cheesy taco pizza
This damn pizza.
Who can dispute that a Taco Wednesday featuring a taco-themed pizza wins the sexy award? If you have a valid argument otherwise, please elucidate. This pie can unite a household. It could solve the oil fracking crisis. It could incite handshakes among foes. It could make everyday ninnies learn human anatomy and pull their masks up over their noses. Cheesy Taco Pizza can add so much wealth and wonder to your life. Am I being extreme? Maybe. Maybe not. Just make the pizza and find out for yourselves.
I should’ve posted this on Pi Day, 3.14, but instead I surrounded the occasion with this and the Super Greens Pizza with Browned Lemon Herb Butter. Oh well. Never claimed to be great at promptness.
The beefy sauce is comprised of vegetarian ground, canned tomatoes, and a bevvy of spices to acquire an enchilada-esque flavor profile. After a quick “browning” of the ground and toasting of the spices in the same skillet, simply let the sauce hang out and the taste grow richer and stronger over the course of several minutes. The liquid largely evaporates and yields a thick byproduct which will serve as the base of your pie.
As for the crust, you can always buy store bought or your favorite recipe, but might I recommend my concoction? Make sure you have this ready at time of assembly.
Next, mix up an easy pizza seasoning with cilantro, lime zest, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt. This blend enunciates the intended taco flavoring and adds a tang to every bite. Seriously, do not skimp here. The tiny bit of extra chopping is well worth it.
Top the dough first with sauce, then lots of cheese (I didn’t name it cheesy taco pizza for nothing, folks), a hit of kale for your daily dose of green, and the pizza seasoning. Bake until hot, bubbly, and melted. I sliced mine into square pieces for no real reason, so do whatever shape and size appeals to you.
Round of applause for Cheesy Taco Pizza. Fully vegetarian – if you want to make it vegan, experiment with vegan cheese or just leave the cheese off – and undoubtedly a repeat offender in your kitchen. Particularly if you have a fussy family who wants tacos AND pizza in the same night, make this instead of wheeling your head around two separate dishes.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Tacos or pizza? You choose!
Chipotle BBQ Broccoli Cheddar Tacos
Margarita Fish Tacos with Spicy Chili Mango Salsa
Sausage Pesto Pizza Sweet Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb pizza dough, homemade or store bought
- 1 lb beefless ground (I used Trader Joe's brand)
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded kale
taco pizza seasoning
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- If you are making your own pizza dough, do this first and allow about 60-90 minutes of extra prep time. My best dough recipe is linked in the "Notes"!
- Once you are ready to start cooking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a pizza stone or a baking sheet inside.
- Heat a skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Once warm, in the pan toss beefless ground with chili powder, oregano, cumin, paprika, garlic, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Saute for about 5-8 minutes until slightly browned and very fragrant. Beefless ground will not crisp like normal beef, but it should get a bit of color.
- Pour in tomato sauce and simmer on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. You can leave it for up to 30 minutes so long as the heat is very low. The flavors will meld even more!
- In a small bowl, combine ingredients for the taco pizza seasoning.
- To assemble the pizza, shape dough as desired. Top with sauce, then sprinkle cheeses evenly. Finish with kale and the seasoning mix. Bake for about 10 minutes, then turn the broiler to high and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until cheese bubbles and turns golden. Watch very closely!
