What could be better than pizza Mexican style? Pretty much nothing, right!. Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizzas are the PERFECT dinner recipe!
It is a delicious twist on traditional pizza with a layer of refried beans sandwiched between two tortillas, topped with enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, jalapenos, green onions, tomatoes, and olives. Then baked until it’s hot, melty, and gooey delicious.
With less than 400 calories, you can feel good about serving this restaurant-style homemade fresh vegetarian family meal!
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Are you a Taco Bell fan? I can’t say that I am, but my husband and my son are. Their favorite taco bell dishes are crunch wrap supreme, chalupa, soft tacos, and Mexican pizza.
I try to make a homemade version of taco bell copycat dishes like this Mexican pizza.
It’s not authentic Mexican food. It’s one of those foods that Taco Bell created for the American consumer.
I’m happy to say that my homemade versions are delicious, and you don’t even have to be a Taco Bell fan to enjoy them!
Even if you are a Taco Bell lover, you’ll prefer the homemade version.
So if you love the Mexican Pizzas at Taco Bell or not, I dare you to try making this incredible homemade version. They are so delicious and super easy to make!
These homemade Mexican Pizzas
- are delicious and a million times better at home
- is one of those meals that everyone can agree on
- are easy to make with ingredients I usually have on hand.
- It’s a filling lunch or dinner.
- make it as big or as small as you want it, personal serving sizes…or enough for a crowd.
- Serve your Mexican pizza with a side of some salad for a complete meal.
Ingredients notes and substitution
- Refried beans – I love refried beans. I always make them in Instant Pot in a big batch and keep them in my freezer. If you don’t like so much in your pizzas, you can cut the quantity in half, but use some beans because it’s sort of the glue that holds it all together. I used pinto refried beans, but use which refried beans you prefer.
- Cheese – I have used medium cheddar cheese because that’s what I had on hand. You can use Mexican cheese, pepper jack cheese, or any cheese of your choice. I recommend grating your cheese for this recipe, as many store-bought bags of shredded cheese contain anti-caking agents and don’t melt as well.
- Enchilada sauce – I love Old-el-Paso brand hot enchilada sauce. You can use homemade or any brand store-bought sauce.
- Tortilla – you can use flour or corn tortilla. I have used both. I like Mexican pizza with flour tortillas whereas my son and husband prefer corn tortillas.
- Toppings – for topping, I have used chopped Roma tomatoes, spring onion, cilantro, olives, and jalapenos. Feel free to use any topping of your choice.
How to make this recipe? Step by step process
Step – 1 Prep Work
Preheat oven @ 400 degrees F.
Take tortillas and brush them on both sides with a little bit of oil. Arrange them on a cookie sheet.
Bake them in a preheated oven for about 6 minutes at 400 degrees F. You want tortillas a slight golden color and crispy. Remove from oven and set aside.
Step – 2 Meanwhile, cook the refried beans. (skip these steps if using store-bought refried beans)
First, take pinto beans and wash them well.
Boil 6 cups of water. Switch of the flame. Add rinsed pinto beans.
Soak them for at least 3 hours. Drain the water.
Heat oil in the inner pot of IP.
Now add bay leaves, garlic, and onion. Saute for a few seconds.
Now add soaked pinto beans, 4 cups of water, salt, chili powder, cumin powder, and taco seasoning.
Stir well, cover IP with locking lid, press the manual/pressure button for 20 minutes, vent valve on sealing position.
Once cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally.
Open the lid. Drain excess water in a separate bowl. DONT discard the water.
Now take the cooked beans in IP inner pot.
Use an immersion blender to puree the beans until smooth and creamy, slowly and gradually adding cooking liquid back to the beans until your desired consistency is reached. I have added 1.5 cups of cooking liquid. Refried beans are ready, keep them aside.
Step – 3 Assemble the pizza
Spread a thin layer of beans on one tortilla. Place another tortilla on top. Spread around 2 Tablespoons of enchilada sauce on top of the top tortilla. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese.
Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas. You will have 5 Mexican pizzas total.
Place pizzas on the baking sheet and bake at @400 degree F for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven, add a few dices of tomato, green onion, olives, jalapenos, and a dollop of sour cream.
Let stand 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy.
Pro- tip – After you’ve added all your toppings, cut the pizzas into four wedges and serve. The shells do soften overtime under the toppings, so these pizzas are best served immediately after they come out of the oven.
Quick FAQs
I think they taste best warm from the oven, but feel free to store leftovers in a sealed container in a single layer. It should be refrigerated until ready to be eaten.
The best way to reheat your pizza is in a skillet on the stove, in a toaster oven, or conventional oven.
I wouldn’t recommend reheating in the microwave.
Mexican pizzas can be frozen either before or after baking. For best results, freeze assembled on the sheet pan, then when fully frozen, wrap each pizza individually.
Thaw in the refrigerator or bake from frozen. When baking from frozen add an extra 7 – 10 minutes to your cook time.
Yes! Just Substitute the regular cheese with vegan shredded cheese.
You can prepare the Mexican pizza recipe up to a day in advance. I strongly suggest prepping them on a parchment-lined baking sheet if you make them ahead as they may soften and stick more to the baking sheet.
To lighten up this recipe you can use no-fat refried beans (if using store-bought), and trade the sour cream for fat-free plain Greek yogurt. And use less cheese.
More Mexican Recipes –
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Mexican pizza
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Enchilada Sauce
- ¾ cup cheese
- 10 8 inch Tortillas flour or corn
- 2 tsp – oil
For refried beans (makes 1 cup. If using store-bought refried beans, skip this and take 1 cup canned refried beans)
- ¾ cup – Dried pinto beans
- 1 ½ cups – water + more for soaking
- 1 tbsp – oil
- 1 – Bay leaves
- ½ tsp – Grated garlic
- ¼ cup – Chopped onion
- ½ tbsp – Taco seasoning
- ¼ tbsp – Red chili powder According to your taste
- ¼ tbsp – Cumin powder
- Salt to taste
For topping
- ¼ cup chopped Roma tomatoes
- 1 tbsp – spring onion
- 2 tbsp – olives
- 2 tbsp – sour cream
- 1 tbsp – jalapenos chopped
Instructions
Step – 1 Prep Work
- Preheat oven @ 400 degrees F.
- Take tortillas and brush them on both sides with a little bit of oil. Arrange them on a cookie sheet.
- Bake them in a preheated oven for about 6 minutes at 400 degrees F. You want tortillas a slight golden color and crispy. Remove from oven and set aside.
Step – 2 Meanwhile, cook the refried beans. (skip these steps if using store-bought refried beans)
- First, take pinto beans and wash them well.
- Boil 6 cups of water. Switch of the flame. Add rinsed pinto beans.
- Soak them for at least 3 hours. Drain the water.
- Heat oil in the inner pot of IP.
- Now add bay leaves, garlic, and onion. Saute for a few seconds.
- Now add soaked pinto beans, 4 cups of water, salt, chili powder, cumin powder, and taco seasoning.
- Stir well, cover IP with locking lid, press the manual/pressure button for 20 minutes, vent valve on sealing position.
- Once cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid. Drain excess water in a separate bowl. DONT discard the water.
- Now take the cooked beans in IP inner pot.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the beans until smooth and creamy, slowly and gradually adding cooking liquid back to the beans until your desired consistency is reached. I have added 1.5 cups of cooking liquid. Refried beans are ready, keep them aside.
Step – 3 Assemble the pizza
- Spread a thin layer of beans on one tortilla. Place another tortilla on top. Spread around 2 Tablespoons of enchilada sauce on top of the top tortilla. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese.
- Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas. You will have 5 Mexican pizzas total.
- Place pizzas on the baking sheet and bake at @400 degree F for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the oven, add a few dices of tomato, green onion, olives, jalapenos, and a dollop of sour cream.
- Let stand 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy.
Video
Notes
Can we store this?
I think they taste best warm from the oven, but feel free to store leftovers in a sealed container in a single layer. It should be refrigerated until ready to be eaten. The best way to reheat your pizza is in a skillet on the stove, in a toaster oven, or conventional oven. I wouldn’t recommend reheating in the microwave.Can this be frozen?
Mexican pizzas can be frozen either before or after baking. For best results, freeze assembled on the sheet pan, then when fully frozen, wrap each pizza individually. Thaw in the refrigerator or bake from frozen. When baking from frozen add an extra 7 – 10 minutes to your cook time.Can we make this vegan?
Yes! Just Substitute the regular cheese with vegan shredded cheese.How can we make ahead of this?
You can prepare the Mexican pizza recipe up to a day in advance. I strongly suggest prepping them on a parchment-lined baking sheet if you make them ahead as they may soften and stick more to the baking sheet.How do you make them healthier?
To lighten up this recipe use no-fat refried beans, corn tortillas, and trade the sour cream for fat-free plain Greek yogurt. And use less cheese. This recipe is updated with new photos, videos, and content, originally published in June 2015.Nutrition
Warm regards,
Dhwani.
Tried this recipe but my corn tortillas weren’t crisp. Any suggestions?
Hi Tina!!!!
Thanks for visiting cookingcarnival.com. Keep pizza for more time in the oven to get more crispy texture.