Tex-Mex Pizza!

I made these Tex-Mex Pizza's last night and they were amazingly delicious!  I got inspired to make mexican style food and was going to make some simple tacos but decided to spice things up and do something different.  After a little thought, I decided I would make Tex-Mex Pizzas!  I had so much fun picking out ingredients and throwing a little of this and that together to get this full of flavor dish.  These are super fun because they are individual sized and so you can personalize them with different toppings.  If you are a lighter eater, you will find that you can split one pizza and save the rest for later.  I served this with a side of spicy corn and it was an all together fabulous Sunday dinner!  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Tex-Mex Pizza's


Here is what you will need:

A food processor that is able to hold at least one can of black beans.  I have a mini Cuisinart that is fantastic!
1 package  (usually around a lb) Ground Turkey...you can use ground beef but the turkey is healthier :)
8 Flour Tortillas (fajita/taco sized)
1 can Black Beans (drained)
1 can Red Enchilada Sauce
1 can Diced Tomato's (drained)...I used the no salt added kind
1 packet Taco Seasoning
1/3 of a White Onion (chopped)
4 Green Onion's (chopped)
1/4 cup Cilantro
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
4 tbsp Lime Juice
Sriracha Sauce (a spicy chile sauce)
Spices--just a few dashes of each of these to your liking:
   -Garlic Powder
   -Onion Powder
   -Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning
   -Black Pepper
   -Sea Salt
   -Ground Chipotle Pepper

**If you are not a lover of spicy food you may want to omit the Sriracha Sauce, Ground Chipotle Pepper, and go light on the Tony Chachere's seasoning.

First you will want to chop about 1/3 of a white onion into small pieces.  Now put the ground turkey into a sauté pan.  Top it with a few dashes of garlic powder, Tony Chachere's, Black Pepper, and Onion Powder.  Begin browning your meat on medium/low heat.  Add the chopped onion.  Be sure to stir and mix often so the meat makes small pieces and doesn't burn.

While the meat is browning, add the can of drained black beans to your food processor.  Add about 1/2 tbsp of Sriracha sauce.   You may want to omit the Sriracha if you do not like spicy food.  Next add your cilantro, 4 tbsp lime juice, a few dashes of Garlic Powder, Sea Salt, and Tony Chachere's.  Process that until it is smooth.  Now put that mixture into a small sauce pan and let it sit.  You do not need to heat it until later as it heats up really fast.

Preheat your oven to 365 degrees

In another sauce pot, add the Red Enchilada Sauce and your drained Tomato's.  Mix in a few dashes of Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Tony Chachere's, and Ground Chipotle Pepper.  Mix all of that together and then heat on low/simmer.  You will need this last so just heat it, stir it occasionally and let it simmer.

Your ground turkey should be browned now.  Be sure to drain the grease from the meat.  I use a strainer over an old coffee can so I do not clog up my drains and so it is easy to discard.  After you have drained the meat, return it to your pan and add the Taco Seasoning and follow the directions on the packet.  The only directions on there not to follow are when it tells you the cook time.  You can omit that and just turn the meat on low/medium and let it cook and mix together while you do everything else. 

Turn your black beans onto low and stir often as they like to stick to the pan.

* If you are doing the side dish of Spicy Corn you will want to put them on to cook now as well..

Take your tortillas and poke a few holes in them using a fork.  This helps them to not bubble up while they bake and makes it easier for you to do the layers with them.  Now put them straight onto the oven's top rack and let them bake for 6-8 minutes.  You will want to check them and make sure they don't burn.  You want them to be crispy and a little golden brown.

If you haven't already, now is a great time to chop your green onions and shred your cheddar cheese.
While the tortillas are cooking, make sure to stir your meat, beans, and sauce.

When the tortillas are nice and crispy, pull them out of the oven and set on a plate or cooling rack.

Now you can pull this all together.  Take one tortilla and put it on a plate.  Next put a layer of black beans and cover the whole tortilla only leaving about a half inch of tortilla showing.  Now put about 1 1/2 scoops of the meat on top of the black beans, leaving the same 1/2 inch border.  Put another tortilla on top.  Pour about a cup or more if you'd like, of the Red Sauce on top of the Pizza.  Layer on cheese and green onions.  Repeat these steps with the other tortillas.  Yields 4 hefty servings.  Enjoy!

*I served this yummy dish with a side of Spicy Corn.

Spicy Corn


2 cans Whole Kernel Corn (un-drained)
Tony Chachere's
Sriracha Sauce

Pour the undrained corn into a sauce pan.  Add a few dashes of Tony Chachere's and a squirt or two of Sriracha Sauce.  Mix together well.  Cook on medium/high heat.  Stir occasionally.  You can cook this for anywhere from 10-15 minutes, just watch it to make sure that you don't cook it so long that the liquid boils completely out.  Be sure to use a slated spoon so the corn doesn't make your Pizza soggy.  I served the corn in a separate serving bowl on the side.