

These pepperoni jalapeño pizza quesadillas can be reheated by a quick zap in a microwave, if one is available, but they are just as tasty chilled or at room temperature. 

Enjoy! 

It's Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing favorite lunch box recipes, easy to pack, great to eat. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the links below. 

• Antipasto Skewers from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Allergy Friendly Granola from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Hawaiian Plate Lunch Macaroni Salad from Palatable Pastime
• Peanut Butter Chip Brownies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pepperoni Jalapeño Pizza Quesadillas from Food Lust People Love
• Sabudana Vada from Sneha's Recipe
• Vegetable Poha from Mayuri's Jikoni

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Blue Cheese Spinach Fig Tarts

Savory cheese, earthy spinach and sweet figs baked in puff pastry make these little blue cheese spinach fig tarts the perfect light summer meal. 

When it’s fig season, my consumption of fresh figs is only hampered by my reluctance to pay the big prices often commanded in my nearby grocery store. But I do enjoy them so much that sometimes I succumb to temptation.

Mostly I just eat them plain, straight out of the little basket, especially if they are quite sweet. When they aren’t quite a sweet as they could be, I find baking them helps. And adding a savory element like cheese heightens their innate sweetness, like a sprinkle of salt on watermelon.

Blue Cheese Spinach Fig Tarts

If I have a choice of blue cheeses, my favorites are Roquefort, which is made with raw cow’s milk or Bleu d’Auvergne which is marbled with the same blue-green mold from the Penicillium roqueforti. Use your own favorite blue cheese! 

Ingredients

6 3/4 oz or 192g frozen spinach, thawed

1.1 lb or 500g puff pastry block

4 ripe but firm figs (about 7 2/3 oz or 216g)

3 1/2 oz or 100g your favorite blue cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Drain the thawed spinach and squeeze as much excess liquid out of it as you can.

Trim off the stems then cut the figs into wedges.

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C fan. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. 

Crumble the blue cheese in a mixing bowl. 

Add in the thawed spinach along with a few generous grinds of black pepper and toss lightly with a fork to combine. 

On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out into a large square, then trim the edges. 

Cut the pastry into four equal squares. 

Fold the corners in and then up to create a short wall of pastry all around.

Divide the blue cheese spinach mixture into four equal portions. You can, of course, eyeball the portions and skip this step but I find it easier to use my scale and take the guess work out. 

Add half of the apportioned blue cheese/spinach mixture to one of the little tart shells. Top with 1/4 of the fig wedges. 

Finish with the other half of the blue cheese mixture. 

Assemble the other three tarts the same way and transfer them to your prepared baking sheet. 

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven or until the puff pastry is golden and the cheese is melted. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before serving. 

Or cool completely before storing in an airtight container, separated by baking parchment or wax paper. These individual tarts are great picnic food and absolutely taste better outdoors with a glass of chilled rosé.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are celebrating Eat Outside Day with recipes perfect for your next picnic. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the links below. 

• Blue Cheese Spinach Fig Tarts by Food Lust People Love
• Cheese Muffuletta (Vegetarian) by Palatable Pastime
• Chicken Fajita Foil Packets by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Heirloom Tomato & Whipped Feta Sourdough Sandwich by Our Good Life
• Keto Salami & Egg Cups by Sneha's Recipe
• Muddy Buddy Marshmallow Brownies by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Pesto Pasta Salad by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Quick Pork Liver Pâté by Karen's Kitchen Stories

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter

Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter is a delightfully fluffy side dish where nutty, celery-flavored celeriac combines beautifully with gorgeously buttery coral scallop roe.

It’s not a pretty vegetable – in fact, some would say it’s downright ugly - and perhaps that’s why celeriac is underrated. I like to use it in soups where it adds a delightfully subtle celery flavor and welcome creaminess, especially when pureed. 

But celeriac really shines when you mash it. It becomes fluffy and light, the perfect side dish to serve with any meal. 

As for the scallop roe, I know some people cook and eat them along with the scallops but I am not a fan of their texture. This recipe takes advantage of their wonderful flavor to "season" the celeriac and solves my texture issues.

Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter

If you can’t find celeriac where you live (looking at you, most US grocery stores!) you can certainly make this with your favorite potatoes. 

Ingredients

About 1 dozen scallop roe (1 3/4 oz or 50g)

1 3/4 oz or 50g butter, divided

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 celeriac - about 1.1 lb or 500g, before peeling

Fine sea salt

Ground white pepper

Optional for garnish: parsley. 

Method

Clean the scallop roe and cut off any dark or unsavory looking bits. I use only the coral-colored bits. 

Pan-fry the roe in a little of the butter for 2-3 minutes, stirring and flipping them as you cook.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl to cool, along with any butter in the pan. Use a silicone or rubber spatula and don't leave anything behind!

Add the lemon juice and cool water to a suitable sized pot in which to boil the celeriac. Use a sharp knife to cut the peel off of the celeriac and cut it into chunks. 

Add them to the lemon water as you cut them to stop them turning brown. 

When all of the celeriac is cut, drain the lemon water and refill the pot with fresh water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. 

Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until a knife easily slices through the chunks.

While the celeriac cooks, add the rest of the butter to a small food processor along with the cooled roe. 

Process until smooth. Set aside.

Drain the water and return the celeriac to the pan and mash until smooth. 

Add in the scallop roe butter and stir well to combine. 

Season to taste with fine sea salt and white pepper.

 Garnish in a serving bowl with a little parsley, if desired. 

I served this with seared scallops and a small tomato and onion salad. 

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 18th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter R. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the R recipes below:

• Food Lust People Love: Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce - Keto 
• A Messy Kitchen: Self-Saucing Rhubarb Pudding Cake 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Caprese Ricotta Toast 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Rosolli, Finnish Salad 
• Blogghetti: Shrimp Fried Rice 
• Magical Ingredients: Ricotta Red Pepper Dip 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Rustic Rye Sourdough Loaf 
• Palatable Pastime: Red Hot Pepper Vinegar 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Cinnamon Raisin Vanilla Zucchini Bread Muffins

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 

L. Lobster Butter 

M. Milk-Roasted Chicken 

N. Nocciolata Swirl Meringues 

O. Jersey Octopus Ceviche 

P. Easy Pastina Soup 

Q. Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad 

R. Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter – this post! 

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Pepperoni Pizza Muffins #MuffinMonday

Just like a slice of pizza but in muffin form, these pepperoni pizza muffins are great for breakfast, brunch, lunch or snacking. 

Growing up, we didn’t have the ready option of take-out or pizza delivery or at least if we did, my mom didn’t take advantage of such a thing. If we wanted pizza, it meant going to a pizza parlor or baking it at home. 

Mom would use the Chef Boyardee pizza kit which included everything you needed, even a can of grated cheese to make a big rectangular pizza. Good memories, good times. 

Nowadays, whenever we make our fancy sourdough crust pizza at home, I think about how much I enjoyed that box kit pizza – special treat! - and how far we’ve come with options online and in the neighborhood to buy pizza. Despite those, homemade pizza is still the best! 

If you don’t have time for yeast dough though, these pepperoni pizza muffins will fill in beautifully.

Pepperoni Pizza Muffins

If you can’t find the julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes, substitute the whole ones and slice them up! I found mine in the back of the pantry where they’d been languishing for a while. They darkened but still tasted good, so waste not want not but next time, once opened, I think I’ll pop them in the freezer to keep the color looking bright. 

Ingredients

1/2 oz or 14g sun-dried tomatoes, julienne cut

1 1/2 cups or 190g flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings

3/4 cup or 180ml milk

1/4 cup or 60ml canola oil

1 egg

2/3 cup or 156ml pizza sauce, divide into 2, half for muffin batter and balance for topping

3 1/2 oz or 100g mozzarella, plus extra for topping, if desired

1 3/4 oz or 50g pepperoni, plus extra for topping, if desired

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and generously grease your muffin tin or use paper liners.

Pour hot water over the sun-dried tomatoes to rehydrate them. Leave for 10 minutes, then drain well.

 

Cut your pepperoni into pieces and grate your cheese.  

In a large bowl, mix together your flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, crushed red pepper and dried oregano.

Add the cut pepperoni to the flour mixture and use your hands to toss and coat so you can separate the pieces of pepperoni. 

Do the same with the grated cheese and then the drained sun-dried tomatoes. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk, and oil together.

Add your wet ingredients to your dry and mix just until it is just combined.

Gently fold in half of the pizza sauce. 

Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin tin.

Divide the remaining pizza sauce between the muffin cups.  

Top with one pepperoni each, then some cheese and a pinch of Italian seasonings. 

Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

 

Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes then remove from the muffin pan and cool on a rack. 

Enjoy!

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means it’s time for my Muffin Monday friends to share muffin recipes! Check out the links below.

• Chocolate Zucchini Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Gingered Lemon Poppyseed Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mango Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Passion Fruit Poppy Seed Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Pepperoni Pizza Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Sourdough Mango Pineapple Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page. 

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