Taco Pizza

A long time ago (in a galaxy far far away...in the midwest) I remember Pizza Hut serving taco pizza. It was one of my favorites. Granted, now I can no longer find it at Pizza Hut but I can make it in my own home. I love this pizza because you can put just about anything you would put on a taco, on top of a pizza. What a great combination! I recently came across a recipe that put some corn meal in the pizza dough and I thought I'd try it out. After the first bite, my husband exclaimed, "This tastes like a Chalupa!". And once again the culinary wheels in my head started turning. Anyway, Chalupas are for later, right now it's time for taco pizza.

Posted by Jen

Printable Recipe

The Ingredients:
For the dough:

1 c warm water
1/4 c oil (I like Olive oil)
2 1/2 c flour
3/4 c corn meal
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp (or 1 package) yeast

For the taco toppings:
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 c tomato sauce (not pictured, oops)
1 taco seasoning packet OR 2 tsp taco seasoning (or more to taste)
1 4 oz can diced chilies (optional)
2 c shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey jack, pepper jack, etc)
1 c shredded lettuce
1/2 c (or more) salsa
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c sliced olives
1 chopped avocado (optional)

OR anything else you like on tacos (refried beans would be great, but my family doesn't like them.

The Directions:
Make your pizza dough as you normally would either in a Kitchenaid, by hand, or by machine. (I used a bread machine on the dough cycle).

While the dough is resting/rising, cook your hamburger with the onion, and spices. (and green chilies if desired) Then add the tomato sauce. (I actually didn't have any tomato sauce so I added some red enchilada sauce!). I also used this opportunity to add in some pureed carrots and spinach so I can sneak more veggies into my family. When the dough is ready roll it out thin and place on your pizza pan. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Poke pizza dough all over with a fork so that it doesn't puff up while baking. (sorry I forgot to take a picture at this point) Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove and add meat and cheese toppings. (If your family likes refried beans, heat some up and spread it thinly on the bottom of the meat mixture)
When the cheese is melted, remove from oven. Working quickly add the lettuce, salsa, avocados, olives (if you'd like), and sour cream. Serve immediately while still warm. Yum. It looks like a giant taco!