~ This easy, cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Quesadilla recipe takes just minutes to throw together! With fiber-rich whole grains and lots of protein, it’s perfect as a quick meal or a hearty, nourishing, keep-you-powered-up snack! Plus, it’s got all the delicious flavors of a pepperoni pizza – a total family favorite anytime! ~

This Recipe Is:   •  Ready in 30 Minutes or Less  •

* (Our little disclaimer …) We partnered with Flatout for this sponsored post, but all opinions are entirely our own. Thanks for supporting brands that support Two Healthy Kitchens and our mission of healthy eating! *

Wanna see your kids’ little faces light up?

Declare pizza night! (Cheers … happy dances … joy!)

Oh sure, as moms we’re usually happy dancing right along with them. Pizza’s delicious and super easy … and everyone loves it! Score!

Except … as a nutrition-minded parent, when I actually meet face-to-face with a typical pizzeria-style pepperoni pizza … the joy kind of fades away. 

I find myself staring at all that artery-clogging, full-fat cheese, and the little puddles of glistening grease pooling around the pepperoni, not to mention that empty-calorie, fiber-devoid crust … and I just know I could have done so much better for my family.

So I love coming up with strategies that capture all the easy, delicious, happy-dance-inspiring flavors of pizza, but that also make it just a little bit healthier!

Pizza doesn’t have to be an empty indulgence … even pepperoni pizza!

Two of the easiest fix-it-up strategies right off the bat are simply to amp up the whole grains, while dialing back the fat in the toppings. Remember our Easy Pepperoni Bread, our Pizza Pasta Bake, and our kid-favorite Mini Pizzas? A few smart substitutions can make all the difference!

Same goes for this super-fast Pizza Quesadilla!

When Ty arrived home off the school bus one day, I threw these together on a whim (because you know I’ve pretty much always got Flatouts laying around). He devoured them. Loved them!

Ok! What had started out as a whim suddenly seemed like a recipe idea worth sharing with all of you.

So Ty happily munched his way through a few more test batches as we perfected the spices and just the right ratios. That kid can eat! At 14, and with both lacrosse and soccer going pretty much year-round, he needs a steady, unwavering stream of fuel.

This Pizza Quesadilla is perfect! Loaded with complex carbs and whole grains from the Flatout flatbread, plus protein from the reduced-fat cheese, turkey pepperoni and even the flatbread, too (9 grams of protein in one Light Italian Herb Flatout – no kidding!), this quesadilla has true keep-you-full staying power.

And hey – we even snuck in some vitamins and all that great lycopene hanging out in the pizza sauce!

Add some fresh fruit or a few carrot sticks, and you’ve got a balanced meal in moments! Not bad for 5 minutes of work!

And I’m so not kidding about this quesadilla recipe being ready in literally just minutes! With summer upon us, we’re all gonna need quick snacks and meals, so we can get to the zoo or the pool or the park fast! This’ll have you fueled up and out the door in no time.

And, if your kids are old enough, this recipe is just the kind of fun food they’ll enjoy making for themselves (while you put your feet up on the deck … or, well, maybe go throw in some more laundry 😉 ).

You can absolutely encourage your kids to get creative here, too!

Although Ty and I specifically designed this recipe as a Pepperoni Pizza Quesadilla, it could easily be adapted for whatever toppings your kiddos like best.

Hey hey, health-minded mom … for a real nutritional upgrade, they can even ditch the pepperoni altogether and pile on some nutrient-rich veggies!

One word of caution, though: the higher you pile the goodies, the messier your quesadilla will get. Not a problem if you’ve got a plate and napkin handy. But, if you’re truly whipping these up on the fly, be a little more judicious with the fillings.

As this recipe’s written, this quesadilla is wonderfully flavorful and cheesy, but it’s really not all that messy – great as a grab-and-go. Perfect in case you need to get out the door to the pool even faster (or if your son just snags one as he jogs by, heading out the door with a quesadilla in one hand and a lacrosse stick in the other)!

So today … we’ve got lots of reasons for happy dancing: from pepperoni pizza (that’s actually healthier!), to summer.summer.summer!!!, to easy recipes kids can tackle on their own.

Dance away, my friends (and ignore your kiddos if they laugh at you!).