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Mexican Pizza – a homemade version of the famous Taco Bell Mexican Pizza, only better! Super easy and a fun dinner the whole family will love.
I used to love Taco Bell. I am pretty sure it was because you could get so much food for so little money, but their crunchy tacos were my favorite! Then one day I discovered the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza and I was hooked! But their Crunchwrap Supreme ranks pretty high too.
And now that they discontinued it, it is time to make it at home, even better! Although, I heard they are coming back in May of 2022.
We all know I love Mexican food in any form. I mean, I could have Sour Cream Enchiladas every day and be one happy girl. But sometimes you have to mix it up a bit. And making restaurant favorites at home, is always a good idea!
This Taco Bell Mexican Pizza recipe is really simple to make, you just need few ingredients and a few minutes and you are done.
Mexican Pizza Ingredients
- Tortillas (see below for notes on flour vs corn)
- Refried Beans
- Ground Beef
- Taco Seasoning
- Enchilada Sauce
- Colby Jack Cheese
- Diced Tomatoes
- Oil
The nice thing about this is you can customize it however you want. If you don’t like beans, don’t add them. If you really like black olives, add them. It is up to you! Back when this first came out at Taco Bell it included black olives.
I stuck with the basic version you can find at Taco Bell that has refried beans, taco meat, and a few diced tomatoes on top. I did add a couple of green onions for color, but you could use cilantro instead or just leave it plain. And if you have any Homemade Refried Beans, use those!
How to Make Mexican Pizza
- The first step is to make the taco meat. You can use ground beef or ground turkey and whatever taco seasoning you like. Just make it like you would for taco night.
- Next you want to get the tortillas nice and crispy. If you have a griddle or large skillet that fits more than one, break it out for this. Add a little bit of oil to your pan and heat the tortillas over a medium high heat. You want to flip them frequently so they don’t burn. But cook for 4-5 minutes until they are crispy.
- Now you start assembling. Spread a layer of refried beans along the bottom of the tortilla. Top with a layer of taco meat.
- Once you have your filling, add the second tortilla and top with enchilada sauce. You don’t want too much, or it will get soggy.
- Add a few diced tomatoes and an even layer of cheese over the sauce.
- Now you bake until the cheese is melted, the tortillas are crispy and everything is hot!
- I like to let them sit for a minute before I slice them so it doesn’t make a huge mess. Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or just as is!
Flour Or Corn Tortillas
I call for flour in this recipe, because that is what I like. But you can definitely use corn. I believe that Taco Bell uses flour and then fries them to get them super crispy. So if you want it a little more “authentic” and more like Taco Bell, then use flour.
If you read the comment section below there are a few former employees who commented. It sounds like what they used may have changed over the years or maybe region of the country. So whatever tortilla you like, you can get it crispy and it works great.
I have been making this Mexican pizza for years, and it is such a fun way to mix up taco night. It is easy to make and have everything on hand, plus the whole family will love it! Plus like a lot of copycat recipes, this is so much better than the original! You know what the ingredients are and get to use your favorites!
Recipe Tips
- What tortillas you use is entirely up to you, just get them crispy before you start. I have heard from people who say they worked at Taco Bell and they used flour. I have heard from people who swear they use corn. The website, which has the current information, says they use flour. But the actual pizza is definitely a little different since they have brought them back, so it could have been a blend previously.
- Lots of people like adding cheese to the middle to help keep it together. I am pretty sure Taco Bell did not do this, but theirs also wasn’t as full. But if you like cheese and want to make it easier to deal with, add it!
- You can easily make this vegetarian by just leaving out the ground beef. Obviously make sure you use vegetarian beans if you are buying them at the store.
- If you like things spicy you can use hot enchilada sauce, or add jalapenos to your ground beef.
- This Homemade Enchilada Sauce is great if you don’t want to use the store bought stuff.
Want More Copycat Recipes
- Canes Sauce
- Pasta Milano
- Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Idaho Nachos
- Cafe Rio Dressing
- Red Lobster Tartar Sauce
- Cookie Dough Cheesecake
- Fiesta Lime Chicken
Mexican Pizza
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 can, 15 oz refried beans
- 1 can, 10 oz enchilada sauce
- 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 8 flour tortillas, taco size
- 1 Tbls vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large skillet brown ground beef, breaking up into small pieces. Once cooked, add taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- In a large skillet or griddle pour half of the oil into the pan. Heat over medium high heat. Add tortillas and cook for 4-5 minutes, flipping frequently, until crisp. Repeat with remaining tortillas and oil.
- Spread about 1/4 cup of beans evenly over the bottom of each tortilla. Top with taco meat.
- Place another tortilla over the top of the meat. Spread about 2 Tbls of enchilada sauce evenly over the tortilla. Divide tomatoes evenly over the top of the tortillas.
- Sprinkle the cheese in an even layer over the top.
- Place each pizza on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and everything is hot.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Which kind of refried beans do you recommended. Thank you
My homemade ones are linked in the post and what I normally use https://dinnersdishesanddesserts.com/homemade-refried-beans/ If I am buying them I buy Rosarita, just because that is the brand my store sells.
I want your Recipe please that look so Good.
Taco Bell’s website says it’s made with fried flour tortillas ( https://www.tacobell.com/faq/mexican-pizza )
Very good! We did ours a little different and put it all on the Blackstone.
This looks so yummy. I want to make this soon. My husband and I love Toco Bells
Taco bell uses a corn tostada shell
You can read the ingredients on their website it is a flour based tortilla. You can also read all the comments from Taco Bell employees that say they go in an fry the flour tortillas each morning for the Mexican Pizza. It is not the corn tostada shell. But if you want to make it that way, you absolutely can.
Can I freeze leftovers? By the way this is better than Taco Bell
You should be able to, I haven’t actually done it though. I only assemble what we will eat, and then store the meat and beans separately as leftovers.
I love this, but would have been great if there is a video tutorial
There is one in the recipe card
I made this for the first time, and it turned out great except the top flower tortilla came out a little softer than it should’ve been not crispy. Any suggestions how to make the top flour tortilla more crispy?
Did you get the tortillas crispy before you started? The first steps has you getting them crispy before you assemble them. If you want it more crispy, just cook it for longer to get it to your desired crispiness before you move on.
@Erin S, yes I followed the recipe exactly, I got the tortillas crispy in the pan before assembly. I did read a suggestion of putting the sauce over the meat instead, but I also heard Taco Bell uses a hybrid flour-corn tortilla which I might try also. I’ll probably still drizzle some enchilada sauce on the top tortilla next time, just not as much. Can’t wait to try it again!
Just tried the recipe tonight and it was a Lil sloppy but a hit nonetheless.
I added Rotel to the meat mix and cheese between the layered tortillas, as well as on top. Served with Sour cream and Salsa….so good – way better than taco bell!