Taco Pizza with Ground Beef
Love those taco flavors but really want pizza? Try this gourmet version of Taco Pizza for your next taco night! (Or instead of pizza delivered!)
Ingredients
- Pizza dough – A fresh ball of pizza dough from Trader Joe's or HEB tastes best but the kind in a can works okay too.
- About 2 T oil for your hands
For Pizza Sauce
- Store-bought pizza sauce like Rao's
- 3 T cumin
- 1 T crushed red pepper more if you want more heat
- 1 T oregano
- 1 t paprika
- 1 t chili powder
- 1 t ground coriander
- 1/2 t cayenne powder
For Mini Meatballs
- 1/2 lb fresh ground beef
- Salt & pepper to taste
For Pico de Gallo
- 1/4 white onion finely diced
- 1 ripe tomato finely diced
- 1/4 c fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 T lime juice
- Salt & pepper to taste
For Toppings & Garnish
- 1/2 lb to 1 lb Mexican blend cheese
- Enchilada sauce or taco sauce – Make an easy batch from a packet or get pre-made from the Latin foods shelf at your grocery store. Taco Bell Mild Sauce can be found in most grocery stores in bottles.
- Additional ideas for garnish after baking: Sour cream 1/2 c of drained black beans or a few small dollops of refried beans, sliced avocado, chopped iceberg lettuce, pickled jalapeño, or black olives.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a baking sheet with 1-inch sides: use either parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix the raw ground beef with salt and pepper. Roll into 1-inch balls and bake for 7-11 minutes. (These will finish cooking through on the pizza later.) Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Combine pico de gallo ingredients and transfer to a covered container and set aside in the fridge.
- Whisk together the store-bought pizza sauce with seasonings in a large bowl and set aside.
- Raise oven temp to as high as it will go (usually 450 to 500F but not broil) and slide in the pizza pan or stone to preheat in the oven.
- Prepare a large surface area for stretching out the dough: Pull out about 18 to 20 inches of parchment paper. Lightly oil your hands and guide the backs of your hands as you gently stretch your dough out to the approximate shape of the pan that is now heating up in the oven. You will “dress” the pizza here and then transfer the parchment with dough, sauce, and toppings over to your very hot pan in a moment.
- Using a ladle or large spoon, spread pizza sauce over the raw pizza dough just enough to cover in a thin layer, leaving about ½ to 1 inch around the outside for the crust, depending on how thin you like your crust.
- Spread your cheese liberally over the entire pizza.
- Sprinkle your toppings of choice and meatballs over the cheese, with dollops by the spoonfuls of extra sauce into the empty spaces.
- Leaving about an inch of parchment so that you can pick it up, trim as much of the extra parchment away as possible with shears.
- Pick up the edges of your parchment paper with the dressed pizza and carefully but swiftly place it onto the very hot preheated pizza pan, then using hot pads for protection, slide pan with the pizza into the hot oven. Note: The parchment paper will darken and curl at the edges; this is normal in a very hot oven, but keep an eye on it. Set a timer for 15 minutes.
- Prepare the enchilada sauce according to package directions. Set aside.
- Check the pizza; add five minutes if the crust doesn't yet have dark spots.
- Remove finished pizza carefully. Allow to rest 5 min before spooning pico onto the pizza; then drizzle about 6 T of the enchilada sauce over the top.
- If desired, serve a "bar" with more sauce, sour cream, queso, chopped olives or lettuce, etc.
- Slice carefully and enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 898kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 41gFat: 56gSaturated Fat: 23gPolyunsaturated Fat: 28gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 1348mgFiber: 11gSugar: 6g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!