Mexican Pizza Recipe

Taco Tuesday, meet Mexican pizza Monday. Of course, Mexican pizza day can be any day of the week, really, and that includes even your busiest days. Recipe developer Kate Shungu's recipe for Mexican Pizza is not only fresh, filling, and delicious, but it's a veritable lesson in efficiency and simplicity. That's because the whole thing comes together with a minimum of time and effort. In addition, and as an extra added bonus, Shungu's Mexican pizza goes from oven to plate to mouths without the need for fussing with the typical taco fixings, because in this case, the sour cream and pico de gallo are plated with the dish to begin with. In other words, when you're done assembling this dish, it is ready to be eaten.

Not only does this make Mexican pizza a lot easier to clean up from, but it also has the effect of turning "tacos into something special," as Shungu puts it. Of course, if anyone in the family (here's looking at you, kids), feels deprived of the part of taco night where they get to play with their food, then you can certainly involve them in "topping the tortillas and creating the stacks," Shungu suggests. Sounds like perfect compromise, no?

Shungu's recipe for Mexican pizza calls for a pound of ground beef, but you can, of course, substitute any other ground meat, poultry, or meatless meat, because the Mexican seasonings are the real highlight here. Those seasonings will come primarily from a packet of taco seasoning mix, which you can purchase in the spice aisle of your supermarket, if you don't feel like making your own. When you fry up the meat, it will be with the taco seasoning and a half-cup of water.

For assembling the pizza, you'll need 12 small flour tortillas, which you'll be warming up on the stove, so you'll also need some canola oil. You'll also need a can of red enchilada sauce, a can of refried beans, and a cup of shredded cheese. Shungu's preference is for colby jack, but you can also use pre-packaged Mexican shredded cheese. Finally, for serving this Mexican pizza, you'll need sour cream and pico de gallo. 

Start by preheating your oven to 350 F, which you'll be glad you did when it's time to pop your Mexican pizzas in for some final melting action. Now, turning to the ground meat, place it in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and stir and crumble as it cooks almost all the way through (this will take just a few minutes at most if you start by preheating the pan). Add the water and taco seasoning, and cook until the meat is browned. Transfer the meat to a bowl, and leave the skillet where it is for the moment, because you're about to use it again.

Wipe out the skillet, pour in 1 tablespoon of the oil, and place over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, place one of the tortillas onto the skillet. Allow it to brown for one to two minutes, then flip it over and cook until crisp on the other side. Repeat this with the remaining tortillas, adding the remaining oil to the skillet after you've finished heating the first six tortillas.

For this step, you'll need to open the cans of sauce, the refried beans, and the container of sour cream. It will also be helpful to pour the shredded cheese into a bowl. And before you start assembling, you'll also want to grab a baking sheet or oven-proof serving dish that is big enough to hold 6 flour tortillas with a bit of space in between. Start your assembling by placing one tortilla on a clean work surface. Spread with 2 tablespoons of refried beans. Top with ¼ cup of cooked taco-seasoned meat. Place another tortilla on top of the meat, and cover the tortilla with 1 tablespoon of enchilada sauce and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Carefully transfer this Mexican pizza to the baking sheet/dish.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas to make a total of six Mexican pizzas. Bake until the cheese is melted, which should be about five minutes. Serve immediately, topping each with some sour cream and some pico de gallo. "I like serving the pizza with a leafy green salad," Shungu tells Tasting Table. "A southwestern salad kit would be perfect. You can also add tortilla chips if you have any extra pico de gallo." What is there to add to that other than... olé!