Fiesta Taco Bake

Elevate Your Pizza with Optional Toppings

While delicious on its own, the beauty of homemade Mexican Pizza lies in the endless possibilities for customization with additional toppings. Taco Bell itself offers a variety of “add-ons,” and I’ve added a few of my own favorites to enhance the experience. Choose 2 or 3 of these to truly level up your homemade creation!

• Guacamole: A personal favorite for almost any Tex-Mex dish, creamy homemade guacamole adds a rich, cool contrast to the warm, savory pizza. Its fresh flavor and smooth texture are simply irresistible.
• Shredded Lettuce: For a refreshing crunch and vibrant color, shred some crisp iceberg or romaine lettuce. It adds a delightful textual contrast and a touch of freshness that brightens the entire dish.
• Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce (Creamy Jalapeño Sauce): Referenced as a popular upgrade at Taco Bell, this creamy, slightly spicy sauce is a game-changer. A generous drizzle of this homemade copycat sauce adds an incredible creaminess and a complex flavor profile that perfectly complements the other ingredients. It’s truly a must-try! (As pictured below.)
• Fresh Cilantro: A sprinkling of fresh chopped cilantro adds a bright, herbaceous note and a beautiful pop of green. If cilantro isn’t to your taste, finely diced green onions make an excellent alternative, offering a mild oniony flavor.
• Sour Cream: A classic creamy topping, sour cream provides a cool, tangy counterpoint that balances the richness and spiciness of the pizza. It’s a simple yet effective addition.
• Nacho Cheese Sauce: For serious cheese lovers, a drizzle of warm nacho cheese sauce on top takes this pizza to the next level. You can use an easy 10-minute homemade recipe or opt for your favorite store-bought variety for added indulgence.
• Jalapeño Peppers: Whether you prefer the tangy bite of pickled, nacho-sliced jalapeños or the fresh crunch and bolder spice of thinly sliced raw jalapeños, these peppers add a fantastic kick for those who love a bit of heat.
• Diced Onions: Finely diced white or red onions offer a sharp, pungent freshness that can cut through the richness of the pizza layers.
• Sliced Black Olives: Earthy and slightly salty, sliced black olives are a classic topping that adds a distinct flavor and appealing texture.
• Hot Sauce: For those who can’t get enough heat, a dash or drizzle of your favorite hot sauce is an easy way to customize the spice level.
• Pico de Gallo: A fresh and zesty salsa made with diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapeños, pico de gallo adds a burst of fresh flavor and vibrant texture.
• Chipotle Sauce: This smoky, spicy, and creamy sauce offers a deeper, more complex flavor than traditional hot sauce, perfect for adding a gourmet touch.
• Cilantro Lime Sauce: A bright and tangy sauce that combines the freshness of cilantro with the zesty kick of lime, offering a refreshing counterpoint to the rich fillings.
• Salsa Macha: A unique Mexican chili oil with nuts and seeds, salsa macha delivers a rich, smoky, and slightly spicy flavor with a delightful crunch, adding an unexpected gourmet twist.

Expert Tips and Recipe Notes

To ensure your homemade Mexican Pizza is a resounding success, consider these expert tips and additional notes:

• Reheating Leftovers: While the individual components of Mexican Pizza store well, assembled and cooked pizzas do not reheat effectively. The tostada shells tend to lose their crispness and become soggy. To enjoy fresh-tasting pizzas every time, I highly recommend only assembling and baking as many as you plan to eat in one sitting. Store any leftover cooked ground beef, refried beans, and sauce separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can then quickly reheat the beef, assemble new pizzas with fresh tostada shells, and broil them in less than 5 minutes for a perfectly crisp and fresh meal.
• Making it Vegetarian: Easily transform this recipe into a delicious vegetarian dish by substituting the ground beef with soy chorizo for a spicy kick, or by simply doubling the amount of refried beans in the middle layer. Always double-check that your refried beans are vegetarian, as some brands may contain lard.
• Gluten-Free Option: This recipe is naturally gluten-free when using the specified ingredients. However, it’s crucial to always verify the labels of your refried beans and red enchilada sauce to ensure they are certified gluten-free, as formulations can vary between brands. If making homemade tostadas, ensure you use corn tortillas, which are inherently gluten-free.
• Refried Beans Alternative: If you’re not a fan of refried beans, you can easily substitute them with a layer of warm nacho cheese sauce. The creamy texture of the nacho cheese will effectively hold the ground beef in place between the tostada shells, adding a rich, cheesy flavor.
• Homemade Tostada Shells: For the freshest and crispiest experience, making your own tostada shells is a fantastic option. Line up eight six-inch corn or flour tortillas on a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Lightly brush the tops of the tortillas with vegetable oil or spray them with cooking spray. To prevent the tortillas from bubbling excessively and ensure they bake flat, place an oven-safe wire rack upside down directly over them on the baking sheet. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before assembling your pizzas.
• Recipe Yield and Scaling: This recipe is designed to make four Mexican pizzas, which typically serves four people, with one pizza per person being a satisfying portion. You can easily complement the meal with sides like chips, salsa, or guacamole, or any of the side dishes listed below. If you need to serve a larger group, simply double the recipe to make eight pizzas. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust to make preparation even simpler.
• Prepping Ahead: To make mealtime even faster, you can prepare certain components in advance. Cook and season the ground beef, dice your tomatoes, and grate your cheese a day or two ahead. Store them separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. This way, assembly and baking on the day of serving will take mere minutes.

Perfect Pairings: What to Serve with Your Mexican Pizza

Enhance your copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza meal by pairing it with these delightful side dishes, creating a complete and satisfying Tex-Mex feast.

• Mexican Rice: A classic and flavorful side, Mexican rice adds a hearty and aromatic element, perfectly complementing the rich flavors of the pizza.
• Mexican Black Beans: These tender, seasoned black beans offer a protein-rich and flavorful accompaniment that is both nutritious and delicious alongside your pizza.
• Cilantro Lime Rice: Light, fresh, and zesty, cilantro lime rice provides a refreshing contrast to the savory pizza, cleansing the palate with its bright flavors.
• Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad: A vibrant and creamy pasta salad inspired by elote, offering a cool, tangy, and slightly sweet counterpoint with its corn, cheese, and creamy dressing.
• Mexican Pickled Vegetables: (pickled onions, carrots, and jalapeños) These tangy, crunchy pickled vegetables add a bright, acidic bite that helps cut through the richness of the pizza, offering a refreshing and spicy side.

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Mexican Pizza

Recreate Taco Bell’s famous Mexican Pizza at home with this easy copycat recipe! In just 20 minutes make the famous fast food dish loaded with taco-seasoned ground beef, refried beans, red enchilada sauce, and plenty of cheese. It’s a delicious combination of flavors in a simple family-friendly meal!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (click link for homemade recipe)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 8 tostada shells
• 1 cup refried beans
• ½ cup red enchilada sauce
• ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• ½ cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 tomato, diced

Instructions

1. Preheat the broiler in the oven to high. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.
2. In a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and cook and crumble, until no longer pink.
3. Drain any grease from the skillet, then add the taco seasoning and water.
4. Stir to combine, lower the heat on the stove to medium-low and simmer the ground beef for 5 minutes.
5. Spread refried beans on 4 of the tostada shells, then top with the ground beef.
6. Layer another tostada shell on top of the ground beef, then spread 2 tablespoons enchilada sauce on each tostada and top with ¼ cup shredded cheese on each one.
7. Place all of the Mexican pizzas on a foil-lined baking sheet, then onto the middle rack of the oven for 30-60 seconds, or until the cheese is melted. Alternatively, you can bake the pizzas in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 4-5 minutes.
8. Remove the pizzas from the oven and top with the diced tomato and any additional toppings of your choice.

Notes

• Optional toppings could include guacamole, shredded lettuce, Taco Bell quesadilla sauce, fresh cilantro, or sour cream. See even more options in the blog post above.
• To make this recipe vegetarian, use soy chorizo instead of ground beef, or just double up on the refried beans in the middle. Be sure to use vegetarian refried beans.
• This recipe is gluten-free using the ingredients shown above. Always check the label to make sure the refried beans and enchilada sauce are gluten-free.
• If you don’t like refried beans, you can replace the beans with nacho cheese. The nacho cheese will hold the ground beef in place inside the pizzas.
• Prepared and cooked Mexican pizzas do not reheat well. I recommend only assembling and baking as many as you’d like to eat in that setting. Each of the elements of the pizza, including the cooked ground beef leftovers, can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can easily heat up the ground beef, assemble more pizzas, and broil them in the oven in less than 5 minutes. I highly recommend this option instead of reheating leftover pizzas.

Nutrition Facts