Hawaiian Quesadillas with ham, pineapple, and cheese are a twist on the popular pizza combination. There's even a unique name for such a thing, pizza-dillas!
It's the best of both worlds. It tastes like pizza but quickly cooks on the stovetop and is ready in under 30 minutes. And, cheesy ham quesadillas are perfect for lunch, dinner, or even breakfast.
My go-to dinner plan is this recipe when I have leftover holiday ham and pineapple. I usually make pineapple salsa too. It uses many of the same ingredients and is delicious on the side!
Ingredients
Below are the ingredients to make this Hawaiian quesadilla recipe. Of course, leave off or add more of your favorite toppings. That's the beauty of quesadillas. They're easy to customize.
Prepare everything in advance so you won't need to stop midway through the cooking process.
- Dice deli ham or leftover baked ham.
- Dice fresh pineapple or open and drain pineapple from a can. Tidbits work great!
- Thinly slice or dice red onion.
- Shred mozzarella cheese.
- Pull out some flour tortillas. They are a freezer staple at my house. Carb balance tortillas work great! Any size will work. Ours were medium-sized (about 8 inches.)
- Set out your favorite barbecue sauce or pizza sauce. Or, leave it off for a cheesy quesadilla. Another option is to serve the sauce in a cup for dipping. We left this off for a lower-carb version.
- Chop cilantro. This is optional, except at our house!
- You'll also need olive oil and/or butter.
Tip: Finely chop ingredients so they will quickly melt into the cheese. They are less likely to fall out of the tortilla when you flip it over.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Directions
Make Hawaiian Quesadillas entirely on the stovetop. Or use a griddle and an assembly line if you're cooking for a crowd.
- Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter. Technically, you don't need to take this step. But, it gives the outside a crispy, buttery texture.
- Lightly spread barbecue sauce or marinara, if using, on the other side. Layer pineapple, ham, and red onion on top.
- Sprinkle cheese over the top. Place a second tortilla on top, with the butter side up.
- Place the quesadilla in a skillet lightly coated with olive oil and heated over medium-high heat. Cook for about 3 minutes. When the bottom starts to crisp and the cheese has melted, flip it over with a big spatula and crisp the other side. Use a pizza cutter to cut the quesadilla into triangles.
Repeat, repeat, and repeat!
Alternative method:
- Place ingredients on one half of just one tortilla.
- Fold the side of the tortilla with nothing on it over the side with the ingredients.
- Cook on each side using the same method described above.
This is an excellent method when using large or burrito-sized tortillas.
Mix together any extra ingredients and stir in lime juice to taste to make salsa to serve with your Hawaiian cheese quesadillas.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
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📋 Recipe
Hawaiian Quesadillas with Ham, Pineapple, and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 8 flour tortillas 8-9 inch (we used carb balance tortillas
- ½ cup barbecue sauce (optional - leave off for lower-carb version) or marinara sauce
- 16 ounces ham diced (any type, including deli-style) or about 1 cup
- 1 cup diced pineapple diced or canned tidbits
- ½ cup red onion thinly sliced or diced
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
- Olive Oil spray
Instructions
- Coat one side of each flour tortilla with a thin layer of butter. This will make the outside crispy, but is optional.
- Lightly spread barbecue sauce or marinara, if using, on the other side. Layer ham, pineapple, red onion, cilantro, and cheese on top.
- Place a second tortilla on top, with the butter side up.
- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-hight heat.
- Place an assembled quesadilla in the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes. When the bottom starts to crisp and the cheese has melted, flip it over with a big spatula and crisp the other side for another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from pan, keep warm and repeat process to make the rest of the quesadillas.
- Cut the quesadillas into triangles using a pizza cutter and enjoy!
Notes
- Place ingredients on one half of just one tortilla.
- Fold the side of the tortilla with nothing on it over the side with the ingredients.
- Cook on each side using the same method described above.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on 5/27/15 and has been updated to improve the reader experience.
Christine
quesadillas are one of my favorite fall back recipes too. I've never thought to go the pineapple route! I live switching up flavors so we are on top of this next week!
Frozen Yogurt
To keep it simple I just usually use cheese, ham, pineapple, tomatoes and onions since this is what my daughter likes on her quesadillas. I made these again today followed your recipe. I lightly brush the tortilla with butter and sprinkled parmesan cheese. It was yummy! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Marjory
Thanks for sharing! The Parmesan cheese on the tortilla sounds delicious!
Sue R
This was wonderful. My MIL couldn't stop raving about it. I added a little cream cheese and cooked mine in a sandwich press so I didn't have to flip it. Pinning it to make again for sure.
Marjory
I'm so glad you liked it! Fantastic tips!