It’s been a long two years since Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza was discontinued, but as of May 19, the menu item is back for good. If you’re itching to try a piece early, or just don’t want to wait in line, you’re in luck, because recreating it is a fairly easy (and delicious) task.
According to the Taco Bell menu, Mexican pizza has six main ingredients: pizza shells, pizza sauce, fried beans, seasoned beef, three-cheese mix, and tomatoes. Most of these are self-explanatory, and a quick look at the ingredient list will tell you that the three-cheese blend is mozzarella, cheddar, and Monterey Jack. Plus, seasoned beef can be replicated with a taco seasoning pack, and overcooked beans and tomatoes are exactly what you’d expect.
However, the pizza casings and pizza sauce seem to be Taco Bell’s trade secrets. Based on the crispy crust, but not exactly tostada level, I assumed the pizza shells were a fried flatbread made from a mixture of corn and flour. The pizza sauce was a little trickier to come up with, but a Taco Bell employee who calls himself @dhantbell on TikTok shared that Taco Bell’s red sauce is the closest thing to their pizza sauce. Based on @dhantbell’s insider knowledge and my distant memory of eating Mexican pizza, I chose canned enchilada sauce mixed with canned pico de gallo and I’d say the taste was pretty accurate.
Figuring out the pizza sauce was really the only problem because the rest is basically assembly. All you have to do is spread the fried beans and seasoned beef on a pizza shell, then add a second pizza shell topped with pizza sauce, cheese, and tomatoes. Put it in the oven until the cheese is melted and enjoy. It’s too easy not to make it at home, especially if you already want to. To learn how to make this imitative Mexican pizza step by step, check out the full recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
1 sachet taco seasoning
1 can of fried beans
1 tomato
1 can of enchilada sauce
1 can of pico de gallo
8 mini flour/corn tortillas
2 cups grated Mexican cheese (mozzarella, cheddar and monterey jack)
Directions
- Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium heat and add taco seasoning.
- While the ground beef cooks, heat the sautéed beans in a separate saucepan and make the pizza sauce by mixing the enchilada sauce with the pico de gallo.
- In a separate pan, fry the tortillas on both sides until golden brown.
- To assemble, take a fried tortilla and add a layer of refried beans and then a layer of ground beef.
- Place the second tortilla on top and add the pizza sauce. Be sure to spoon in a moderate amount, otherwise the pizza shell may get too wet.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese and diced tomatoes, then place in oven on broil for one minute or until cheese is melted.
- Enjoy!
Information
- Category
- Main courses, Pizza
- Harvest
- 4 pizzas
- Preparation time
- 30 minutes
- Time for preparing
- 30 minutes
- Total time
- 59 minutes 59 seconds
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Kalea Martin