Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Skip the drive-thru and make this Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza right at home! Just in case they ever get discontinued again, you should always know how to make this fast food staple in your kitchen. You only need a handful of inexpensive ingredients to make this layered legend!
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
If you have any access to the internet, you’ve 100% already heard that the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza is back in action! As if 2020 wasn’t a bad enough year, Taco Bell took their adored Mexican Pizza off of the menu that November, and the internet grieved the loss pretty hard. It may be back on the menu for now, but what are we all to do if it goes away again? I’m not taking any chances!
Besides, not to toot my own horn too hard, but this copycat recipe is better than what comes in the little cardboard box. I may sound blasphemous to Taco Bell purists, but it’s true! One of my major secrets to making the best Mexican Pizza is to season the ground beef with Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix. It lends real flavor to the meat, while the store bought packets usually just make it tasty salty.
These Mexican Pizzas aren’t just easy to make, they’re actually pretty fun to assemble, too! This is an exciting dinner recipe that you can really get the kids involved with. Plus, since you’re not saying your order through a drive-thru box, it’s super simple to customize your Mexican Pizza to your liking. Everyone can easily add more or less of all of their favorite ingredients, so each pizza is personalized!
How to Make Mexican Pizza
- Make the taco seasoning. In a small bowl, add all the taco seasonings together, and set aside.
- Cook the ground beef. Cook the ground beef in a skillet until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes on medium high head. Drain any excess fat, if necessary
- Combine the sauce and seasoning. Add the homemade taco seasoning and 4 ounces (¼ cup) of the taco sauce.
- Simmer the sauce. Mix together well and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes. Put the meat in a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Assemble the pizzas! Lay out 4 tortilla on a cookie sheet that is lightly oiled to prevent sticking. Spread about 4oz of refried beans on to each tortilla. Top the refried beans with 4oz of the cooked taco meat. Place a second tortilla on top of the meat and press down gently. Spread about 2-3 tbsp of taco sauce on top of each tortilla to cover.
- Bake the pizzas. Sprinkle with 3 oz of cheese and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes until the cheese melts.
- Garnish and enjoy! Remove from the oven and garnish with tomatoes, green onions, olives and any extra taco sauce that remains.
Storage
Truly, these Mexican Pizzas are best served fresh from the oven. As soon as the cheese has melted, it’s time to dig in! If you do have any leftovers, keep them fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 days. I highly recommend reheating them back in the oven, not the microwave. In the oven, they’ll crisp up to their original consistency a little bit better. The microwave will just turn them into soggy mush.
Serving Suggestions
Just a few of my favorite accompaniments for this recipe include sour cream, salsa, and Guacamole. When serving these pizzas for dinner, consider making the toppings into a little taco bar. That way, everyone can add whatever they want onto their plate. It’s so much fun!
More Easy Take Out Recipe Ideas
- Copycat Chick-fil-a Nuggets
- Copycat Chipotle Sofritas
- Copycat Texas Roadhouse Butter
- Copycat Milk Bar Birthday Cake
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Get the Recipe: Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
Homemade taco seasoning:
- 3 tsp ground cumin
- 3 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp ground pepper
- 1 pound lean ground beef , We used lean but you can use what you like to even use ground turkey or chicken
- ½ cup water
- 1 15 oz bottle taco sauce, divided
- 8 10 inch flour tortillas
- 1 can, 16oz refried beans
- 1 8 oz block cheddar or colby jack blend, shredded
Garnish:
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1 bunch green onion, sliced
- 1 4 oz can sliced black olives
- Any additional favorite taco toppings!
Equipment
- 1 sheet pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees.
- In a small bowl, add all the taco seasonings together, and set aside.
- Cook the ground beef in a skillet until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes on medium high head. Drain any excess fat, if necessary
- Note- if you use 93%/7% lean beef, there won’t be much fat to drain
- Add the homemade taco seasoning and 4 ounces (¼ cup) of the taco sauce.
- Mix together well and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes. Put the meat in a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Lay out 4 tortilla on a cookie sheet that is lightly oiled to prevent sticking
- Spread about 4oz of refried beans on to each tortilla
- Top the refried beans with 4oz of the cooked taco meat
- Place a second tortilla on top of the meat and press down gently.
- Spread about 2-3 tbsp of taco sauce on top of each tortilla to cover
- Sprinkle with 3 oz of cheese and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes until the cheese melts.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with tomatoes, green onions, olives and any extra taco sauce that remains
- Serve with your favorite accompaniments; sour cream, salsa, guacamole, etc.
2 Comments on “Taco Bell Mexican Pizza”
Taco bell doesn’t use flour tortillas for this…corn tostada’s..
Thank you for your knowledge of Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza but you’re actually incorrect. The Taco Bell Mexican Pizza is, in fact, made with flour tortillas.
Per Taco Bell’s website: “The Mexican Pizza was returned to our menu in all its previous glory, complete with the same ingredients of seasoned beef and refried beans between two fried flour tortillas, topped with pizza sauce, our three cheese blend and fresh diced tomatoes. On September 15, it’ll be on menus with these same ingredients.” https://www.tacobell.com/faq/mexican-pizza