Beef Taco Pizza

Just in time for the weekend, I have your next pizza recipe!

We actually first got the idea for a taco-type pizza after having a similar one from a pizza chain in Nebraska (Godfather's anyone?) and have made several variations on that idea since then. It is a really simple idea. You just take your taco toppings and add them to a pizza crust instead of a taco shell. It may be even better than tacos because the bake time melts the cheese on the pizza :)

We went all out on our toppings including taco-seasoned ground beef, onion, bell peppers, chopped tomatoes, sliced black olives, and cheddar cheese, but you could use any combination of ingredients here that you would add to your taco. Just swap the pizza sauce for taco sauce and remember to add the shredded lettuce after the bake time so that it doesn't wilt. Adding the lettuce is a little different, but we love the texture and temperature difference that the colder lettuce adds to the hot pizza. Try it. I promise it's good. Enjoy

(Printable Recipe) 

Beef Taco Pizza
Cookin' Chemist original

Ingredients:
1 pkg pre-made or portion of homemade pizza dough
1/2 cup taco sauce
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 Tbsp. homemade taco seasoning
1 small can sliced black olives
1/2 bell pepper, any color, diced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1-1/2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, shredded 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven while the oven warms up. 

Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough for a 12-14-inch pizza. Lightly flour the paper. Roll out or stretch out (using your hands) the pizza dough to your desired size. If it seems to shrink back after you stretch it, let it sit for a few minutes and try again. Set the crust aside. Brown the ground beef in a medium-sized skillet. Drain any fat, if necessary. Add the taco seasoning and mix well. Set aside. 

Spread the taco sauce over the dough. Top with ground beef, olives, pepper, onion, and tomatoes. Finish with the cheese. Transfer the pizza and the parchment paper to the hot pizza stone or other pizza pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the crust begins to brown and the cheese is melted. Cut and serve immediately. Top each individual slice with lettuce upon serving (If you have leftovers, the lettuce will not keep well on top of the slices. This is why we add it to each piece as we eat them).