These individual Mexican pizzas are perfect for after-school snacking or to serve as appetizers. The crunchy tortilla base is loaded with seasoned ground beef, a drizzle of white sauce, and topped with traditional taco toppings. It’s a fun alternative to pizza with a Tex-Mex twist!
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Why you should try Taco Villa Mexican Pizza
Take Taco Night in a bold new direction with these irresistible Mexican-style pizzas. You may have had Mexican tortilla pizza before, but this is the first time you have tasted something like this.
The creamy white sauce and shredded cheddar cheese, together with the savory seasoned beef on a crunchy tortilla, is the perfect start for your creativity. Since they are individually sized pizzas, everyone can customize their own homemade Mexican Pizza with all of their favorite toppings.
Why you’ll love this recipe
There are lots of recipes for Mexican Pizzas online, but this one is just a little different from most of them. The white sauce with sauteed onions takes this version to the next level of yum and makes it a must-try. If you don’t like bechamel sauce, try one of the other variations listed below!
Ingredients you will need
For the white sauce, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- White onion
- All-purpose flour
- Whole milk
For the seasoned ground beef, you’ll need:
- Ground chuck
- White onion
- Oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Slightly fatter ground beef is okay to use here.
For the base, you’ll need:
- Oil
- 6-inch flour tortillas
To finish the Mexican tortilla pizza, you’ll need:
- Fried tortillas
- White sauce
- Seasoned ground beef
- Diced green chilies, canned
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Picante sauce
How to make Mexican Pizza
To prepare the white sauce:
- Place a saucepan over medium heat.
- Melt the unsalted butter in the saucepan.
- While the butter is melting, dice the white onion into small pieces and add to the melted butter.
- Saute the onions until translucent while stirring to prevent them from burning.
- Sprinkle the flour into the saucepan and stir. Cook for a minute or two until it becomes fragrant.
- Slowly pour in the whole milk while whisking.
- While continuing to whisk, allow the sauce to thicken. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
To make the seasoned beef:
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add some oil.
- Dice the white onion into small pieces and saute until translucent.
- Crumble the ground beef into the skillet and cook until it is no longer pink. Stir occasionally.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Reserve for later.
To fry the tortillas:
- Add a little oil to a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook a tortilla on both sides in the oil until toasted. Drain on a paper towel.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
To finish the recipe for Mexican Pizza:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spread a fried tortilla with the white sauce.
- Add some seasoned beef and top with green chilies and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Cook in a baking tray for 5 to 10 minutes, just until the cheese melts.
- Drizzle with picante sauce and serve.
Possible recipe variations
There are so many ways for you to get creative with this recipe for Mexican Pizza. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Replace the white cream sauce. Go with a cheesy Queso Blanco, Enchilada Sauce, Chimichurri Sauce, Guacamole, or Green Goddess Dip.
- Swap out the toppings. Use your favorite taco toppings. Try shredded lettuce, pickled red onion, green onions, black olives, chopped tomatoes, jalapeno slices, or sour cream.
- Go with something other than ground beef. Ground chicken or ground turkey will work well. You can even use soy crumble to make it vegetarian.
What to serve them with
Why not throw together a menu with South-of-the-border favorites like:
Southwest Egg Rolls. Straight from Chili’s, these Southwest Egg Rolls are stuffed with chicken, beans, veggies, jalapeno peppers, and cheese before being deep-fried to a golden brown! These are a great way to use up extra tortillas.
Rotel Dip. Pair this cheesy dip with tortilla chips, or go wild and drizzle a few spoonfuls of Rotel Dip over the top of a homemade Mexican Pizza!
Margaritas. What’s a Mexican-inspired meal without a few margaritas? Chipotle Margaritas uses quality tequila, triple sec, fresh citrus juices, and agave nectar for a brilliant take on the traditional margarita.
How to make a DIY Mexican Pizza ahead of time
Cook each component of the dish beforehand. Store the fried tortillas in a paper bag and the rest of the prepped food in the refrigerator. Assemble and heat in the oven as above.
How to store the leftover Mexican Tortilla Pizza
Let the food cool before placing the pizzas in a single layer inside an airtight container. Put the container in the fridge. To prevent the tortillas from getting soggy, try to reheat the Mexican Pizzas the following day.
What is the best way to reheat these?
Place the Mexican Pizzas on a baking tray and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in a 300°F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and heat until the cheese is bubbly.
More taco inspired recipes
- Frito Taco Salad
- Homemade Taco Meat Seasoning
- Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Taco Bell Tacos
- Taco Bowl
- Taco Dip
- Taco Casserole with Tortillas
- Taco Soup
- Wendy’s Taco Salad
Favorite pizza recipes
Check out more of my easy Mexican food recipes and the best copycat fast food recipes here on CopyKat!
Taco Villa Things Mexican Pizza
Ingredients
White sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup milk
Things
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 3/4 cup chopped white onion
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 8 6-inch flour tortillas
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- picante sauce to taste
Instructions
- To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until fragrant like pie crust. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground chuck over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- In a separate skillet, lightly fry each tortilla in a small amount of vegetable oil until slightly crisp.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To assemble, spread each fried tortilla with a layer of cooled white sauce. Add the ground beef mixture, sprinkle with green chilies, and top with cheddar cheese.
- Place them on a baking sheet and bake until the cheese melts, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with picante sauce.
Shayla
Never been to Taco Villa, loved these just the same.
Samantha
My kids loved these! I will make these again.
Denise Gonzales
Do you have the taco burger recipe
Brenda J Amarello
I want the recipe for the onion sauce from taco via! I love that stuff! If you can help. They won’t tell you.
Stuart Morrison
Stephanie,
Do you know how to make a copykat version of the Topeka Taco Villa queso dip? We live in Fort Worth, and want to try and make a duplicate version of their queso.
Sue
Looking for the onion sauce recipe from taco via
Sue
That was the best stuff still crave it.
Debi
Late to the party, but this recipe isn’t the same. Lived in Topeka for years, when only locals knew about these *things* I like the original, but everyone in my family likes these a lot better… I wish I could find how the onion sauce is made. When I asked them, they said a woman out of state {Neb?} made it… When we go back to visit, we get to go orders of a lot of diff. items. They package all ingre. seperatly.. Easy for the long trip home…
I have the onion sauce recipe in there, were you looking for another recipe for the onion sauce? ~ Stephanie
Name (required)
Hi Stephanie, yes, I’d love to have the recipe for the actual sauce that Taco Villa uses.. But, it’s guarded.. Just repeating, my family likes this version better… I’m the stick in the mud.. haha
Any idea how to make their *hot* sauce? Love the taste of it..
Debi
I think I have had a miscommunication here, I don’t have any actual recipes of theirs, and I don’t have their hot sauce recipe. I thought you were inquiring about their onion sauce, and I thought I had that part of the recipe down fairly well. Please email me for further discussion about this recipe. – Stephanie
Edith
Would love the recipe for their red sauce. Edith
wkdwitch73
I have been looking everywhere for the basic meat recipe from Taco Villa. Nowhere have I been able to find it. I love this restaurant, have it in my hometown but nowhere near where I’m living now. If anyone has this recipe please post it!
GypsyRose22
These were really good, but I would suggest putting on more toppings (olives, lettuce, sour cream).
danna
i am looking for the green sauce recipe for the burritos at taco villa.
Emily
I second this request. The meat is preseasoned and half cooked at the plant in Cactus, Texas (or it used to be) and then at the individual store is thawed and the cooking is finished. The green sauce was in a can and is something I always want to duplicate. I came back from Amarillo 2 days ago and, as requested by my son, brought back 4 fiesta packs of green burritos to stock up the freezer. Two are his supper tonight. Sigh. We do love that sauce.
Stephanie
We are talking about the Taco Villa in Topeka Kansas? Or Maybe another Taco Villa?
Army
The aren’t talking about the Taco Villa in Topeka. They are talking about the franchise Taco Villa. The “Thing” is something unique to Gary Stickley’s Taco Villa, not the fast food franchise Taco Villa. You can definately tell a difference between which one they are talking about, because I know and have seen that their sauces are not pre-canned and that the meat is not preseasoned at a plant 🙂 It’s all done in the back from scratch!
Stephanie
Right, I am only talking about the Gary Stickley’s Taco Villa, and not the fast food franchise. We lived in Topeka Kansas we enjoyed these here.
April Shipman
Actually, the meat was made daily in the individual stores I know that because my father was a manager in the beginning
Stephanie
I have no doubt. Their food was very tasty.
mike
The green sauce is caned whole green chilis ( hatch from wal-mart works) pureed and I like adding a little hot sauce ( on the border or simular)
April Shipman
Actually, the green sauce is made fresh everyday and deliver to the individual stores if not every other day. I know the original founder as well as many general managers
Lynn Wylie
What are the ingredients???
Stephanie
They are there now. I am sorry they weren’t there when you looked.
Michael Gray
This is a very late question for April Shipman about the taco meat from the taco villa her dad managed. I’m in Midland. Do you know how they made their meat? It’s not like any other taco places.