Recipe of the Week: Taco Pizza, by L.H.

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The garden is doing well so far this year, and we are right now awash in romaine lettuce. Ten little lettuce seeds at planting time doesn’t seem like much, until the stuff is ready to harvest all at once. There are only so many salads a person can consume. Anyway, taco pizza is one of our favorite ways to use up our fresh lettuce when we tire of salads. It’s terrific!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 packet (1.0/1.25 oz.) taco seasoning
  • 1 pizza crust of choice (I prefer the box of Jiffy or packet of Great Value; they are both thrifty and quick and easy to prepare.)
  • ½ of 1 (14.5 oz.) can refried beans
  • 1 c. (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2-3 c. shredded lettuce
  • 1 c. (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 tomatoes, diced (optional, we only use fresh tomatoes when they are in season out of our garden)
  • A handful of chopped red onions, optional
  • Your favorite salsa

Directions:

  1. In a skillet, brown and crumble ground beef until done.
  2. Drain grease, stir in taco seasoning, remove from heat, and set aside.
  3. Prepare pizza crust on a standard pizza pan according to package directions and prick all over with a fork to reduce air pockets.
  4. Bake crust in preheated 450 degree oven 5 minutes.
  5. Remove crust from oven and spread the half-can of refried beans over it. (You can season up the other half for a bowl of bean dip, or just freeze it to use for your next taco pizza.)
  6. Sprinkle the taco meat over the beans and then the mozzarella.
  7. Return to oven for 10 minutes, or until crust is done. When done, go ahead and cut the pizza into slices.
  8. Sprinkle all over with the lettuce and then the cheddar, and the tomatoes and onions, if using.
  9. Serve immediately with salsa for topping the slices. Makes 8 slices of pizza.

Helpful Hint:

The best way to preserve fresh lettuce in the fridge is to:

  1. Wash it well.
  2. Dry it very well. Get it as dry as you possibly can.
  3. Stuff it in a gallon ziploc bag along with a paper towel.
  4. Squeeze out the excess air, seal, and store in the fridge crisper.
  5. Replace the damp paper towel with a fresh dry one every time you get into the lettuce.

I have been able to keep lettuce crisp and usable for 8-10 days using this method.

o o o

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