Taco Bell Mexican Pizza (+Video)
This Mexican Pizza recipe is a copycat of the Taco Bell classic (but better!) Fried tortillas, refried beans, seasoned ground beef, enchilada sauce, and gooey, melted cheese!
A PERFECTLY DELICIOUS COPYCAT RECIPE
When my husband and I were stationed in England years ago, I often craved my favorite foods from the States. If I couldn’t get them in England, I would try to recreate them at home. One of those things was Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza. This one is slightly similar to my Easy Layered Taco Bake but I don’t use refried beans in that one and the tortillas in that one are not fried.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No. It is totally an American invention for American consumers. Not that anything Taco Bell makes is truly Mexican, but ya know, we like it.
Yes. You can make this is big or small as you’d like. You can use street taco sized tortillas or burrito size tortillas. You can also purchase the Azteca shells that you would use for taco bowls and bake those. They are pretty large and are great to serve more people.
Yes. The Taco Bell version uses a sauce that is similar to enchilada sauce with lots of diced tomatoes in it. We don’t have a similar sauce like that you can buy at the grocery store so the closest I have found is enchilada sauce. You could certainly mix the enchilada sauce with half a can of drained diced tomatoes to get it close to the Taco Bell version.
No. I love how crispy it makes the shells but you could bake them or put them in the air fryer until crispy.
The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days. You can reheat in an air fryer, toaster oven or in the microwave. This can also be frozen. Wrap with plastic wrap then in aluminum foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let it defrost in the refrigerator then re-heat.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- ground beef
- taco seasoning (or make your own!)
- water
- refried beans
- enchilada sauce
- shredded Mexican cheese blend
- flour tortillas
- vegetable oil
HOW TO MAKE TACO BELL MEXICAN PIZZA:
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. In a large skillet, brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease.
Place beef back into skillet. Add taco seasoning packet, water and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until thickened.
In a large skillet, heat up oil over medium heat. Make sure the oil is nice and hot. Add tortillas (one at a time) and cook for 2-4 minutes (flipping frequently) until crisp. Continue with the rest of the tortillas. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat up the refried beans in a microwave-safe bowl. This will make it easier to spread onto the tortilla. On each tortilla, slather a generous layer of refried beans. Then top with seasoned ground beef.
Place another tortilla on top. Slather about two tablespoons of the enchilada sauce on top. Then place some shredded cheese on top of the sauce. Continue assembling the rest of the Mexican pizzas.
Place the pizzas on a large nonstick baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite toppings!
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Originally published: November 2011
Updated & republished: February 2020
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza (+Video)
Ingredients
For the pizzas:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 8 flour tortillas (taco size)
- 15 ounce can refried beans
- 10 ounce can enchilada sauce
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
Toppings:
- diced tomatoes
- sliced green onion
- sliced olives
- sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet, brown and and crumble 1 pound ground beef.
- Drain excess grease. Place cooked beef back in skillet and add 1 packet taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until thickened.
- In a separate large skillet, heat up 1 cup vegetable oil medium heat. Add one of the 8 flour tortillas (taco size) and cook for about 3-4 minutes (flipping frequently) until crisp. Continue with the rest of the tortillas. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat up 15 ounce can refried beans in a microwaveable-safe bowl. This will make it easier to spread the beans onto the tortilla shells.
- On each fried tortilla, slather a generous layer of refried beans. Then top with seasoned ground beef.
- Place another tortilla on top. Slather about two Tablespoons from the 10 ounce can enchilada sauce on top. Then place some of the 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend on top of the sauce. Continue assembling the rest of the pizzas.
- Place the pizzas on a large nonstick baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite toppings like diced tomatoes, sliced green onion, sliced olives and sour cream.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
These are yummy and so-o-o easy to make! I made a mistake and got the green enchilada sauce instead of the red, but we loved it anyway. I also added black olives for my husband.
My mother was a wonderful cook. Whenever Taco Bell came out this this pizza she always said she could make it better!! LOL, I'm not for certain that is did, but u did for sure! I made this last night. I was only cooking for 3 so I put the layers on thick and I used Rotel tomatoes! Yummy!!
I LOVE this dish at Taco Bell, and I have no doubt that 'Brandie Bell's' is much tastier. *-* YUUMMM!
Your Mexican pizza looks great, I have been thinking of making them at home. So your recipe is much appreciated. Whenever I get a Mexican pizza from Taco Bell I always bring it home and add a few ingredients. I thought I'd share with you, makes it really yummy. I slice black olives on top and cover with slices of pepper jack cheese. Put into the microwave until the cheese melts. Cover with sour cream and taco sauce. Thanks again for your recipes you always have such great ideas.
Valerie
This was sooo good! I hadn't had a Mexican Pizza in years so my mouth was watering just looking at your pics. I made a low fat version, but it was still awesome. I will be putting this in the dinner rotation! Thanks!!!
I made these tonight for a house of picky eaters and was told they are better than Taco Bell's so I say that is wonderful!
This is a pretty decent rendition! To make it even closer to the T-Bell version, I recommend adding about half a can (enchilada sauce can) of salsa to the sauce. Also, to get the same texture and nearly the same flavor to the meat, add the seasoning packet and water to the uncooked meat, cook until most of the liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. This also makes the meat cook up with hardly any grease as well!
Just made these last night for our family of 5. Yummy! I made 4 pizza total and we had leftovers. It was a hit all around! Thanks for the recipe. Mexican pizzas are my favorite at Taco Bell, but these are much better.
Steph, you are so sweet to take the time to come back & let me know how it turned out for you!! So happy your family liked this one!!
Hi Corrine! You don't have to use the Aztec salad shells for this. You can use regular flour torilla shells. You can bake them or, if you like, you can actually fry them up. Just put about an inch or so of oil in a frying pan. Heat it up to 350F degrees. Then fry your tortillas until golden brown and crispy (flipping them over halfway through). It should only take about 30 seconds or so for each side. Hope that helps!
My husband and I would love to make these but have not been able to find the Aztec salad shells. Any ideas where they would be in the store?
Help
Corrine Appel
sometimes by the can biscuits
They are with the refrigerated tortillas by the cheese in the stores I shop at.
Walmart carries them!
Thank you! I forgot all about making homemade Mexican pizza! I used to make them when we were stationed in Canada and the closest Taco bell was 2 hours away!
Oh my goodness…I had forgotten how much I love Mexican pizzas, until I saw your post. Thanks for the reminder. This looks fantastic!
LOVE this as it's simple, yet YUMMY!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I am still so jealous that you had the opportunity to live in England! This pizza looks delicious though – very creative!
They HAVE changed their meat, for sure. It used to be seasoned with a dry seasoning, but now it's wet. They also used to use real beans and not dehydrated beans. My first job as a college student was with Taco Bell (back in the 70s) and I had to stand on a stepladder with a drill to "drill the beans" before refrying them after they were cooked. I call it Gringo Mexican, but it was Taco Bell that first introduced me to any kind of Mexican food, which I now adore! I also love these!!! Can't wait to try them.
I worked at a Taco Bell in the early 80’s… I, too, used a step stool and the huge “drill” to mush the beans. It was hilarious!
Not a fan of Taco Bell, I would rather make at home. These pizzas do look tasty and I like the stacked layers-yum!
Quick, easy and to the point. Also way better than anything Taco Bell could come up with.
Looks good. Love it.
Thank you for this recipe – we really enjoyed it!
We love Mexican pizza, this looks so easy and very delish!
This looks great! I love Mexican…I think I could eat it every single day 🙂
My husband loved this! Thank you!
Made these – way better than Taco Bell!
I agree! Delicious!!
Funky tasting meat? LOL, I don't think I'll be entering a TB anytime soon 🙂 Instead, I'll make your much better rendition of a Mexican pizza…it looks fabulous!