Mexican Pizza is a copycat of the Taco Bell classic. 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: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- 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!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza (+Video)
Ingredients
For the pizzas:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- ¾ 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
- sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet, brown and and crumble the ground beef.
- Drain excess grease. Place cooked beef back in skillet and ddd taco seasoning packet and water and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until thickened.
- In a large skillet, heat up oil over medium heat. Add tortillas (one at a time) and cook for 3-4 minutes (flipping frequently) until crisp. Continue with the rest of the tortillas. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat up the refried beans in a microwaveable-safe bowl. This will make it easier to spread the beans onto the tortilla shells.
- 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 pizzas.
- Place the pizzas on a large nonstick baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with your favoriet toppings!
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.
Originally published: November 2011
Updated & republished: February 2020
KJ
Made today and it was a hit.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Love hearing that KJ - thanks so much!!
Imj
My family loved it!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Woo hoo! Thank you so very much!
Susan Oxendine
The only item I ever ordered from Taco Bell has been retired! No fear, this recipe is a great stand in. I followed the recipe as written and found it to be a tasty, fresher version. I assumed the nutrition info was for a fourth of this recipe - or does it serve eight?
Christina
Hit the spot and super easy.
Ray
The wrong shell was used if you werte doing a Taco Bell version. You need the crunchy tostada shell not the flour toprtilla to make it authentically a copycat taco bell mexican pizza.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
No. They actually used a fried-style tortilla.
Suze
My son generally doesn't like my cooking, but he absolutely loves these. I'm so pleased that I can make something he likes!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Yay!! Oh this makes me so happy! Love hearing that Suze - thank you!
Donna
Will these freeze well??
Brandie @ The Country Cook
I’ll be honest, I haven’t tried to freeze them. It’s possible. If you do try it, please come back & let me know!
Karen
It was so good!
Hungryman8
Not sure why my comment was not posted. But I explained the whole Taco Bell history and where it is today. It is no more. YUM Brands changed the original Glenn Bell recipes and items from all freshly made on site with kitchens at each location to artificial ingredients and preservatives with stale food prepared in a central commissary and then shipped out to each Taco Bell and reheated. Look up Taco Bell was good pre-90's and you will find out the details on CH.
Tracey
Made this tonight. Yum this is a keeper. I used homemade enchiladas sauce instead of the can stuff.
Question: My flour tortillas blow up with large bubbles which gave that area of the Mexican pizza a doughy taste. What can I do to prevent this?
Katelyn K
Corn tortillas will fry up better and give it that crunch that makes the Mexican pizza so good. Can't believe they are taking it off the menu!!
Crissy
These were delicious, I never order the mexican pizza at Taco Bell, I always get chalupas. This recipe is great, we loved it!
Desirae
Made this tonight. A huge hit! Even my picky kid loved it! Thank you for sharing!
Susan
Can I use the crunchy corn tostadas that are sold in the store instead of baking or frying my own tortillas? I mean I know I CAN but how do you think it will turn out?
Bgirtha
Fry them up instead. I tried it with the precooked ones and although I loved them like that, the next time I fried my own they were even more like taco bell's. Make them at least once a week! Great recipe. Thanks for sharing!
1wayrocker
Is there a way to freeze these so when I come home drunk I can easily have what I desire? Especially since Taco Bell is taking them off their menu.
Paul
Taco Bell announced today they're killing off the Mexican Pizza...
Misty
I make these a lot as I love Mexican Pizzas from Taco Bell. The husband does not like TB, but he'll eat these and likes them. The only switch up I do is mix my refried beans into my ground beef and add my taco seasoning without the water. It makes it so much easier to spread and it keeps the ground beef from falling out.
Troy
Looks great and I'm glad you posted this! I'll just add that They definitely use corn tortillas, and they do not include sour cream, green onion, or black olive... although those 3 things DO sound like good add-ons!
Leah
Not sure where you live. But pretty much everything you said is incorrect. Sorry
Tara G
A Fantastic and easy recipe, and even better than the original!!!!
Claudine
This is my favorite thing to get when I go to Taco Bell. Now I can make these at home. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Claudine in Fort Worth, TX
JoAnn
I am anxious to try this recipe but am confused about the taco shells. The pictures show a shell but the cooking instructions show flat tortillas that are baked in the oven. I am not sure what to use as I have never seen the actual shells that you picture.
Thank you for a great recipe otherwise
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hi JoAnn, you can use any kind of shell. I just bake them in the oven to crisp them up a bit. A regular soft tortilla shell will work just fine!
loli
You make your own tortilla shells by frying the small size flour tortillas or you can use larger flour tortillas, instruction #3. Then pile on the rest of ingredients like Brandie says. Watch the video. If you use larger flour tortillas then you will have fewer pizzas or you can increase the ingredients.
Jen
I just made this with morning star veggie ground beef and it was great! i'm not a vegetarian, but i have a hard time cooking meat and looking at it raw, so i did this instead. YUM!
Anonymous
this looks realy good ill have to try it thanks
Tori Baker
Are tortilla shells different from regular tortillas? I don't think I have seen them, can't wait to try this at home.
Drew
Up until a year ago, I was a manager for Taco Bell for 12 years. This recipe is pretty close to the real thing. The Old El Paso taco seasoning is actually an improvement over the Taco Bell meat (you're right, it does taste funky; I never liked it and would substitute the chicken or steak on everything I ate while working there). They deep-fry their shells, but they also have a special fry tool they use to keep them flat while they do so. Baking works just as well, AND it's healthier. The pizza sauce...Taco Bell has a dry mix for that. All they do is add water and chunky salsa. The enchilada sauce this recipe uses is very close, but I added some Pace picante sauce to it to make it even closer to Taco Bell's version (and it tastes better, too). The cheese is a typical blend of cheddar, mozzarella, and Monterrey Jack cheeses. To melt it, Taco Bell has a steamer that blasts the pizza with steam and melts the cheese in about 10 seconds. We the little people will have to settle for using our ovens and microwaves... and, like Taco Bell, I put the tomatoes on top before I melt the cheese. Old habits die hard. 🙂 A long time ago, the Mexican Pizza used to come with green onions, which I missed, so I added those, too. Topped it off with some sour cream and it was perfect. Thanks!
Anonymous
They had a big e-coli scare some years back with the green onions. That as when they stopped using them, and they never came back. For some reason, to me the green onion added an element that made the pizza. Whole different flavor with those on. (maybe it over cut the "funky" meat flavor). This is a great and easy recipe and very kid friendly. And now I can put as much green onion on as I like. Even did one with veggie crumbles for my niece.