Taco Bell Mexican Pizza is so good – but did you know you can make your own? Crispy tortillas are spread with seasoned beef, beans, sauce, and cheese, and then baked to perfection. Add your favorite toppings before serving.
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A Perfect Copycat of Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza!
Are you a fan of Taco Bell’s classic Mexican pizza? This cheesy little number was first invented in 1985, and it stayed popular for decades! Made with fried flour tortillas, refried beans, seasoned ground beef, cheese, and toppings, it’s an easy, tasty recipe that you can definitely re-create at home.
Making Mexican pizza is fun to do and doesn’t take long. It’s an easy weeknight dinner that you can make, with all of the fun flavor of the drive-through and none of the guilt. Customize them with your own toppings, or stick to the classics – it’s all good!
(Speaking of good, if you like this recipe, you have to try my Taco Bell Grilled Cheese Burrito and Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists!)
What Is the Mexican Pizza?
Made with crisped flour tortillas, refried beans, ground beef, and taco sauce, Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza is legendary in the fast food world. This cheesy “pizza” topped with tomatoes became even more famous after they removed it from the menu in 2020! Since it had been a favorite since 1985, fans were understandably stressed, with no less than Doja Cat demanding that Taco Bell return it to restaurants.
In 2022, Taco Bell relented, and brought back the Mexican Pizza, although at times supply chain issues prevented different stores from serving the dish. So, whether you are hankering for one and can’t get them in your area, or just want to avoid the fast–food line (and fast-food ingredients), why not make your own? This easy recipe has all the details.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
My version of a Mexican pizza is actually very easy and on the healthy side. You can use your favorite ground beef, taco seasoning, tortillas, etc. I do like using real Taco Bell sauce though, because it adds that distinctive taste. If you can find it, go for it!
- Ground Beef: You can use lean ground beef, or a fattier ground beef like chuck. You can also use ground turkey or ground chicken. Either way, it’s a good idea to drain the excess grease so that your Mexican pizzas aren’t too oily.
- Taco Seasoning: Use Taco Bell taco seasoning for the same taste.
- Water: A couple of tablespoons of water make the taco meat just saucy enough.
- Tortillas: A real Taco Bell Mexican pizza is made with flour tortillas, but if you want to use corn tortillas that is also fine. The texture and flavor will be a little different, but still yummy.
- Oil: For frying the tortillas.
- Refried Beans: I often use canned refried beans, but homemade refried beans would be amazing.
- Taco Bell Sauce: If you don’t have this, red enchilada sauce would also be good.
- Cheese: Shredded Mexican cheese.
- Tomato: Roma tomatoes are my favorite for this kind of dish, because they are juicy and firm, without being too watery.
- Green Onions: Slice these up for topping the baked pizzas.
- Black Olives: Sliced.
- Sour Cream: Don’t skip the sour cream! It adds the perfect tangy richness. In a pinch, Greek yogurt would be a good substitute.
Let’s Make a Taco Bell Mexican Pizza!
Similar to making tacos, this recipe is very easy to pull together. You’ll make the taco meat, arrange the toppings, and then bake up those tempting pizzas for a melty, cheesy finish. Check out these step-by-step photos!
- Cook the Taco Meat. Set a large saucepan over medium heat, and add the ground beef. Cook the meat until it’s no longer pink, and then add the water and taco seasoning to the saucepan, and let those ingredients cook for another minute to thicken up. Take the saucepan off of the heat, and set it aside for now.
- Pan-Fry the Tortillas. At this point, you can go ahead and get your oven preheating to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with a bit of cooking spray. Heat the oil in a skillet, and cook the tortillas one at a time until lightly browned on each side. Place the pan-fried tortillas on a paper towel-lined plate to cool as you go.
- Prep the Refried Beans. Heat the refried beans until warmed through. I do this in the microwave, but you could also do it in a covered skillet or a small saucepan, stirring occasionally.
- Assemble the First Layer of the Mexican Pizzas. Place 4 pan-fried tortillas on your prepared baking sheet, and spread some of the refried beans on each one. Next, add the cooked beef to the tortillas.
- Add the Second Layer, and Bake. Place a second tortilla on each of the meat-filled tortillas, and spread Taco Bell sauce or enchilada sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese, and then place in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
- Add Toppings and Serve. Remove the baked Mexican pizzas from the oven, and top them with tomato, black olives, and green onions. Cut each pizza into fourths and serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Tips for Success
Making copycat recipes like this Taco Bell Mexican Pizza is fun – I truly enjoyed coming up with this version of my fast-food favorite, and along the way, I also gathered some helpful tips. Read on, and enjoy your meal!
- Baked, Not Fried: If frying the tortillas isn’t your thing, no worries – baking them until crispy works really well, too.
- Sauce: I love, love, love using real Taco Bell sauce in this recipe, and you can actually purchase it in stores or online by the bottle. My advice? Keep some Taco Bell sauce around so you can make this dinner anytime.
- Topping Options: While the original Mexican pizza featured black olives and green onions, you can totally leave those out if you don’t like them. You can also add other toppings, like sauteed chopped mushrooms, cotija cheese crumbles, or finely diced jalapeno.
Yummy Sides
Homemade Taco Bell Mexican pizza can be a fun, filling meal with the right side dishes! I like to serve something with plenty of Tex-Mex flavor. These easy recipes are a great place to start:
- Esquites: Also known as Mexican Street Corn Salad, esquites is a dish that everyone will rave over. Made with fresh corn, Mexican crema, mayonnaise, Tajin, and more, it’s a creamy-tangy-zesty side dish that’ll have you craving more.
- Texas Caviar: Somewhat like esquites, Texas Caviar is a salad of sorts, made with a ton of fresh ingredients including corn, bell peppers, onion, jalapeno, and beans. Instead of a creamy dressing, this one features a bold vinaigrette-style dressing. So good!
- Guacamole: Probably the easiest side to serve with Mexican pizza is your favorite bag of chips and some delicious dip. I am crazy about this Authentic Guacamole Recipe – it’s so easy, and so full of flavor.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
I definitely recommend making only as many of these little Mexican pizzas as you think you can enjoy in one sitting. They are really at their best served fresh. However, if needed, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can I Freeze This?
Actually, yes! Somewhat like a freezer burrito, you can make these Mexican pizzas ahead of time and wrap them tightly to freeze for later. I recommend freezing them without the fresh tomatoes, since those can be watery when you freeze and thaw them.
Using heavy-duty foil is a good way to get a firm, close wrap that won’t let in freezer burn. Freeze Mexican pizzas for up to three months, and bake directly from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time as needed.
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 oz packet taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons water
- 8 – 6- inch flour tortillas
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup refried beans
- ⅓ cup enchilada sauce or Taco Bell sauce
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 Roma tomato, diced
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 3 tablespoons black olives
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
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Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the ground beef until no longer pink, then add the water and taco seasoning. Cook for 1 minute more and then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Heat the oven to 350°F and spray or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat the oil in a skillet and place a tortilla in the pan, cooking till lightly browned, then flip and cook the other side till browned and crispy. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat till all the tortillas have been cooked till lightly brown and crispy.
- Heat the refried beans in the microwave until warmed through.
- Place 4 tortillas on the prepared baking sheet and spread ¼ of the beans on each tortilla. Next, divide the cooked beef among the tortillas.
- Place a tortilla on top of each of the meat filled tortillas.
- Spread enchilada sauce or Taco Bell sauce over the top of the tortilla, top with cheese, and then place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove and top with tomato, black olives and green onions.
- Cut each pizza into fourths and serve immediately!
Notes
- Storage: These really are best served fresh, however, leftovers can be stored in airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 3 days.
- Baked, Not Fried: If frying the tortillas isn’t your thing, no worries – baking them until crispy works really well, too.
- Sauce: I love, love, love using real Taco Bell sauce in this recipe, and you can actually purchase it in stores or online by the bottle. My advice? Keep some Taco Bell sauce around so you can make this dinner anytime.
- Topping Options: While the original Mexican pizza featured black olives and green onions, you can totally leave those out if you don’t like them. You can also add other toppings, like sauteed chopped mushrooms, cotija cheese crumbles, or finely diced jalapeno.
Nutrition
Categories:
More Easy, Cheesy Favorites
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- Mexican Casserole
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- Loaded Baked Potato
- Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake
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I made these tonight and my husband and I loved them! I air-fried the tortillas and added guac–so good!