Mighty Mexican Pizza

Mexican pizza is the answer to the eternal pizza-night-versus-taco-night argument: have both. Personal-sized cornmeal-dusted crusts get a layer of taco-seasoned ground beef and melted cheddar in the oven, then come out to a pile of cool lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and scallions piled on top.

The par-baking step is the trick that makes this work. Frozen bread dough (or pizza dough) gets pricked all over with a fork and baked alone for 8 minutes before any toppings go on. This pre-bake builds structure so the crust stays crisp instead of soggy under the wet beef and sauce.

The cornmeal isn’t optional. Sprinkled on the cookie sheet AND on top of the dough, it gives the bottom a corn-flavored crunch reminiscent of a real tostada and prevents sticking better than oil ever does.

For the topping order, anything that needs to melt or warm up goes on first and into the oven. Anything cold and crisp (lettuce, tomato, sour cream) goes on AFTER baking, never before. Lettuce in a hot oven is a sad situation.

Kitchen Tips

• Use lean ground beef (90/10 or leaner) so the pizza isn’t swimming in grease. The recipe even suggests ground turkey as a swap.
• If the dough puffs into a balloon during the par-bake, gently flatten it with the back of a spoon.
• A few drops of hot sauce added to the taco sauce wakes everything up.
• Pickled jalapeños scattered on top after baking are a great addition for those who like heat.

Variations

• Add a layer of refried black beans under the meat for extra body.
• Stir corn kernels and diced bell pepper into the beef mixture for color and crunch.
• Top with sliced ripe avocado or a quick guacamole instead of (or alongside) the sour cream.