Sausage Pizza Day with a Mexican Twist

Today is National Sausage Pizza Day. My guys would be thrilled! But then again, it happens to be a Tuesday. Taco Tuesday – or as we like to call it in our house – Tijuana Tuesday.

What to do, what to do. Sausage Pizza would definitely be welcome. But what about Tijuana Tuesday? On our weekly menu plan for today was Spicy Tostadas. That’s when it hit me, that lightbulb moment. My tostadas are made with a combination of ground beef and chorizo. What is chorizo but Mexican sausage? Yet making tostadas and calling them Mexican Pizzas just wasn’t enough. No, we had to do more.

Instead of tostada shells, what about using a pizza crust? Instead of a marinara sauce, create a sauce of refried beans. Replace Mozzarella cheese with Taco Cheese. Replace Italian Sausage with Chorizo. Yeah, now we’re talking. A true Sausage Pizza that is in keeping with our Tijuana Theme.

Happy National Sausage Pizza Day with a Mexican Twist – enjoy!

Beefy-Chorizo Mexican Pizza
1 can Thin-Crust Pizza Dough
1/2 lb Ground Beef
1/2 lb Chorizo
4 tablespoon Taco Seasoning, divided
1/4 Red Onion, sliced
1/4 cup Nacho Jalapeno Peppers
3 small Red Peppers (Jalapeno or Cajun Bells)
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Pepper Jack Cheese
1/2 cup Taco Sauce
1 cup Refried Beans
3 Tomatoes
1/4 cup Green Onions
1 cup Sour Cream

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly spray a 15-inch by 10-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.

Cut a large piece of parchment paper, slightly larger than the baking sheet. Open pizza dough, roll out on the paper. Place the baking sheet over the dough, making sure the dough is slightly larger than the pan. Flip over, pressing the dough into the pan. Remove paper, prick dough with a fork and set aside until ready to bake.

In a large cast iron skillet, crumble the ground beef and chorizo meat together. Over medium-high heat, brown the meat mixture, breaking it into small pieces as it browns. DO NOT DRAIN right away. Add 2 tablespoons taco seasoning to absorb some of the fat (it’s packed with flavor). Once seasoned, drain meat and keep warm until ready to assemble the pizza.

While the meat cooks and drains, slice onion into slivers, break apart and set aside. Drain jalapeno, pat dry. Stem fresh peppers, slice and set aside. Grate the Cheddar Cheese using the smaller holes on the cheese grater for a fine grate. Toss Cheddar Cheese with remaining 2 tablespoons taco seasoning. Grate pepper jack cheese using the larger holes in the cheese grater. Toss the two cheeses together, set aside.

In a large bowl, mix taco sauce with refried beans. Warm in the microwave for about 3 minutes. If not thin enough, add some beef stock to make beans a spreadable consistency. Set aside.

Place pizza crust in the heated oven to bake for 6 minutes, until just beginning to brown. Remove pizza crust from oven. Spread bean mixture over the crust for the “pizza sauce” layer. Scatter meat mixture over the beans. Scatter onion slivers over the meat.

Top with cheeses, followed by a scattering of the peppers. Place in the oven, bake until warmed through, crust has browned and the cheese has melted, about 6 minutes longer.

While the pizza bakes in the oven, seed and dice tomatoes, set aside. Snip green onions, set aside.

Once the pizza has finished baking, remove pizza from oven. Top with dollops of sour cream, tomatoes and green onions. Slice into squares and serve with more sour cream if desired.

Great with Mango Margaritas!