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–+ servings
Homemade Taco Bell copycat Mexican pizza with melted Colby Jack cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, and jalapeños on a wood cutting board

Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Copycat

Two burrito-size flour tortillas crisped on the grill or in a 300°F oven, layered with refried beans cooked down with sweet onion and 85/15 ground beef seasoned with two packets of taco seasoning, topped with Taco Bell taco sauce, shredded Colby Jack, diced tomato, sliced olives and jalapeños, then melted on a wire rack in a baking dish. Makes two large pizzas.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican-American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Beef
  • 2 lbs 85/15 ground beef
  • 2 packets taco seasoning with water as directed on the packets
For the Beans
  • 1 can refried beans about 16 oz
  • 1/2 sweet onion diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water to smooth the beans
For the Pizzas
  • 4 burrito-size flour tortillas 2 per pizza
  • 1/2 cup Taco Bell taco sauce or your favorite taco sauce
  • 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
  • 1 tomato diced
  • 1/4 cup sliced black olives
  • 1 jalapeño diced, optional

Equipment

  • Large Skillet For the beef. A second skillet or the same one for the beans.
  • Grill or oven Held at 300°F.
  • Wire rack and baking dish or sheet pan For the melt. Protects the bottom tortilla.
  • Flat spatula or pizza peel For moving the pizzas.

Method
 

Beef and Beans
  1. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain if needed. Add the taco seasoning with the water the packets call for, cook a few more minutes until seasoned through, and remove from the heat.
  2. In a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and the diced sweet onion. Saute until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the refried beans and 1/4 cup of water and stir until combined and heated through. Remove from the heat and let the beef and beans cool down.
Tortillas
  1. Heat the grill or oven to 300°F. Cook the tortillas on the grates or on a sheet pan until crispy and brown all the way through, flipping once. Watch them closely and handle them gently. Let them cool a minute.
Assemble and Melt
  1. Set one crisp tortilla on a baking dish. Spread an even layer of beans over it, then a layer of beef. Place a second tortilla on top. Spread the taco sauce over it, then the Colby Jack, tomato, olives and jalapeños. Repeat for the second pizza.
  2. Carefully set each pizza on a wire rack inside a baking dish or sheet pan. Place on the grill or in the oven at 300°F just until warmed through and the cheese is melted, about 5 to 10 minutes.
  3. Let the pizzas sit a couple of minutes, then cut each into quarters and serve while the tortillas are crisp.

Notes

Doneness: The USDA minimum for ground beef is 160°F. The beef is well past that once browned and simmered with the seasoning.
Wire rack: Never set the assembled pizza directly on the grates. The wire rack in a baking dish keeps the bottom tortilla from burning before the cheese melts.
Tortillas: Crisp them all the way through and let the beef and beans cool before building so the tortilla does not steam soft.
Timing: Beef, onion and melt times are estimates. Go by color and by the cheese.
Storage: Slices keep 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat on a wire rack at 350°F in the oven or air fryer, 5 to 8 minutes. Beef and beans freeze 3 months; assembled pizzas do not.

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