Pizza-Style Quesadillas

Ingredients

• 4 large flour tortillas
• Crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• 8 tbsp tomato passata
• 60 g pepperoni slices
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g mozzarella, grated
• Dressed green salad, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve

Method

1. Tip the passata into a small pan with a splash of water, season with a pinch of salt, the oregano, and a grind of black pepper, and warm gently for 2 minutes. The water breaks the passata down so it tastes of tomato rather than tin, and reducing it slightly now means it won't bleed through the tortilla later.
2. Spread 2 tablespoons of the seasoned passata across one half of each tortilla, leaving a thin border so nothing escapes when you press it. Scatter the mozzarella generously over the sauce — cheese is the glue, so don't be shy — then layer on the pepperoni and red pepper slices. Season the peppers with a small pinch of salt, fold each tortilla firmly in half, and press flat.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. You want shimmering, not smoking — too hot and the tortilla scorches before the cheese melts.
4. Lay in a quesadilla and press down with a spatula. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the underside is deeply golden, blistered in patches, and crisp to the tap. If you're cooking them one at a time, don't crowd the pan — two won't fit properly and you'll end up with pale, steamed edges instead of crackle.
5. Flip carefully and cook for another 2–3 minutes until the second side is burnished and the cheese is fully molten — you'll see it bubbling at the folded edge and smell the oregano waking up. Slide onto a board and repeat with the rest, adding a touch more oil between each.
6. Taste a corner before you commit to the rest — adjust the warm dipping passata for salt now, not at the table. Most of the seasoning rides on the pepperoni, but a final pinch in the dip ties it all together.
7. Cut each quesadilla into wedges with a pizza wheel or sharp knife. Plate the wedges, scatter over the torn basil leaves, add the chilli flakes if you want the heat, and serve straight away with the warm passata alongside for dunking.