I love pizza in all sizes and forms. I love deep dish pizza, I love thin crust pizza, I love Pizza Rolls and I love Bagel Bites. I’ve made pizza with tortillas, naan and even with English muffins. I’ll eat pricey flatbreads and I’ll eat cheap, cheesy delivery. If it’s pizza, then gimme.

One of my favorite things from Taco Bell as a teenager (I didn’t eat there a ton, but still) was their Mexican Pizza. If you’ve never had it before, it’s basically refried beans and beef sandwiched between two corn tostadas and topped with Mexican pizza sauce, melted cheese and tomatoes. I always ordered it without beef or tomatoes, of course—let me tell you, this thing is good.

Allow me to introduce you to my reimagined, grown-up Mexican Pizza. I could’ve used a giant tortilla here, but I decided to go with whole wheat dough for that classic pizza vibe. The sauce is a mixture of vegetarian refried beans and enchilada sauce, and the whole thing is loaded up with a variety of veggies. Pepper jack cheese adds an extra little kick, and sliced avocado rounds out this smorgasbord of textures. Behold, your new favorite vegetarian “junk food”!

INGREDIENTS

Whole wheat pizza dough (we used Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Pizza Dough)
1 can vegetarian refried beans
1 can enchilada sauce
Salsa verde
Olive oil
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 poblano pepper, roasted & diced
1 can fiesta corn
Pepper jack cheese, shredded
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Cumin, chili powder, salt & pepper, to taste
Avocado, cilantro & sour cream for topping

STEPS

1) In a pan over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and garlic with a bit of olive oil until the onions become translucent. Set aside in separate bowl.

2) Add the pan back to the stove. Heat over medium-heat heat with a bit of olive oil and sauté the bell peppers with a bit of cumin and chili powder until they become soft. Set aside in a separate bowl.

3) Add the pan to the stove again, but this time without olive oil. Drain the can of fiesta corn and pour the corn into the pan. Toss until the corn it starts to toast and remove from heat.

4) Roast the whole poblano; either do this over an open flame on your stove, or do so in the oven. You just want the outside to become blackened. Allow the poblano to cool a bit, then peel off the skin and chop.

5) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cover a clean surface with flour and knead the pizza dough. Stretch it out as much as possible without breaking it.

6) In a bowl, mix together the refried beans, enchilada sauce and salsa verde. The amount of each is up to you; you just want the sauce to be easily spreadable.

7) Place your dough onto a greased baking sheet. Spoon on a layer of sauce and top with a bit of shredded pepper jack cheese. Add the veggies and another layer of pepper jack. End with a bit of cheddar cheese.

8) Cook the pizza until the cheese starts to melt, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the pizza from the pan and add directly to the oven rack. Cook until the cheese starts to brown and the bottom of the crust is quite crispy, about another 10 minutes.

9) Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Top with avocado, cilantro and sour cream, if desired, and slice it up! Feel free to dip in the extra refried bean sauce or salsa verde.