Homemade Mexican pizza made with layers of tortilla, seasoned ground beef or turkey, refried black beans, and melty cheese is so good! Ready in 30 minutes, you won’t miss Taco Bell’s version at all.
Mexican Pizzas
There are two things I love. Ok, four if you include my love of chocolate and slow cookers.
One is Mexican food recipes like cilantro lime rice and Mexican wedding cake, and the other is recreating fast food recipes!
See, I like the idea of Taco Bell, but unfortunately I’m not a fan. I can’t get past the mystery meat situation. So, I make things like a homemade Crunchwrap supreme and an air fryer chicken cheese quesadilla with more wholesome ingredients.
This Mexican pizza is another of my husband’s favorites to order; however, even he admits that mine is better. Layers of tortilla, meat, refried beans, cheese, tomatoes, and all your favorite toppings. Cut into triangles like a cheesy pizza; you can’t get much better!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Customizable. Ground beef or ground turkey. Jarred salsa or homemade blender salsa, refried black beans, or regular refried beans. You’ve got options!
- Tastes better than takeout. Maybe it’s the fresh ingredients, but I think everything tastes better at home.
- Quick and easy dinner. A 30-minute dinner that is perfect on its own or with a side salad.
Helpful Tools
- Meat Chopper – perfect for cooking ground meat.
- Veggie Chopper – I LOVE this thing. Perfect for dicing olives or onions.
- Pizza Cutter – to easily slice it up.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Ground beef – I love to use ground sirloin, but you can also use ground turkey. If using ground beef, no need for the olive oil.
- Olive oil
- Taco Seasoning – I highly recommend homemade taco seasoning (it’s easy), but a packet will work, too.
- Refried Beans – I use refried black beans but use your favorite.
- Salsa – Again, highly recommend homemade salsa, it’s really easy and worth the extra steps.
- Tortillas – I use soft taco size. Whole wheat, flour, corn, carb smart – use your favorite.
- Shredded Cheese – Use either a Mexican blend or shred your own. Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack would be good.
- Toppings – Black olives, diced tomatoes, green onions, sour cream, you know the drill.
How to make Mexican Pizzas
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: Cook your meat with taco seasoning in a large skillet.
- Step Two: Lay a tortilla on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread on some refried beans, top with cooked meat, add another tortilla on top, and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F.
- Step Three: Remove from the oven, top with salsa, sprinkle on cheese, add any toppings, some more cheese, and bake another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Step Four: Remove from oven, slice with a pizza cutter, and serve with sour cream and more salsa for dipping.
- Some of our favorite toppings include sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, black olives, sour cream, salsa, etc.
- For a bit of heat, you could add diced jalepeno as a topping. Pickled or fresh, it’s up to you.
- You could also use a hot salsa for added heat.
- For easy slicing, use a pizza cutter just as you would a traditional pizza.
- Best enjoyed the day it’s made.
Storage & Reheating
How to store leftovers
Leftover Mexican pizza can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The longer it sits, the soggier it gets, so it is best enjoyed the day you make it.
Reheating Instructions
For a quick reheat, the microwave is great. However, it will be super soft. If you want to try and get it a bit crispier, I would suggest using a skillet, the air fryer, or the oven.
FAQs
How many Mexican pizzas does this recipe make?
The amount of meat used in this recipe is for about 3-4 “soft taco” size pizzas. You can easily double or triple the recipe as needed.
Can I make a vegetarian version?
Sure! Omit the meat and double the refried beans. Or, you can replace the meat with diced mushrooms and other veggies.
Need more Mexican inspired recipes? Try these:
- Southwest Chicken Skillet
- Baked Chicken Fajitas
- Mexican Turkey Skillet Lasagna
- Zucchini Boat Turkey Tacos
- Creamy Salsa Dip
- One Dish Salsa Chicken Casserole
Did You Make This?
If you made this recipe, I’d love to know how it went in the comments section below.
You can also tag me on Instagram – @melissa_ppplates or share a pic in the Persnickety Plates Community Facebook group. I love seeing what you’ve tried!
Mexican Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey or ground sirloin
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 6-8 taco sized flour tortillas
- 1 can refried black beans
- salsa
- shredded Mexican cheese blend
- sliced black olives
- diced tomatoes
- sour cream for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add in the olive oil then add the ground turkey (or beef). Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and sprinkle on the taco seasoning. Brown the meat until no longer pink and fully cooked.1 pound lean ground turkey, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- Lay out a tortilla on the prepared baking sheet, spread some refried black beans evenly over the top, then top with some browned meat. Place another tortilla on top and bake for 10 minutes.1 can refried black beans, 6-8 taco sized flour tortillas
- After 10 minutes, remove the baking sheet and top the tortilla with salsa (your "sauce"), then sprinkle on cheese and toppings. Sprinkle on a bit more cheese over the toppings, for good measure, and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.salsa, shredded Mexican cheese blend, sliced black olives, diced tomatoes
- Remove from oven and slice with a pizza cutter.
- Serve with sour cream and more salsa for dipping.sour cream
Notes
- Favorite toppings: green onions, tomatoes, lettuce, black olives, sour cream, salsa.
- Add heat with diced jalapeños (fresh or pickled) or spicy salsa.
- Slice easily using a pizza cutter.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days (note: it may get soggy).
- Reheat in the microwave for convenience, or use a skillet, oven, or air fryer for a crispier result.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram @melissa_pplates so I can see!Originally published January 9, 2015; photos and text updated August 26, 2024.
I’ll addmit, taco bell is one of my guilty pleasures. This mexican pizza looks delicious! I love that you made it lighter with turkey!
Thanks, Aimee =)
This looks great – kind of like a layered, open faced quesadilla. Thanks for sharing.
The recipe includes olive oil but makes no mention in the directions of using it.
It’s in step #2 🙂
Omg, the Mexican Pizza is DELICIOUS !!! My husband gave it a big thumbs up!!
I will definitely make this again and again!!!
What temp for the oven?
Step 1 in the recipe card – 350°F 🙂
Big hit with my family! The only change I made was to use chicken instead of ground beef. We will be making this again and again!
Thanks, Lynn 🙂
It’s been so long since I had Taco Bell’s mexican pizza; it was the only thing I ever ate there. This has similar tastes, but even after upping the oven to 375 after the sauce and toppings were put on, and baking an additional 20 minutes, I could not get the tortillas to a crunchy state, which is what I remember from Taco Bell’s version. It still tasted great, but I would love to get this crispier. Any suggestions? I used soft taco flour tortillas, and made three pizzas, as that was all I could fit on my biggest cookie sheet.
Maybe make it on a tostada instead of the flour tortilla (like in my homemade crunchwrap)? Let me know if you try it!