Thursday, May 9, 2013

Taco Bell Copy Cat Recipe: Homemade Mexican Pizzas

Yes, you read the title of this post correct. I channeled the spirit of Kelly the Culinarian and her love for Taco Bell when I was thinking of a something fun to make for dinner. I know Cinco de Mayo was a few days ago, but I've been craving Mexican food and I thought I'd give these a try. I knew I had all the ingredients lying around so why not be creative?

Mexican Pizza
4 whole wheat tortillas
1 can of refried beans (I used refried black beans)
1 can of enchilada sauce
1 tomato, diced
1 can of olives, sliced in half
2 cups finely shredded Mexican/taco cheese (or to taste)
chives (I always get my Mexican pizza without chives, so I didn't include these)
a little olive oil
toppings: diced avocado, sour cream or Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 375. Put a little bit of olive oil spread throughout the top and bottom of each tortilla. Put them directly on the oven rack and bake them until lightly crisp (be sure not to over cook). This honestly takes a few minutes on each side. Once the tortillas are crisp I removed them from the oven and set them aside. Then, I spread some of the black beans on a paper plate and microwaved them. (I didn't want to put it on the stove because of dirtying the extra dish. Lazy? Yes.) While the black beans were warming in the microwave, I diced up the tomatoes, olives, and avocado.

I then spread the black beans over the tortilla and placed the other tortilla on top, like a sandwich. I did this for both "pizzas". I then spread enchilada sauce on top of the tortilla, along with a sprinkle of tomatoes and olives. Then, I topped it off with a bunch of cheese. Like, way more than Taco Bell would give you. Folks, there is no need to be stingy with the cheese!

I then set the oven to broil and put the pizzas back in, directly on the rack. Although, when I make these again, I may try it on a baking sheet. Either way, they only need to be in there long enough for the cheese to melt. Be careful not to step away, because there is just a couple seconds between well done and burnt. 

Next, remove, top accordingly and serve immediately. My husband raved about these but his only complaint was that they were hard to eat. Anyone that has eaten a Mexican pizza at Taco Bell knows the secret is to cut it into 4ths and eat like a pizza. I did this and found it just as easy to eat as any other Mexican pizza, it just tasted much better, if I do say so myself... :) 

I highly recommend making these any night when you're craving Mexican but are looking for something a little outside of the traditional comfort zone. 

Enjoy! (Sorry I don't have a photo of the finished product. I was too hungry and it looked too delicious to wait. Oh, and I forgot.)

12 comments:

  1. You could draw the finished product in MS Word!
    If you can package these right, maybe go into the Food Truck business, right?!

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  2. I basically make this (minus the enchilada sauce - don't know why I didn't think of that before) and throw a couple fried eggs on top and call it Huevos Rancheros. I had no idea I was copying Taco Bell!

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  3. You just blew my mind with the thought of turning this into breakfast by adding an egg. I can't think of anything else I want to eat more right now (even though I just had lunch...) Yet another one of the many reasons I love following your blog for recipes! :)

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  4. Haha, I thought of drawing something in MS Paint but I knew it couldn't live up to the real thing. I like this idea of a food truck. Then I could bring my baby to work!

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  5. My husband and I want to open a restaurant whose sole concept is putting fried eggs on top of things, so breakfast food is definitely a favorite of mine :)

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  6. I'd be down for this kind of restaurant. If I'm an investor, do I get my breakfast for free?

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  7. Ha! Eggs are cheap, so that's probably doable :)

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  8. This sounds absolutely heavenly. As someone who never cooks but LOVES Taco Bell, I just may have to try it!

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  9. It isn't complicated and it really is worth the effort!

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