Mexican Pizza
This Mexican Pizza recipe is an easy, at-home version of the Taco Bell favorite. Made with tortillas, seasoned ground beef, refried beans, enchilada “pizza sauce”, and lots of cheese, it’s a fun meal the whole family will love!
Easy Taco Bell Copycat Recipe
Mexican Pizza is here to stay with this easy homemade version!
After Taco Bell took their Mexican pizza off their menu in 2020, they brought it back in early 2022…and promptly sold their entire six month supply. Yes, people love it that much!
The pizza returned to Taco Bell’s menu again in September – and hopefully it’s around for good now. But just in case, here’s my own recipe to make it at home!
This copycat Taco Bell Mexican pizza recipe is easy to make. Just cook and season the ground beef, layer the ingredients, and bake until you’ve achieved melty perfection.
It makes a great lunch, or turn it into dinner by adding a side or two. This is a guaranteed family-approved meal!
What You’ll Need
This Taco Bell copycat recipe uses just a handful of ingredients – and you can include any of your own favorite taco toppings. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Ground beef – I always use good quality, lean ground beef.
- Tortillas – Opt for tortillas that are taco-sized, not the huge ones.
- Refried beans – I like the reduced sodium ones to avoid this being too salty. The beans also help hold the pizzas together, so I don’t recommend skipping them – although you certainly can, just be aware of this.
- Enchilada sauce – Adds lots of flavor and acts as the “pizza sauce”.
- Mexican cheese – You can also use a mix of cheddar and mozzarella if you don’t have a Mexican blend on hand.
- Taco seasoning – For flavoring the beef.
- Toppings – See below for topping ideas.
Topping Ideas
If you’re trying to make this a copycat Taco Bell recipe, the restaurant offers it with fresh diced tomatoes as a topping.
I like to include green olives, my own fun little riff. But you can customize however you like. Here are a few topping ideas:
- Diced tomatoes
- Diced green pepper
- Diced onion
- Sliced green onion
- Sliced black olives or green olives
- Chopped chives
- Thinly sliced lettuce
- Avocado slices or chunks, or guacamole
- Sour cream
- Minced or thinly sliced fresh jalapeno
- Pickled jalapeno
- Pickled red onions
Recipe Variations
Besides switching up the toppings, here are a few other ways you can customize your Taco Bell Mexican Pizza.
- Make it vegetarian. Omit the beef completely or replace it with tofu or sofritas for a vegetarian version.
- Spice it up. Add some hot taco sauce to the enchilada sauce or top your pizza with jalapeno or serrano peppers.
- Swap out the beef. You can use ground turkey or chicken in place of the ground beef. Or chopped chicken or steak!
- Try corn tortillas. While Mexican pizza is traditionally made with flour tortillas, you can also make it with corn tortillas for a different taste and texture.
How to Make Mexican Pizza
This Taco Bell copycat recipe is easy to make, with some simple layering of ingredients. If you want to save on time, prep the beef in advance!
- Prepare the ground beef. Brown the beef. Season with the taco seasoning, add water, then cook until the water evaporates.
- Assemble the pizzas. Cover half of the tortillas with a layer of refried beans, then top with the seasoned ground beef. (The beans help the beef stay in place.) Top each pizza with the remaining tortillas, followed by enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, and diced tomatoes on top.
- Bake. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Enjoy. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
How to Make Your Mexican Pizza Crunchy
I usually make this Taco Bell Mexican Pizza in the oven to cut down on prep time and steps. However, the one drawback with this method is that the tortillas don’t get crunchy, like Taco Bell’s.
If you want to make your pizza crunchy like Taco Bell, here is what I recommend:
- Prep your tools. Line a large rimmed pan with a layer of paper towels.
- Warm olive oil. In a large frying pan (big enough for 1 tortilla to sit flat), warm about 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat.
- Fry the tortillas. Briefly fry the tortillas one at a time, carefully turning them over with tongs after about 30 seconds of frying on the first side.
- Drain. Once each tortilla has crisped up a bit, carefully lift the tortilla with tongs and let the oil drain back into the pan. Place the tortilla on the lined pan to drain. Repeat this process with remaining tortillas.
- Assemble and bake. Proceed with assembling and baking your Mexican pizzas as directed.
Note that you may need to add extra olive oil if not enough oil drains back into the pan between frying each tortilla.
Serving Suggestions
Taco Bell Mexican pizza makes a great meal all on its own.
But if you want to expand a bit, serve it up with some other Mexican favorites like chips and salsa – I really like restaurant style salsa with this meal. Or for a super fun, refreshing twist, try watermelon salsa. Guacamole and queso would also be great!
Then wash it all down with your favorite drink. We like to serve tall glasses of club soda over ice, with fresh-squeezed lime. For adults, a cold beer, a classic margarita, or a super simple ranch water cocktail would be perfect.
How to Store
Mexican pizzas are best enjoyed immediately.
However, any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Note that the sauce will likely soften the tortilla. Reheating in the oven will give the best results, but the microwave will also work.
More Mexican Favorites:
- Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
- Mole Pork Tacos
- Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Margarita Grilled Shrimp
- Easy Fish Tacos with Roasted Pineapple
- Easy Pork Carnitas
- Mexican Grilled Shrimp Bowls
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Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 8 flour tortillas taco sized
- 15 ounces low-sodium refried beans
- 8 ounces enchilada sauce
- ½ cup water
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese or mixed cheddar and mozzarella cheese
- 4 teaspoons your favorite taco seasoning we use Taco Bell taco seasoning for this recipe!
Toppings:
- See Notes for topping ideas
Optional for Frying
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain and discard any excess fat.
- Stir taco seasoning into browned beef, followed by the water. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer until water evaporates.
- If you want your Mexican pizzas to be crispy, fry the tortillas as described below before assembling as directed in step 5.
- Spread a thick layer of refried beans on 4 of the tortillas, then top with browned ground beef.
- Next, place one of the remaining tortillas over the beef layer and then spread roughly 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce over the top tortilla. Add shredded cheese and diced tomatoes. Repeat with remaining tortillas and toppings.
- Place the pizzas on non-stick baking sheet and put them in the oven. Bake
until the cheese is melted, about 8-10 minutes. - Remove from the oven, top with desired additional toppings. Serve warm and enjoy!
Making Your Mexican Pizzas Crispy
- Line a large rimmed pan with a layer of paper towels; set aside.
- In a large frying pan (big enough for 1 tortilla to sit flat), warm about 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat.
- Briefly fry the tortillas one at a time, carefully turning them over with tongs after about 30 seconds of frying on the first side, or when tortilla has turned lightly golden brown.
- Once each tortilla has crisped up a bit, carefully lift the tortilla with tongs and let the oil drain back into the pan. Place the tortilla on the lined pan to drain. Repeat this process with remaining tortillas.
- Proceed with assembling and baking the Mexican pizzas as directed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information:
