Homemade Mexican Pizza from Amrikan

"If there is one thing that bonds Indian families in America, it is Taco Bell. The fast-food chain is a cultural obsession."

- Khushbu Shah

My love for Taco Bell began with the 59, 79, 99-cent deal in the late 80's. By the time I was a teen, I had graduated to collecting the entire 'Yo quiero Taco Bell' set of stuffed chihuahuas.

To find a homemade Mexican Pizza recipe was like love at first sight. If you like Taco Bell, you need this recipe in your life.

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Amrikan

This Mexican pizza recipe comes from Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora by Khushbu Shah.

An Indian wedding isn't valid until someone has gone through the Taco Bell drive-thru at midnight for dozens of bean burritos and Mexican pizzas for the after-party. It's really the only place my family ate (and still eats) on road trips.

Every Indian has their go-to order (mine is a Crunchwrap Supreme, no beef, sub beans, and a Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito, add red sauce). And most households have Taco Bell sauce packets stuffed into corners of random drawers, or collected in a big ziploc bag. I always keep bottles of the Taco Bell mild sauce in my fridge. At this point, Taco Bell is Indian food.

Many have theorized why Indians love Taco Bell: it's very vegetarian-friendly given that you can swap out any meat for beans, there's some spice to the food, and tortillas aren't so different from rotis and parathas.

At this point, Taco Bell should be considered Indian food - especially the Mexican Pizza, which remains a community favorite. So much so that when Taco Bell made the mistake of taking it off the menu, an Indian American superfan, Krish Jagirdar, launched an online petition that gained over 170,000 signatures, convincing the chain to bring the Mexican Pizza back permanently.

How to Make a Mexican Pizza

Ingredients

• oil - any neutral oil will work. We like Giadzy's extra-virgin olive oil.
• tortillas - 8 flour tortillas will make 4 Mexican pizzas
• beans - pinto beans are most commonly used to make refried beans for a Mexican pizza. We like to experiment with our bean stash. You can also buy a can of refried beans to cut down on prep time
• water
• taco seasoning - use your favorite taco seasoning for the best flavor
• onion - white onion is preferred
• sauce - make your enchilada sauce or buy it at the market
• cheese - a shredded Mexican blend makes for the perfect homemade Mexican pizza
• tomato - 1 Roma tomato is recommended
• scallion
• peppers (optional) - if you like a little extra spice, top with some jalapeños
• olives (optional) - sliced black olives, if you desire

Equipment

• Apron
• Prep Bowls
• Butcher Block
• Child-Friendly Knife
• Chef Knife
• Measuring Spoons
• Measuring Cup
• Wooden Spoon
• Large Pan
• Spatula
• Saucepan or Saucier
• Baking Sheet
• Aluminum Foil

Make the Refried Beans (Optional)

Wash your hands with soap and water. If you're using dried beans, you can soak them ahead of time to cut down on cooking time.

If you don't soak, not a problem, just add some additional cooking time when making the refried beans.

When finished, set them aside for later. If using canned refried beans for these homemade Mexican pizzas, you can skip this step.

Prep the Vegetables

Use a knife and cutting board to dice the onion and tomato, and to chop the scallion. If you're making your own enchilada sauce, as we did below, you can prep the ingredients for that.

Fry the Tortillas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add the oil to a large pan and heat over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan and lightly fry the tortilla, flipping frequently, for 3 minutes, or until it is golden brown and crisp.

Transfer the tortilla to a plate lined with a towel or paper towel. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.

Add Taco Seasoning & Onion to the Beans

If using canned refried beans, heat the refried beans over medium heat. Add the water. Stir in the taco seasoning and onion until well combined. Turn off the stove when finished.

If you made your own refried beans, you can stir in some taco seasoning before moving onto the next step.

Spread the Refried Beans onto a Tortilla

Place a tortilla on the baking sheet. Spread ¼ of the beans on top of the tortilla.

Drizzle with Enchilada Sauce

Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of enchilada sauce over that. Your enchilada sauce is most likely red, but when you can't find any red peppers, you make do.

We made our own enchilada sauce using a recipe from Cooking con Claudia just for fun and to keep it as healthy as possible.

Place Another Tortilla on Top

Place a second tortilla on top of the first one.

Sprinkle with the Remaining Toppings

Drizzle another layer of enchilada sauce over that. Sprinkle ¼ each of the cheese, tomato, scallions, pickled jalapeños, and black olives.

Repeat the layering process to make 3 more Mexican pizzas.

Bake for 4 to 6 Minutes

Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Turn off the oven when finished. Allow the pizzas to cool for a few minutes before slicing them into quarters and serving.