Name: Spicy Sausage Muhammara Quesadillas
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 medium onion, diced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 pound (454 grams) spicy sausage, casings removed (I used organic spicy pork sausage); Pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 1 teaspoon cumin; 4 cups chopped kale; 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced; 2 roasted red peppers; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; Juice and zest of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup of juice); 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1/2 cup toasted walnuts; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes; 6 medium or 4 large flour tortillas; 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese; 1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese; 1/2 cup cubed brie cheese; Arils from 1 pomegranate; 1 avocado, pitted and diced; Big handful of fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped; Pinch of sea salt; Squeeze of lemon juice

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These spicy sausage muhammara quesadillas combine spicy sausage, kale, olives, cheese, and a flavourful roasted red pepper walnut sauce. They are different, fun, and oh so flavourful!

overhead shot of a blue platter with the spicy sausage quesadillas on them

I was hesitant to post this recipe because I am not thrilled with how the photos turned out. But I love these spicy sausage muhammara quesadillas too darn much not to share them with you! They are so full of flavour and colour. You’ll love ’em!

an overhead photo taken from a higher angle showing all of the quesadillas on a blue platter against a blue background

THE DETAILS

The star of these quesadillas is the muhammara. I don’t know if you have ever heard of or made muhammara. I remember making it for the first time way back in 2016 as part of a Middle Eastern feast I was preparing for my family. Muhammara is a smoky, spicy, and ever so slightly sweet roasted red pepper dip of Syrian origin.

My inspired take is decidedly non-traditional, but made with ingredients that are readily accessible in most North American grocery stores. For instance, I swapped out the pomegranate molasses that is traditionally used in muhammara with maple syrup or honey and a touch of lemon juice to provide the tartness found in pomegranate molasses. I also omitted the bread crumbs and Aleppo pepper commonly used in muhammara dip, opting instead to use more readily available hot red pepper flakes.

In addition to the muhammara, these quesadillas are filled with spicy sausage, herbs, spices, kale, olives, and cheese. For cheeses, I used a combination of feta, provolone, and brie, which was delicious! You can also feel free to use a combination of mozzarella and feta.

You’ll also want to serve these with some kind of salsa. I made a quick one with pomegranate, avocado, cilantro, and lemon. It pairs beautifully with these quesadillas!

close up overhead photo of one of the quesadillas topped with pomegranate avocado salsa

WHAT’S IN THESE SPICY SAUSAGE MUHAMMARA QUESADILLAS?

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for these quesadillas. You will find exact amounts of each ingredient in the recipe card further down.

For the spicy sausage and kale: Extra-virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, spicy sausage, sea salt, pepper, dried oregano, cumin, kale, and Kalamata olives.
For the muhammara: Roasted red peppers, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon, maple syrup or honey, sea salt, pepper, toasted walnuts, cumin, smoked paprika, and hot red pepper flakes.
For assembling the quesadillas: Flour tortillas and cheese. I used a combination of feta, provolone, and brie, but you may just use feta and mozzarella if you prefer.
For the pomegranate salsa: Pomegranate, avocado, cilantro or parsley, sea salt, and lemon juice.

overhead photo of the sausage and kale in a cast iron skillet

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. Add the sausage and use a fork to crumble it into smaller pieces as it cooks. Continue to cook until the sausage is cooked through, about eight more minutes. Add sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste, oregano, and cumin. Stir in the kale and olives and cook just until the kale is bright green. Remove from the heat.

Next, make the muhammara: In a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade, blend together the roasted red peppers, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt, pepper, walnuts, cumin, smoked paprika, and hot red pepper flakes. Process until smooth.

process shot showing the assembly of the quesadillas

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly grease two large, rimmed baking sheets with olive oil. Arrange the tortillas on them. Evenly divide the sausage and kale mixture between the tortillas. (Only place it on half of each tortilla so that you can fold them over.) Top the sausage with a couple spoonfuls of muhammara, followed by ¼ cup of cheese per quesadilla. Fold over. Brush each quesadilla with a bit of olive oil (this helps make them crispy in the oven) and bake for 12-15 minutes, flipping once halfway through baking.

close up overhead photo of the quesadillas on the cookie sheet after coming out of the oven

Meanwhile, make the salsa: In a bowl, combine the pomegranate, avocado, parsley or cilantro, salt, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Stir and serve over top of the quesadillas.

overhead photo of the pomegranate avocado salsa in a glass bowl

INGREDIENT SWAPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS FOR VEGANS AND VEGETARIANS

Vegans and vegetarians can replace the sausage with 2-3 cups of cooked chickpeas or lentils. Vegans can also replace the cheese with vegan “cheese” of choice, be it homemade soft cashew “cheese” or store-bought varieties.

angled straight on shot of the quesadillas on a blue platter

MORE QUESADILLA RECIPES

Don’t love the photos on any of these, but the recipes themselves are good!

I hope that you love these spicy sausage muhammara quesadillas! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post.

Finally, if you want more wholesome and feel good recipes to help fuel your active lifestyle, follow Up Beet Kitchen on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Enjoy!!