Mexican Pizza

Today I was in the mood for Mexican, so I decided to make Taco Bell at home. I googled Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza recipe and found this. What better to do on a ridiculously humid day but get the oven going? I definitely learned my lesson. But I did make some pretty delicious lunch a la Taco Bell.

1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
dash of garlic powder
2 flour tortilla (I have huge tortillas so I just folded one in half)
1/2 cup refried beans
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup diced onions
1/4 cup your favorite salsa
1/3 cup shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack, but pepper jack, mozzarella, or cheddar would work just as well)
1/2 cup fresh spinach (optional)
(The things this recipe called for that I did not have: 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 lb ground beef, dash onion powder)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. (If you have ground beef, great. Mix the spices with the ground beef and cook in a skillet for 5 minutes.) If you are like me and are not using beef, mix the spices with the refried beans after you warm them up in the microwave. Heat oil in a medium pan and place a tortilla in the pan. Fry each side until they are both golden brown, repeat with the second tortilla. If you want spinach in your pizzas, saute the spinach for about 1 minute and place on one tortilla. Cover that tortilla with the refried beans and ground beef and place the other tortilla on top. Cover the top of your pizza with salsa, tomato, cheese and onion in that order. Place in the oven and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

I could definitely taste the similarity to Taco Bell in this dish. Except I'm sure this version is much more healthy and more filling. I bet if I had the ground beef and the paprika it would taste even more like the "real" thing. Also it would be nice to have some cilantro to top it off. Try it yourself and let me know how close you can get to that fast food deliciousness at home!