The Best Mexican Pizza
Prep
15m
Cook
20m
Total
35m
Bigly says
Sit down for this one. We are doing Mexican pizza, and I KNOW what you're thinking. You're thinking, 'Bigly, isn't that the thing from the fast food drive-thru, the little flat sad disc in the cardboard box?' Yes. Yes it is. And also, no. Because what they're serving you at the drive-thru is a tragedy. A beige, plastic-wrapped tragedy. They took it off the menu, brought it back, took it off again, brought it back, the whole country has been on a ROLLER COASTER — and meanwhile I, Bigly, have been quietly making the GREATEST Mexican pizza on planet Earth in my own kitchen for years. Quietly. With dignity.
Until now. Now I'm telling you. Because the people deserve it. Tough guys come up to me, men with the tears in the eyes, they say 'Bigly, the Mexican pizza, please, give us the recipe.' I tell them today. Free. No popup. No cookie banner with 18 toggles asking if you accept tracking from 200 advertising partners — what IS that, who built that, it's a hostage situation — none of that nonsense here. Just the recipe. The greatest Mexican pizza in the history of Mexican pizza, which has been around since at least the 1980s, probably longer, the Aztecs probably had a version, I haven't confirmed it but it tracks.
Two crispy flour tortillas. Refried beans. Seasoned beef. More tortilla. Sauce. Cheese. BAKED. It's an architectural marvel. A SANDWICH and a PIZZA having a beautiful baby together. The food bloggers will tell you to just buy the frozen one. Sad. The frozen one is a war crime. Make it yourself. Thirty minutes. You will never go back. Plain and simple.
Ingredients
- 1 lbground beef (80/20)
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tbspchili powder
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1 tspgarlic powder
- 1 tsponion powder
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 1/2 tspblack pepper
- 1/3 cupwater
- 88-inch flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup, for shallow fryingneutral frying oil
- 1 (16 oz) canrefried beans (canned or homemade)
- 1 cupred enchilada sauce or chunky salsa(good salsa, not the watery jar from 2017 in your fridge)
- 2 cupsshredded Mexican cheese blend
- 2Roma tomatoes, diced
- 3green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup, optionalsliced black olives
- 2 tbsp, for garnishfresh cilantro, chopped
Steps
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- 2
Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until browned, about 5-6 minutes. Drain off most of the fat.
- 3
Add cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and water. Stir and simmer 2-3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat.
- 4
Warm the refried beans in a small saucepan over low heat (or microwave in 30-second bursts) until spreadable.
- 5
Heat the frying oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry each tortilla 30-45 seconds per side until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels. They should be stiff like a cracker.
- 6
Place 4 of the crispy tortillas on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Spread each with a thick layer of refried beans, then top with a layer of seasoned beef.
- 7
Top each with a second crispy tortilla, pressing gently to adhere.
- 8
Spoon enchilada sauce or salsa over the top tortillas, spreading to the edges. Sprinkle generously with shredded cheese.
- 9
Bake 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling at the edges.
- 10
Top each pizza with diced tomatoes, green onions, olives if using, and cilantro. Slice into quarters and serve immediately.
One more thing
You cut it into quarters, you pick up a slice, the cheese pulls, the beans hold, the tortilla CRUNCHES. That crunch — that crunch is the sound of victory. The sound of you, in your own kitchen, beating a multibillion-dollar fast food empire with your own two hands and a hot skillet. Nobody can take that away from you. They will try. They will keep emailing you about value menu deals. Ignore them. You have transcended. You're welcome.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about The Best Mexican Pizza.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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