If you love Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza, you will love this recipe. Homemade, but done with simple ingredients and an easy technique, this is a win for the whole family!
Our family loves riffs on take-out food, and I love making fast food at home because it is much healthier and cost-effective. This Mexican Pizza is a perfect example. We start with corn tortillas and crisp them up before adding pinto beans, taco meat, and taco sauce. All of those are great homemade recipes so you can completely control the ingredients and the taste! You will love this Taco Bell copycat recipe.
To be clear, there is nothing in the Mexican cuisine that resembles this. The name for this delicious dinner recipe refers to something on the Taco Bell menu. But of course, you will love this version much much more.
How to Make Mexican Pizza
Here is a brief overview of how this homemade Mexican pizza recipe comes together. For the full recipe including all measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Bake the tortillas. Brush both sides of the tortillas with oil. Put them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for eight minutes until they are crispy. Flip the tortillas halfway through and rotate the pan.
- Cook the taco meat. Cook the ground beef in a frying pan over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain any excess fat and stir in the tomato sauce and the taco seasoning.
- Build the pizzas. Spread some refried beans on four of the prepared tortillas. Top each one with taco meat followed by another prepared tortilla. Top each pizza with taco sauce and shredded cheese.
- Bake and garnish the pizzas. Lower the oven temperature and bake the pizzas for about eight minutes. Top the cooked pizzas with freshly diced tomatoes and green onions and enjoy!
Rimmed Baking Sheets
Homemade Taco Seasoning
The key to amazing taco meat is the seasoning. This homemade taco seasoning has the best flavor and can be customized to be as spicy or mild as you like! Made with simple spices like cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and paprika, my recipe includes measurements for one pound of meat or for a whole batch to keep on hand in your pantry.
Skip the store-bought seasoning packet that may have extra salt and additives and make it from scratch. It is so easy and can be used in tons of recipes.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Homemade Refried Beans
These beans are such a versatile recipe. Not only can they be dinner or a flavorful side dish, but they can be blended up to make refried beans which is what we do for Mexican pizza. Place the cooked beans in a blender and blend until the beans reach your desired consistency.
I also have a recipe for making pinto beans in the instant pot. If it would work better for you, just grab a can of refried beans for this Mexican pizza.
Crock Pot Pinto Beans
Homemade Taco Sauce
Homemade Taco Sauce is so easy to make, you’ll never buy a bottle of it again. Made with really simple ingredients that you can control and a tomato base, you will adore this easy sauce for tacos Mexican pizza. You could also use enchilada sauce as the sauce in this recipe.
Taco Sauce
Tips and Tricks
- Use corn tortillas. If you only have flour tortillas on hand, don’t let that hold you back from making this recipe, but know that they will bake faster than corn tortillas so watch them closely in the oven. They also won’t crisp up in quite the same way.
- Shred cheese from a block. Finely grate the cheese from a block rather than buying a bag of pre-shredded cheese. It will melt and taste so much better and is worth the extra minute or two.
- Make it your own. If there is an ingredient that you don’t like, leave it out. You can also add things like black olives, fresh chopped cilantro, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, or pico de gallo.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
I recommend eating these Mexican pizzas while they are hot out of the oven if possible. If you have leftover ingredients, store them in the refrigerator separately so you can build and bake fresh pizzas.
If you have leftover pizza, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat it in the air fryer or oven until heated through.
Other Taco-Inspired Recipes
If you make this Taco Bell Mexican pizza recipe or any of my other recipes, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below!
Mexican Pizza
Ingredients
- 8 corn tortillas (6 inch)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 pound ground beef (226.8 grams)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 4 ounces tomato sauce (113.5 grams)
- 1 cup refried beans or for a healthier option, use my crockpot pinto beans, and blend them to be smooth (226 grams)
- 1/2 cup taco sauce (128 grams)
- 1 cup Colby jack cheese or cheddar cheese, finely shredded (113 grams)
- 2 Roma tomatoes diced
- 3 green onions diced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay the tortillas on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the tortillas with the vegetable oil, thick enough so that the whole side is shiny, but not so thick that you can see pools of oil. Flip them and brush the other sides. Bake for 8 minutes, flipping the tortillas halfway through and rotating the pan. (Because ovens and baking pans vary, check on the tortillas every 2 to 3 minutes to ensure they do not burn. Keep in mind that I would not use flour tortillas here, but if you do, they will need less time.)8 corn tortillas, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- While the shells are baking, make the taco meat. In a frying pan over medium heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it up as you cook. When the beef is no longer pink, drain the fat. Stir in the tomato sauce and the taco seasoning. Turn the heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.1/2 pound ground beef, 4 ounces tomato sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Construct the pizzas. Spread 1/4 cup of the refried beans on four of the prepared tortillas. Top each one with 1/4 of the beef, about 1/4 cup.1 cup refried beans
- Top each one with the remaining prepared tortillas. Then top each pizza with 2 tablespoons of taco sauce. Add 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese to each pizza. Bake the pizzas for 10 minutes.1/2 cup taco sauce, 1 cup Colby jack cheese
- After you remove them from the oven, top with freshly diced tomatoes and freshly chopped green onions.2 Roma tomatoes, 3 green onions
KalcevichDolores says
Lisa, do you have the recipe for refried beans? I only see crock pot or air fryer pinto beans. Thanks for responding Dee Kal
Those are the recipes I’m suggesting you use in this.
Marsha says
I love all all of your recipes and your fabulous pictures of each one.
Thanks Marsha!