We make a lot of quesadillas in our house. Tortillas? Check. Cheese? Check. Random fillers from the bottom of the fridge? Boom - dinner. Lately, though, we've got a different quick and simple weeknight recipe on repeat. This black bean and veggie tortilla pizza recipe is so darn fresh and tasty that I'm a little mad I haven't been making it since I was a teenager. So many missed opportunities!
People who grew up eating Taco Bell might refer to this as Mexican Pizza, but what is that? This recipe with a crisp tortilla topped with seasoned refried beans and an array of toppings is most similar to a tlayuda, a popular street snack in Oaxaca, Mexico. Some say tyaludas should only have corn tortilla, refried beans, meat, and cheese, while others say it can be topped with anything from avocados to cabbage. This recipe pulls from that inspiration to make something my family now has on repeat for dinner. I did not invent this.
If you've ever had epic cravings that made you wonder what the lovechild of a pizza and nachos would taste like - it's this. This is what it tastes like.
I'm going with calling it tortilla pizza because I don't want you to think you're getting something authentic. Because it strays so far from authentic flavors, I prefer to think of it as the baby of nachos and pizza. Whatever you call it, it's DELICIOUS;)
Organic black beans spread on crisp corn tortillas are loaded with fresh veggies. A tiny sprinkling of cheese and a drizzling of greek yogurt avocado cream on top. This is a customizable family-friendly dish that anyone from the picky toddler to the moody junk-food-craving teenager to the healthophite (that's a word now) will go gaga over.
In California we toss fresh avocado willy-nilly all over everything. For this recipe, I mixed things up by swirling homemade avocado cream on top. Because: A. Yum - this stuff mimics rich sour cream, and B. Dude - look at all those pretty colors! I can't resist.
Now that I'm eating gluten-free, any time I can sneak in a pizza without worrying about the dough-induced migraine repercussions, I'm all over it. In the I'll-shove-this-into-my-face-in-15-seconds-flat kind of way. To be clear, that's a totally normal reaction when this tortilla pizza is involved. You should probably go make this recipe already. Or at the very least save it for later.
Recipe
Black Bean & Veggie Tortilla Pizza
Ingredients
- 8 large, 7-inch corn tortillas (more if you're using smaller tortillas)
- 2 14.5- ounce cans organic refried black beans, I use the Trader Joe's kind that has jalapeños in it
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 14.5- ounce can whole black olives, sliced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- ½ bunch green onions, sliced
- ¾ cup shredded light monterey jack cheese
- Avocado cream, to taste (recipe below)
- Optional: salsa for serving.
- 1 ripe avocado
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 large clove garlic
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste.
INSTRUCTIONS
Mexican pizza
- Preheat the oven to 400° F with a pizza stone (or a large baking sheet) inside.
- Working in batches, lay as many tortillas out as possible on the pizza stone without overlapping and bake for 10 minutes, or until just crispy. Repeat until all tortillas are crispy.
- Meanwhile, heat the black beans, paprika, cumin, and cayenne over medium heat until smooth and pliable (it doesn't need to be heated all the way through, just enough to make it easy to spread).
- Divide the black beans among the crispy tortillas (about ⅓ cup per tortilla), and use a rubber spatula to spread the beans out evenly to the edges.
- Evenly the olives, red onion, tomatoes, and bell pepper among the tortillas.
- Sprinkle 1.5 tablespoons of shredded cheese over the top of each pizza.
- Bake the pizzas for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the toppings are cooked through. My pizza stone holds only 4 pizzas at a time, so work in batches if needed.
- Before serving, dollop or swirl avocado cream over the pizzas, to taste, and sprinkle sliced green onions on top. (To swirl it, I put the cream in a Ziploc bag and cut off the tip!).
- Optional: serve with a side of salsa.
Avocado cream
- Toss all the ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth. (Yup, that's all!). You'll likely have leftover cream that you can dip chips in too!
Emy -
What a great idea to turn regular corn tortillas into the base for a mini pizza! Looks delicious, love healthier versions of mexican food
Debby -
Can you tell me how many calories per serving if 1 tortilla is the 1 serving please? Thank you..this looks so delicious! Can't wait to make it tomorrow!!
Sarah Menanix -
Hi Debbie! Since the specific ingredients used in each recipe can vary extensively from one person to the next, I don’t calculate nutrition facts. However, if you’re looking for this information, please plug the exact ingredients you use into any of the free online calorie counters, like this one. Hope this helps!
Ashley Compeau -
I was wondering if you have the nutrition for this recipe? Im trying to lose weight but I have bad craving for Mexican and pizza and I seen this recipe on pinterest.
Thank you
Ash
Sarah Menanix -
Hi Ashley! Since the specific ingredients used in each recipe can vary extensively from one person to the next, I don't calculate nutrition facts. However, if you’re looking for this information, please plug the exact ingredients you use into any of the free online calorie counters, like this one. Hope this helps!
Tina -
Made it. LOVED IT. Even the boyfriend - whom I assault with sometimes strange Mexican and Asian food experiments on a weekly basis - said it was an "extreme success."
Thank you!
Sarah Menanix -
Ah! This makes me so happy! Thank you for coming back and sharing Tina! xo.
Sarah B -
Do you happen to know the nutrition info/calorie count on these beauties?? They look delicious!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks Sarah! We're actually having these for dinner tonight! The specific ingredients used in each recipe can vary extensively from one person to the next, so to find the nutritional information, you can plug the exact ingredients you use into this free online calorie counter! Hope this helps!
Lisa -
I'm usually making fajitas at the house but this dish has really inspired me to branch out and flatten that tortilla into a version like this. Thanks for sharing!!!!
Tara -
Thanks for a fun twist on pizza! I just wanted to caution others that my tortillas bubbled and burnt during the initial 10-minute heating - since ovens differ, be sure to keep a close eye on your "crust"!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks for the tip, Tara! It's so true - the color of your pan or whether your oven has hot spots will totally change your baking time. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Sathya @Mykitchenodyssey -
Thats a fantastic idea to use tortilla as pizza base ,With more mexican topping and sauce .We will love it for sure
Anita -
Hello Sarah!
This skinny black bean and veggie Mexican pizza look so delicious and also very healthy.
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks Anita! It's totally my easy go-to healthy dish (a great alternative to nachos, which let's be real, I could eat for every meal!).
Allison -
I need this pizza in my life! It's like an open-faced quesadilla, which, let's be honest, is amazing because you get to have more of the "good stuff" this way.
PS. Totally new to your blog and just LOVING it. Great writing, recipes, and photography. Triple threat! ;) Gorgeous layout too. So inviting.
Sarah Menanix -
Haha - I totally agree. A loaded open-faced quesadilla.
Oh my goodness - thank you so much! I can't tell you how much it means to have you say that! Makes my day - Blush:)
Thalia @ butter and brioche -
ooh i love a good pizza! love how guilt free the recipe is too.. does this mean i can have more than one slice to make up for the lost calories?
Sarah Menanix -
It means you can have two whole pies all to yourself;) ;)
Isadora @ she likes food -
We eat so many quesadillas in my house too! They are pretty much a weekly occurrence. I'm obsessed with all things Mexican and I LOVE this Mexican pizza! I just finished dinner, but now my stomach is growling looking at these photos, I wish I had one right now :)
Sarah Menanix -
Quesadillas are just about the easiest dinner to make on the fly, right? These pizzas are just as simple and you can customize with whatever you're craving (or have in your fridge - haha). Thanks for your sweet comments, Isadora!
Katie | lovely letters -
Boom! Dinner! Haha that's the best. Also love the original use of avocado. Yes yes yes!
xx Katie
lovely letters
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks, Katie! Let's have dinner soon!
Chris @ Shared Appetite -
Yay for Ziplist!!! And loving that .gif as well! And oh that avocado cream... I love slathering that on pretty much everything!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks for your Ziplist advice and this avocado cream recipe - Lucas is obsessed. This morning he put it in his eggs - haha.
Kelly - A Side of Sweet -
I'm on nights right now and you're making me so hungry! NOT FAIR.
Sarah Menanix -
That's my goal:) I'm going to chat you food pics in the middle of the night. Muahahahah. xoxo.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche -
Love this simple recipe, looks so tasty!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks Becca! Sometimes I need more 15 minute recipes in my arsenal for days when I really don't have time to cook (or I'm just too tired!).
michael -
Looks delicious :) we make the same recipe that is very similar! These are easy to make and are very good :)
did you see my homemade vanilla bean ice cream post?
http://michaelswoodcraft.wordpress.com/2014/07/29/vanilla-ice-cream-2/
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks, Michael! Such a simple recipe but bursting with flavor.