Mexican Pizza with Homemade Refried Beans

I love making homemade food from scratch in my own kitchen, but sometimes you just cannot beat the fast food restaurants.  How McDonald’s gets their French fries so perfect is a mystery.  Why Chik-Fil-A’s chicken is so wonderful is one of the world’s great questions.  And the Taco Bell Mexican flavors have never been recreated in my kitchen.

I really thought I had an in to fast food secrets when my sister worked at McDonald’s last summer, but these mysteries still remain unsolved.

I used to eat Taco Bell about 3-5 times a week when I was a sophomore in college.  I was sick of dining halls, so I would drive out one night either to Subway or Taco Bell.  I would either get a 12 inch sandwich (BMT, lettuce, olives, American cheese) or 3 tacos & a Mexican pizza.  Then I would have dinner for 2 nights in a row.  Two days later, I would probably go out again.  When the people at Subway started to recognize me and my same order, I started to branch out.

Once I got an apartment and started cooking for myself, I haven’t hit my old haunts so much (with the exception of a DQ blizzard for dinner every now and then).  I love my own homemade Mexican food, but sometimes I still crave that Taco Bell taste.  So taking matters into my own hands, I decided to make my own Mexican pizza.  This version is probably a lot healthier and gets close to that TB flavor.  Definitely a winner for a way to mix it up on taco night.

With toppings, the sky is the limit. This time around I added in some hominy for some corniness flavor, and I loved it.  You can also used mashed black beans, make it vegetarian, add sour cream, or add hot sauce.

Wrap it in a cardboard box, and it will definitely taste even better.

Mexican Pizza
From Cinnamon Freud

For the Homemade Refried Beans:
1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked and cooked
Can sub 2 cans pinto beans, drained
1/2 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon butter, divided
1/2 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspon smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
1 cup chicken/vegetable broth

For the Mexican Pizza:
4 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 smoked parika
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 pound ground meat
6 – 9 tortillas

For Toppings:
Shredded cheese
Green onions, sliced
Jalapenos, sliced
Avocado, sliced

DIRECTIONS

For the Homemade Refried Beans:

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil and 1/4 tablespoon butter.  Add onion and cook until tender, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.  Stir in pinto beans, remaining butter, cumin, and smoked paprika.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour in chicken/vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.  Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the beans are soft.  Transfer to a food processor and process until you reach your desired smoothness.

For the Mexican Pizza:

In a small pan combine tomato sauce, vinegar, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and sugar.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.  Let cook until slightly thickened, about 10-20 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool.

In a large saute pan, melt butter.  Add onion and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Add ground meat and cook until cooked through.  Drain if needed (this will depend on the type of ground meet you use).  Mix in the sauce (use the amount that you want).  Remove from heat.

Heat a large saute pan over high heat.  Coat pan with butter.  Fry tortillas one by one, until crispy.

Preheat broiler.

Spread refried beans on tortilla. Top with meat mixture.  Top with cheese and jalapenos.  Place on baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Top with green onions and avocado if desired.

Makes 6-9 Mexican pizzas.

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