Mexican Pizza

 

 

As you may have heard, Taco Bell announced that the Mexican Pizza will be removed from their menu effective November 5, 2020.  What???  This is probably one of their most beloved items, so I was surprised to hear this and like many people after finding out this unacceptable news, I started working on my own recipe for making them at home.

 

Since announcing the removal of this popular menu item back in early September, over 102,000 people have signed a Change.org petition to save the Mexican Pizza.  Fingers crossed!  Until we find out it's fate, why not try making it yourself?  It's easy and frankly it tastes better... AND it actually comes out looking like it's supposed to look and not some lukewarm mess with all the toppings slid over to one side of the cardboard box it's served in. 

 

So without further ado, here is my version of the Mexican Pizza.  I thought this tasted pretty close to the original, but better.  Let me know what you think!

 

Mexican Pizza

Makes 2 pizzas

 

4 6" flour tortillas

3-4 tablespoons light olive oil or canola oil

1 lb. ground beef

3 tablespoons taco seasoning

1/4 cup water

2 strips thick cut bacon, chopped

1 15 oz can of re-fried beans 

1 small tomato, diced

1 green onion, diced

Cilantro leaves, torn

Colby-Jack cheese, shredded

Sour cream

 

Sauce: 

15 oz tomato sauce

1 tbsp vinegar 

1/2 tsp sugar 

1 tbsp minced onion 

1/4 tsp oregano 

1/2 tsp cumin 

1 tsp garlic powder 

2 tsp chipotle chili powder 

1 tsp paprika 

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp salt 

 

 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and fry each tortilla on each side until parts of it turn golden brown.  Place the fried tortillas on a baking sheet.  In the same skillet, brown your ground beef, then add in the taco seasoning and water.  Stir and simmer until the beef mixture slightly thickens.  In a sauce pan, fry up the bacon until crispy.  Without removing the bacon or the bacon fat from the pan, add the canned re-fried beans to the pan and smash and stir until hot and creamy.  Remove the beans from the pan and set aside.  In the same sauce pan, heat the tomato sauce and stir in all the other sauce ingredients.  Bring to a bubble and allow the sauce to simmer until it slightly thickens.  

Now it's time to build your pizzas.  Top one fried tortilla with some of the re-fried beans, then top the beans with some of the seasoned taco meat.  Top with a second fried tortilla and top that tortilla with a generous portion of the sauce.  Top the sauce with some shredded cheese, diced tomato, and diced green onion.   Repeat this to make the second pizza.  Pop the pizzas into the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.  Once removed from the oven, cut the pizza into four pieces, top with torn cilantro leaves and sour cream if you choose, and serve.

 As you can see, I'm a sour cream fan.  The great thing about making this at home is you can personalize the type and ratio of toppings to your liking.  

 

Give this recipe a go and let me know what you thought!