Taco Bell has finally caved to its ravenously disappointed fans and returned the beloved Mexican Pizza to its menu. You need not limit yourself to Taco Bell’s variation; there are nearly limitless ways to enjoy this beautiful marriage of cuisines, from crunchy tostada or quesadilla-like bases to a traditional pizza dough laden with carnitas or fajita toppings.
You can even enjoy a delectable tamale-inspired pizza. Explore with a hungry belly and an open mind.
1. Super fast and super tasty, this Mexican Pizza is a tex-mex-inspired quesadilla-like creation that can appear on your dinner table in just over 30 minutes.
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Two tortillas layered with creamy refried beans, crumbled, taco seasoned ground beef, and shredded cheese are baked until the cheese is perfectly gooey and then loaded with sour cream, diced tomatoes, black olives, and green onion. These could be personal-sized pizzas for the hungry belly or be sliced up in wedges for smaller servings. Offer a bottle of your favorite hot sauce and homemade guacamole.
2. Another take on the popular loaded quesadilla-inspired Mexican pizza, this one features black refried beans and a layer of salsa.
Another quick-to-the-table weeknight dinner recipe. Sandwiched between two flour tortillas is a blend of seasoned ground beef and heart-healthy refried black beans, baked long enough to allow the top tortilla to develop a nice crisp. Salsa is spread over the top, then cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and jalapenos finish the layers before it’s returned to the oven to get nice and melty.
3. An improved variant inspired by the beloved Taco Bell Mexican Pizza, this one uses corn tortillas and enchilada sauce.
Corn tortillas add their own hint of sweetness and a chewier texture than flour. Layered with refried beans, seasoned ground beef, and cheese, they follow the format of other recipes with a modified quesadilla. A thin layer of enchilada sauce is spread across the top of the stack before another gooey layer of cheddar tops the whole concoction.
Baked until the cheese gets bubbly, it’s layered with black olives, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and green onions.
4. Layered over a traditional pizza crust, this chicken fajita pizza packs tons of flavor in its seasoned and crisp onions, peppers, and chicken breast strips.
Looking for Mexican flavors but on an actual pizza crust? This chicken fajita pizza may be the answer. Seasoned chicken breast is grilled alongside thin-sliced bell peppers and onions for a colorful pizza full of flavor. Over the crust goes the chicken, then a layer of chunky salsa, and the fajita veggies, all under a generous pile of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
5. A healthier, flavorful take on the chicken fajita Mexican pizza, this one comes together in just 30 minutes.
Refrigerated pizza dough helps bring the homemade flavor with less effort. It’s layered with well-seasoned and seared chicken breasts cut into thin strips beneath chunky salsa, crisp-tender onions, sweet bell peppers sliced thin, and a liberal sprinkle of fresh cilantro. Over the fajita fillings, reduced-fat Mexican shredded cheese is melted.
Once it’s baked, consider topping with dollops of sour cream and fresh chunks of avocado.
6. Ready in just 30 minutes, this chicken taco pizza uses taco sauce and taco seasoning to amp up the flavor for a weeknight pleaser.
Layered over a thin pizza crust, tender chunks of bite-sized chicken dusted in taco seasoning and cooked in taco sauce are layered over a bed of refried beans alongside diced green bell peppers. A generous helping of Mexican cheese is sprinkled over the top.
Black olives, sliced scallions, and halved cherry tomatoes are sprinkled on before it goes into the oven to finish baking. Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs and a dollop of sour cream or Mexican crema.
7. This quesadilla-styled Mexican pizza is layered with fresh tomatoes and sliced jalapenos over a bed of sofrito, black beans, and shredded chicken.
Black beans, refried or otherwise, form the first layer on a fluffy tortilla. Slow-cooked, well-seasoned pulled chicken goes next, before the second tortilla sandwiches the proteins together. A thick layer of flavorful tomato sofrito is smeared on top, piled with shredded Mexican cheeses.
Don’t worry if you don’t have sofrito; you can swap it for taco sauce or salsa. Once it emerges from the oven bubbly and hot, top with fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes, black olives, freshly sliced jalapenos, and a dollop of sour cream or a drizzle of Mexican crema.
8. Focaccia bread serves as the base for this tamale-inspired vegetarian pizza pie that can be made in just under thirty minutes.
Canned chili beans bring flavor without extra work; mashed together with canned chopped green chiles, they provide a creamy base layer for the Focaccia bread crust of this pizza. Don’t worry if you can’t find Focaccia; you can swap it for a pre-baked pizza crust. Sweet corn, diced Roma tomatoes, and sliced green onions are layered over the beans, blanketed under a gooey layer of shredded cheddar.
Once out of the oven, sprinkle chopped cilantro for a fresh touch to this quick family-pleasing Mexican pizza.
Related: Flatbread Pizza vs. Regular Pizza – Differences? Similarities? What’s Better?
9. Cooked in a sizzling cast-iron skillet, this crispy tortilla pizza features spicy chorizo and chunks of potato for a flavorful and filling dinner.
Diced potatoes and onions are cooked until tender and piled alongside crumbled Mexican chorizo fried up crispy atop a bed of salsa on corn tortillas. A layer of cheese and fresh jalapeno are added before the stack is placed under a hot broiler to finish up. Add fresh avocado, pico de gallo, or fresh cilantro to amp up the flavor.
Take the author’s suggestion and top it with a fried egg for a Mexican pizza breakfast.
10. Colorful and healthy, this vegetarian Mexican pizza cooks up in just under 30 minutes for a quick, nutrient-rich dinner.
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Start with a chewy, thick loaf of flatbread, naan, or a quality pre-baked pizza crust to layer on the toppings on this Mexican pizza. You want something that can hold up to the layers of heavy toppings. Smear on a thick layer of refried black beans, top with salsa, and pile on the veg. \
You can get creative and pick your favorite blend or follow the recommended suggestions – bell peppers, green chilies, green onions, black olives, fresh jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, and diced avocado. Sweet summer corn would make a great addition. Layer the veggies with cheese – fontina is a great choice – and toss fresh chopped cilantro over the top once it’s all melty.
11. Carnitas are truly one of the best dishes out of Mexico and make a perfect topping for a Mexican pizza. Check out this version by Buns in My Oven.
While the author suggests using leftover carnitas, that’s a tall order in most households. It may be wise to plan ahead and hide the necessary carnitas so you can use the ‘leftovers’ in this appetizing recipe. A homemade crust is layered with tart salsa verde and a generous portion of shredded Monterey or pepper jack cheese.
Then thinly sliced onions and red bell peppers, sauteed until crisp-tender, join crispy carnitas on top for a final bake. Consider drizzling a little Mexican crema over the top and adding chopped fresh cilantro to liven up every bite.
12. Flavorful and filling, this queso fundido pizza makes good use of a cheesy, crisp chorizo dip to load up a quesadilla-style Mexican pizza.
Mexican chorizo is cooked crisp and mixed with a splash of tequila, salsa, and Chihuahua or Monterey Jack cheese until gooey and melted and kept warm while you prepare the tortilla pizza base. Black beans, cooked tender with onion, garlic, and seasonings, are blended to create a creamy layer of beans over flour tortillas. Once the bean-smeared tortillas have been baked crisp in a blazingly hot oven, the warm queso fundido is spooned over the top.
Diced, creamy avocado and fresh cilantro are sprinkled over each pizza. If you want a little extra heat, top with fresh jalapeno slices.
13. Ready in under half an hour, this tamale-inspired Mexican pizza is vegetarian-friendly.
Using a pre-baked pizza crust cuts down on prep and cooking, helping make this tamale pizza super fast from start to finish. Mash a drained can of chili beans with diced green chiles to create a flavorful, creamy spread for the base of the pizza.
Top beans with sweet corn, green onions, and diced tomatoes. Top with cheese and bake up until bubbly. The final touch is a layer of chopped fresh cilantro. Simple, quick, tasty, and healthy.
14. Elotes, or street corn, is a flavor-packed Mexican street food that is absolutely delightful on top of a chewy, portable pizza crust.
Grated garlic and smoked paprika blended into sour cream combined with lime-infused mayonnaise to pack a flavorful punch on this simple Mexican pizza. The sour cream blend forms the first layer, over which grated parmesan and crumbled feta are layered. A bountiful pile of sweet corn kernels is layered over this creamy base.
Once the pizza emerges from the oven, dust liberally with smoked paprika and chopped coriander before drizzling with the lime-mayo. If you’ve never enjoyed elotes before, this is a delightful introduction. If you have, you already know how tasty this pizza is.
15. Mexico is famous for its seafood recipes, and this Chili Lime Shrimp Pizza piles it all on top of a delicious and simple homemade pizza dough.
If you aren’t ready to make your own pizza dough just yet, you can use store-bought, but consider this an opportunity to learn how easy it is to prep tastier pizza dough at home. This recipe starts by sauteeing poblano, jalapeno, and Fresno peppers, sliced into thin rings, until just tender. Shrimp is dropped into salted water with a hint of lime juice and cooked until they are just done.
The pre-cooked crust is loaded with pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, thin slices of lime, cooked peppers, and juicy shrimp. Once the cheese has been melted on the second bake, sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges for a drizzle of fresh juice.
16. Flatbread serves as the base for this unique take on Mexican pizza, loaded with shrimp ceviche and crisp chorizo over a bed of creamy avocado hummus.
Shrimp ceviche is a classic Mexican dish that uses citrus to ‘cook’ shrimp. Start with that task first when you prepare this pizza. It gives the citric acid time to finish its work.
The only baking in this recipe is a quick grill on the flatbread, making it an excellent choice for a summer meal. A thick flatbread or pizza crust is smeared with creamy, rich avocado hummus. Over this, crumbled chorizo and diced queso fresco (or fresh mozzarella) are added.
A peppery arugula salad tops this, made of halved grape tomatoes, halved grape tomatoes, and a bit of the citrus juices from the shrimp ceviche. Last on goes the shrimp and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. A spectacular and healthy meal that comes together in just over thirty minutes.
17. Another great summer offering, this pizza is prepped on the grill and loaded down with crisp Mexican-style chorizo, poblanos, and fresh summer corn.
Summertime is for grilling and what better thing to grill than a pizza? This Mexican-style pizza uses grilled summer corn and grilled poblanos atop a grilled crust alongside crispy Mexican-style pork chorizo, diced tomatoes with chiles, and crumbled queso fresco cheese. The pizza gets one last turn on over the fire to melt the cheese, then gets a flavor burst of chopped cilantro and drizzled Mexican crema to finish.
18. This tostada pizza is a fresh take on a Mexican pizza and comes loaded with fresh veg and topped with tangy cilantro lime dressing.
This healthy, tasty pizza comes together in less than 20 minutes. Seasoned black beans are mashed and spread over the dough, which is topped with Colby jack and baked. Once it comes out of the oven, it gets piled high with shredded Romaine, avocado, and diced tomato under a drizzle of cilantro-lime dressing.
Crispy tortilla strips add crunch, while chopped cilantro adds a bright flavor for the finishing touches.
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