Description
Mexican Pizza, a delightful crossover between Italian and Mexican cuisines, combines crispy tortillas with savory ground beef and melted cheese. Layers of zesty toppings create a quick, satisfying meal you’ll want to enjoy again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ lb (0.5 pound) ground beef
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 4 large flour tortillas
- ½ cup refried beans
- ½ cup enchilada sauce
- ½ packet (about 1 tbsp) taco seasoning
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup sliced black olives
- 2 tbsps chopped green onions
- ¼ cup sour cream (optional)
- ¼ cup guacamole (optional)
Instructions
- Crisp Foundations: Brush tortillas with vegetable oil and bake at 400F (200C) for 5-7 minutes until golden and rigid, ensuring both sides achieve a perfect crunch.
- Flavor Development: Brown ground beef in a skillet, drain excess fat, then incorporate taco seasoning and water, simmering until the mixture thickens and becomes aromatic.
- Pizza Assembly: Layer the first crisp tortilla with refried beans and seasoned beef, then top with a second tortilla to create a sturdy base for the pizza.
- Sauce and Cheese: Generously coat the top tortilla with enchilada sauce, then sprinkle an even layer of shredded cheese to ensure complete coverage.
- Final Baking: Return the assembled pizza to the oven at 400F for 5-7 minutes, allowing cheese to melt completely and flavors to meld together.
- Garnish and Serve: Adorn the hot pizza with diced tomatoes, black olives, green onions, and optional toppings like sour cream and guacamole.
- Presentation: Slice the pizza into four quarters and serve immediately to preserve optimal flavor and texture.
Notes
- Manage Tortilla Crispness: Select sturdy, thick tortillas to prevent sogginess and ensure structural integrity during baking and layering.
- Drain Meat Thoroughly: Remove excess fat completely from ground beef to prevent greasy texture and maintain clean, robust flavor profile.
- Control Cheese Melting: Use low-moisture shredded cheese for even melting and avoid potential watery or separated cheese layers.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Substitute ground beef with plant-based crumbles for vegetarian version, or use lean turkey for lower-fat alternative.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 470
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg