Taco Pizza

Make sure your crust is not too thin. Otherwise, you will be using a fork and knife to eat pizza. And who does that??

Taco pizza is one of those dishes that sound like a mess but tastes so great. They are a great canvas to load up as much or as little as you want – much like a taco but without the good stuff falling out the other side. Remember to keep your cool items out of the oven so you get the contrast of hot and cold when you take a bite. And no, it is not like a Mexican Pizza from Taco Bell.

Software

·         Pizza crust, 12 inch

·         16 oz. can refried beans (you will use about half)

·         16 oz. ground beef (90/10) (you will use about half)

·         1 packet taco seasoning

·         1 c. taco cheese, shredded

·         1 10 oz. can tomatoes with green chiles

·         Black olives, sliced (optional)

·         Tortilla chips, crushed

·         Sour cream (optional)

·         Pickled jalapenos (optional)

Method

1.       Heat oven to 450. If you are using a pizza stone, now is the time to put it in the oven.

2.       While the oven is heating, warm up the refried beans over medium low heat in a small saucepan.

3.       At the same time, in a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Add the taco seasoning and stir, coating the meat in the seasoning.

4.       Place the pizza crust on a pizza peel or other flat surface.

5.       Spread the warmed refried beans over the crust, keeping clear of the edge.

6.       Add the ground beef on top of the beans.

7.       Cover the entire thing in the shredded cheese and sprinkle the tomatoes around.

8.       If you want olives, now is the time to add them.

9.       Move the pizza to a pizza stone, pizza pan, or slightly greased baking sheet.

10.   Pop it in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly bubbling.

11.   When done, remove to a cutting board and scatter the tortilla chips over the top.

12.   Add dollops of sour cream and slices of pickled jalapenos if you like.

13.   Cut into slices and serve.

14.   Enjoy.

Variants

If you are concerned about the taco seasoning being overwhelming, you can add some water to the beef mix. Just continue to cook it until it boils away. Much like tacos, change the cheese around but keep it as finely shredded as you can. You can also just serve the optional items on the side and let people fix their slices the way they want. Ground chicken could be used instead of beef, if that’s your thing.