Recipe: Don’t Say Goodbye to Mexican Pizza Just Yet

Just when we thought we couldn’t handle any more uncertainty in our lives, the internet broke. That is Indian-Americans found out beginning November 5th, Taco Bell will stop serving Mexican Pizza. For several reasons, this menu item is a staple in the Indian-American diet, leaving many of us feeling betrayed and dejected that an iconic food item from our childhood would soon be gone forever.

As a way to honor this classic fourth meal (and add a smidgen of continuity in your life), I’m sharing my at home mexican pizza recipe below, followed by the backstory of how I’ve become loyal to this dish. Albeit not a perfect substitute, hopefully this recipe will support your emotional trauma and cravings for a dish lost to history. If you want to take your support a step further, you can petition with the folks here, fighting the good fight to keep Mexican Pizza on the Taco Bell menu forever!

RECIPE

A vegetarian take on the famous Taco Bell Mexican Pizza, hitting every element of texture: the crunchy tostada, smooth creamy beans, topped off with rustic sauciness, melty cheese, and your favorite fresh toppings!

☺ Mood desired: Comfort that there still are some things in your control; joy knowing your fourth meal is only a few moments away

✔ Good for: Honoring one of your favorite childhood meals; a meal to share and make with friends and family

☯ Goes well with: Fountain drinks, and just about anything else found on the Taco Bell menu (or even the Ken-Taco-Hut menu?)

Yield: 1 Mexican Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can of drained and rinsed black beans
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of your favorite Mexican hot sauce
• Salt to taste
• 4–5 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil
• 2 6-inch corn tortillas
• 2 tablespoons of homemade or store bought chunky red salsa
• ½ cup of shredded Mexican blend cheese
• Optional: 1 cup of shredded greens
• Optional: ½ cup of sliced scallions
• Optional: ½ cup of chopped tomatoes
• Optional: ½ cup of fresh sliced jalapenos
• Optional: 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt with lime zest
• Optional but highly recommended: Taco Bell hot sauce packets!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook beans in a small pot over medium heat. After 1–2 minutes, mix in cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, hot sauce, and salt to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes or until bubbling.
2. Using a potato masher, smash the beans creating a smooth texture.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a small frying pan over medium/high heat. Individually, shallow fry each tortilla 20–30 seconds on each side until a golden brown color.
4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Assemble the Mexican Pizza in layers: 1) tortilla, 2) layer of beans, 3) tortilla, 4) chunky salsa, 5) Mexican blend cheese.
5. Place Mexican pizza in oven for 4–5 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and melted
6. Decorate your Mexican Pizza with optional fresh toppings and Taco Bell hot sauce!

BACKSTORY

My love for Taco Bell Mexican Pizza dates back to childhood trips to visit family in Chicago. At the time, Taco Bell was not readily available in my hometown of Boston, which naturally led me to believe that Taco Bell was a Chicagoland institution. This is very much not the case, in fact (fun fact!) the first Taco Bell opened in Downey, CA in 1962.

My naivety aside, every time I landed in Chicago (a city known for great food) I would beg my family to visit Taco Bell, of all places. A request they went along with, since it was also a favorite fast-food indulgence for my family, who also knew it was going to be easy on the pocketbook. For that reason and others, Taco Bell is very popular with the Indian community, mainly due to the variety of vegetarian options, and the plethora of spice packets to choose from. Let it be known, us Indians had the utmost respect for TB, treating it like a genuine 2nd or 3rd meal.

On one particular outing which still haunts me to this day, was a trip with my cousins in the outskirts of Chicago. Having missed Taco Bell for months, and not knowing the next time I would be able to indulge in this delicious treat, I ordered roughly enough food to feed a high-school Tennis team. Everything from Mexican pizzas, cheesy gordita crunches, a crunchwrap supreme, chalupas, and an extra bean burrito (because, why not!?) were piled onto my tray.

My cousins, looking at me wide-eyed as I sat down at the table, challenged me that I would never finish. As some know, I can be pretty competitive, so CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. But as you can probably guess, I made it through approximately one Mexican pizza, and maybe half a gordita crunch. My 12 year old eyes were bigger, several times bigger in fact, than my stomach. Although this was a harmless failure on my end (even this monumental order summed up to somewhere around $16), my cousins, mostly boys and also around 12 years old at the time, would never let me live it down.

Fast forward several years (decades even) and my habits haven’t changed in the slightest. The worst part is now my friends and family know that they can take it easy on their orders when we visit Taco Bell together. Why would they buy multiple items, when they know they’ll be finishing my outrageous and wide-ranging orders? And this doesn’t end at Mexican Pizzas. One of the glorious fast-food inventions of our time is the Ken-Taco-Hut. Oh my goodness. I can get pizzas of all kinds in one sitting? Talk about an internet-breaking moment. When gracing one of these historic establishments, I’m liable to ring up at least one TB Mexican pizza (among other items), AND a Pizza Hut Cheese Pizza, AND probably some KFC Boneless Strips, just for fun. So to my cousins, teammates, friends, and whoever else benefited along the way — you’re welcome. You ate damn well with me around.

Loyal-List Tip! So where does that leave us now, after our dear TB Mexican Pizza is removed from the menu? Well, in addition to the recipe above, I have a Loyal-List Tip! For you, that will keep this homemade recipe as authentically tasteful as the TB style: The Taco Bell Corporation is not going to love this, but each time you find yourself at TB, slicky grab extra hot sauce packets to drench your at home Taco Mexican Pizza with that undeniable TB flavor. And, you may think you grabbed enough, but don’t be afraid to take one more handful, you’re going to need them. In addition, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as eating a mexican pizza with a spork. And, believe me, I’ve tried eating it with a fork — it’s just not the same. Therefore, make sure to load up on these too.

Going forward, please learn from my overindulgent mistakes, and order like a civilized human being. That being said, I urge you to go out and order as many TB Mexican Pizzas as possible in the short time that they are available. And once that’s over, I hope you enjoy my pepped up Mexican pizza recipe. Lastly, a big thank you to the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza for bringing my community of family and friends together over the years, and supporting the need for quality vegetarian fast-food options!