Here’s a delicious, and most importantly, authentic copycat of the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza.

Say it isn’t so Taco Bell!! Discontinuing the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza???

Maybe they will realize their mistake, and at least bring it back seasonally. In the meantime, I needed to come up with an alternative. This was my husband’s favorite Taco Bell menu item. And apparently not just his. There was an online petition with over a hundred thousand signatures to keep it. Unfortunately, Taco Bell scorned us all.

What is a Mexican Pizza?

As defined by Taco Bell, “the Mexican Pizza is 2 Crispy flour shells layered with beans, seasoned beef, pizza sauce, tomatoes and melted three cheese blend.”

It sounded simple enough, so I was on a quest to make a great version from home. I found that I actually like it better than the restaurant version, simply because I know what kind of beef it is, and I can customize it a bit more. Extra cheese? Always! More toppings? Yes, please!

My dear friend, who is a huge Taco Bell fan, loved it! The taco sauce recipe is absolutely worth the effort, and makes the Mexican pizza great. It is much better than the store bought variety, so if you can, make the taco sauce yourself.

Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Recipe

8 soft flour tortillas (taco size)
Vegetable oil for frying
14 oz can of refried beans
1 pound of ground chuck
taco seasoning
taco sauce
2 cups of Colby Jack shredded cheese
one tomato, chopped
Optional: sliced black olives, shredded lettuce, sour cream, hot sauce

Brown your ground chuck in a saucepan over medium heat until cooked through. Drain and return to heat. Add 2 tbsp of taco seasoning and 1/4 cup of water. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for five minutes, then set to the side.

Scoop your refried beans into a bowl. Heat in the microwave until warm, or heat in a small saucepan over low heat until warmed through. Set to the side.

Heat your vegetable oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat until oil reaches 350 degrees. Fry 1 tortilla at a time for approx 15 seconds until golden on one side. Flip it over with tongs and fry the other side until golden. Set on a papertowel to drain or place of a wire rack. Continue frying tortillas until they are all fried. The tortillas will poof up as they fry. Take a glass pie pan and flatten them while they are still warm.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take one tortilla, and spread a layer of refried beans on it. Spread 1/4 cup of your ground beef on top of that. Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of cheese on top. Add another tortilla. Add taco sauce and spread over the top of it (just like pizza sauce). Sprinkle cheese on the taco sauce, then sprinkle with chopped tomatoes, plus any other toppings your heart desires.

Place pizzas either on a wire rack or directly on the oven rack (make sure there is foil on the floor of the oven for any spills that may occur.) Bake for 12 minutes until the cheese is melted and sizzling. If you are in a hurry, try broiling it for around 2 minutes. Cut with a pizza slicer if desired, and appreciate the fact that you are handling this mess of deliciousness at your home and not in a car while you are attempting to drive down the interstate.

This recipes makes 4 Mexican pizzas.