Ground Beef Taco Pizza

A few months ago I came up with Chicken Taco Pizza and I have to say it has been a great addition to the list of recipes I make over and over again, but today I wanted to experiment with Ground Beef instead of Chicken. While I originally had thought to use the exact same recipe just swapping beef for chicken I got an unwelcome surprise at the grocery store when avocados were really overripe and not worth buying, so there will be no guacamole base to this pizza, rather I incorporated ricotta cheese for a cooling creamy effect.

Ground Beef Taco Pizza: Serves 4

1C Flour
1/3C Milk
1/2tsp Salt
1.5tsp Baking Powder
1.5tsp Shortening
1lb Ground Beef (I use 93% Lean)
Taco Seasoning Mix
1 Onion - Diced
1/2C Salsa
1C Cherry Tomatoes - halved
1/4C Rice
1/2C Water
1/2C Ricotta Cheese (I am using part skim milk)
4oz Monterey Jack Cheese - Shredded

First lets make the pizza crust. I am using the flat bread pizza crust that I learned about on Natural Fusion Videos - it is a great thin crust that can hold a fair amount of toppings. In a bowl use an electric mixer and mix flour, salt, baking powder, vegetable shortening and milk until the dough has fully incorporated all ingredients and pulled away from the bowl. Remove the dough to a floured surface and with a rolling pin roll it out, then fold the edges in towards the center and roll it out again. Repeat this step once more, then move your dough to a pizza pan and stretch to fit the shape of your pan (make sure to grease the pan). The folding and rolling method is something I learned on Natural Fusion which helps to make clean edges on the pizza instead of rough ones.

Now for the toppings! First lets start with the rice. In a small sauce pot put water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil, once boiling add the rice and reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and let it slowly cook until all the liquid has evaporated.

Next we need to brown the meat with the onions in a large saute pan. Once browned drain and return to the pan. Add the salsa, tomatoes and rice to the pan with the seasoning mix (approximately 3TB worth), you may need to add a little bit of water if the meat mixture appears dry. Let it cook over medium low heat for a minute or two then remove from the heat and add the ricotta cheese stirring it through to incorporate.

Spread the toppings on top of the crust and place in a 480° oven for 8 minutes. Pull out and quickly add the Monterey Jack Cheese on top and return to the oven for an additional 8 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and enjoy!

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WW: 12 Points Plus / serving @ 2 slices
6 Points Plus / serving @ 1 slice