Taco Pizza

This is a quick, easy, healthy and delicious pizza recipe that you just might want to make this weekend for Cinco de Mayo.  It's full of taco flavor and you can add as many of your favorite taco toppings as you like.  Pizza is one of those wonderfully versatile dishes and even this recipe can be customized to your tastes.  The ciabatta bread makes a wonderful base to hold a lot of toppings and the whole thing really reminded me of the French bread pizzas we'd have on rare occasions when I was little.  Dave and I had this for dinner (and leftovers) and it was perfect.  This will be a lot of fun for a variation on pizza night or taco night!

Meagan from A Zesty Bite posted this last month and I immediately knew I wanted to try it, so of course I pinned it.  I made a few variations on the recipe, starting with decreasing the amount of turkey to 12 ounces and increasing the black beans to a full 15 ounce can.  (The adjustment to the turkey was purely because that's what size package I had in the fridge after breaking down my BJ's-sized quantity.)  I also added taco seasoning to the cooked ground turkey and a bit of taco sauce to both coat the bread and drizzle on the toppings.  I adjusted the cheese to taste and omitted the olives, tomato and avocado, since Dave's not a fan.  See?  A completely adaptable meal.  I'll be making this again this weekend when we host our Cinco de Mayo party; maybe you should share it with friends over some cold beers too.



Taco Pizza

Ingredients

1 ciabatta loaf
3 Tablespoons taco sauce
olive oil, for drizzling
12 ounces ground turkey
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
salt, to taste
2 cups colby jack/Mexican blend cheese, shredded


Slice ciabatta loaf in half lengthwise, turning cut side up on a baking sheet or pizza stone.  Brush loaf with a drizzle of olive oil and 2 Tablespoons taco sauce.

In a large skillet over medium/high heat, cook turkey until browned.  Drain off any fat or water and add the black beans.  Add taco seasoning and salt, mixing until combined.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of cheese.

Spoon meat and bean mixture evenly over bread.  Drizzle remaining taco sauce on top.

Bake pizza at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with remaining cheese.  Bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly before cutting and serving.  Top with desired toppings, such as sour cream, taco sauce, salsa, chopped scallions, olives, tomatoes, etc.

Makes 2 pizza loaves, serves 4.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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