Taco Pizza

There are two things my kids love-tacos and pizza.  Put them together, and you've got a home run!  This recipe is super easy to make, but make sure you have a couple of hours just because the pizza crust has to sit and rise for about an hour or so.

Ingredients

Dough
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon raw honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups whole wheat PASTRY flour

Taco Seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder

Everything else
1 lb ground beef (preferably home-grown or from a reputable meat market)
1 jar of clean or homemade salsa
2 cups fresh grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup fresh grated cheddar cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
Onions, Green Pepper, and Black Olives if you wish
Olive oil or olive oil spray

In a large bowl, add yeast, honey, and water.  Let sit until a foam starts to form on the top of the water.

Then add remaining 3 ingredients.  Mix until smooth.  Dough will be sticky.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes, or until elastic.  I use the pastry flour for my surface.  You may have to add more flour along the way as you knead.  If the dough starts getting sticky, add more.

 

Spray a bowl with olive oil spray or lightly coat with olive oil (I use the spray because I'm lazy.)  Turn dough over once to coat both sides.  Let rise, covered with plastic wrap and in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.  I like to set mine on top of stove while my oven is preheating. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 
Once dough has doubled, roll out or press into a 15" greased (with olive oil or spray) pizza pan.

Bake for 8 minutes.

While dough is baking, crumble and fry ground beef.  Once fully cooked, add 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and 1/2 cup of water.  You will have leftover taco seasoning, so store in an air-tight container for next time.

When dough is done, pull from oven.  It will NOT be fully cooked yet, but it will finish cooking when you return to the oven with the rest of the toppings.  Top with salsa,

then about half of the ground beef (I always make a whole pound of beef and just refrigerate the leftover because it's easy to warm up for a soft-shell taco for lunch),

and cheese.  Return to the oven and bake until cheese starts to get bubbly and golden brown around the edges, about 10-12 minutes.

Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and if you like, chopped onion, green pepper, and olives.  Slice and serve. :)  One pizza yields 8 slices.