History of Mexican Pizza
Ah yes, the Mexican Pizza. All-American, and created by Taco Bell most likely. Online search history of Mexican Pizza yields a Taco Bell article stating that it was invented in the 1850’s by Martin McFly. He experimented with microwaves and “taco seasoning” brought back by a Spanish settler, and as a result, the Mexican Pizza was born!
The microwave was invented in 1946, so the story starts to break down there. Searching ‘Martin McFly’ yields articles about the movie Back To The Future, so said article doesn’t carry much weight. I’ll yield to Taco Bell as creating the Mexican Pizza. We have the California-born Glen Bell, Taco Bell’s founder, to thank for this creation.
The Build
Mexican Pizzas come together so easily, especially if you’re using store-bought enchilada sauce & re-fried beans. If you have leftover re-fried beans, or enchilada sauce, even better! Let’s spice the ground beef, toast the corn tortillas, and get to building.
You can involve your kids (or significant other) with this part, making the build more fun as a result. Set out your beans, meat, and sauce in assembly line fashion, with 8 tortillas on a sheet pan, moving in steps. Firstly, have one person slather the re-fried beans evenly on a tortilla. Secondly, pass along to the next, and top that with taco meat. Third, continue with another tortilla, and gently press so the meat and beans compress together. Fourthly, add sauce on top of that, ensuring that all edges of the top tortilla are covered, ensuring no burnt edges. Finally, top with cheese, and then bake in the oven until heated through.
You can top with more sauce if desired, and any traditional taco toppings you like. I did fresh tomato and cilantro, but you could also add avocado, vegan crema, onion, shredded cabbage, pickled or fresh jalapeño. You get the idea!
I cut mine in fourths to resemble little pizza slices, though you could do just halves, or serve them whole. Either way, so delicious!
Tools Used
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Mexican Pizzas
Ingredients
- 16 Corn Tortillas
- 2 Cups Enchilada Sauce
- 1½ Cups Refried Beans
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- ½ Cup Onion diced
- ½ Teaspoon Coriander ground
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin ground
- 1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Oregano
- ¾ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Pound Beyond Meat
- ½ Cup Shredded Vegan Cheese
- 1/4 Cup Cilantro fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and get out two baking sheets. Lay out 8 tortillas on each sheet, and lightly spray with olive oil on both sides. Add to the oven, and crisp for 7-10 minutes, flipping the tortillas once after 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven, but keep the oven on.
- Remove tortillas from oven when they are very crisp. In two small pots, warm the enchilada sauce, and refried beans over low heat while we make the meat filling.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon Olive Oil. Add in the diced onion, and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Add in the coriander, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and salt, mixing and toasting the spices for one minute. Add in the Beyond Meat, and cook until done, about 7 to 10 minutes longer, breaking up any pieces with a wooden spoon.
- To assemble the pizzas, spread about ⅓ of a cup of refried beans on 8 of the tortillas. Divide the Beyond Meat mixture on top of the refried beans, and top with the remaining tortillas, pressing down to compact the filling. If you can fit the 8 stacks on one cookie sheet, do that, but if not, use the two sheets. Top the stacks with the enchilada sauce, ensuring that it's completely covered, and divide the cheese on top of that. Place in the oven for 10 minutes to heat through.
- Remove the stacks from the oven, the top tortilla on the stacks should be a little soft. Remove to a cutting board, and cut into halves or fourths, whichever you prefer. Top with fresh cilantro and serve immediately with extra sauce.
Love, love this idea! I will try it soon (after the crazy holidays)
Thank you Dorothy!
How simple and easy! What a great idea! I’m printing the recipe right now! Thank you Natalie!
Apparently you don’t really know what is in the taco bell version. Recipe is totally wrong ingredients starting with the tortilla
Thank you so much, friend!
Nothing is right about this. 1st off they used flour tortillas. It was simply a fried flour tortilla, topped with beans, and meat, another fried tortilla topped with sauce, tomatoes, and cheese.