Taco Grande Pizza (Copycat Papa Murphy’s)

A
homemade knockoff of Papa Murphy’s Taco Grande Pizza: Buttery pizza
crust topped with salsa-pizza sauce, taco-seasoned meat, mozzarella
cheese, black olives, green onions, and diced tomatoes
Yield: 

12 slices
Ingredients: 

Pizza crust ingredients:

1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups (approximately) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
Butter, for greasing the pan

Taco meat* ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin (I like to use freshly ground cumin!)
1 teaspoon ground chili powder
Tapatio, or your favorite hot sauce, to taste

Pizza toppings:

1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup salsa or picante sauce of your choice
12-16 ounces (3-4 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup thinly sliced black olives
1/2 cup diced green onions
1/2 cup diced Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional
Instructions: 

1.
To make pizza crust, combine warm water and salt in a mixing bowl. Add
about 1.5 cups of the flour along with the yeast and stir. Add remaining
flour and knead into a smooth dough (add enough flour, beyond the 2.5
cups if necessary). Knead for 5-10 minutes and then set aside, covered,
in a warm place.**

If you have a bread machine or stand mixer, this process is even easier. Use the dough cycle (bread machine) or dough hook (stand mixer) to knead the water, salt, flour, and yeast until a smooth dough is formed. Cover and set in a warm place (or allow the dough cycle on your bread machine to continue to run).

2. Fry ground beef with garlic and onion. Drain well. Return to pan
and stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and some hot sauce.
set aside.

3. Liberally butter a 16-inch round pizza pan. With buttery hands,
spread dough evenly on pan. Mix the pizza sauce and salsa together and
spread over crust.

4. Sprinkle meat over sauce; evenly spread cheese over meat and then
add olives, green onions, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese (if using). Allow
pizza to rest for at least 10 minutes, but up to 30 minutes before
baking. (A longer rest will produce a fluffier crust.)

5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake pizza for 10-12 minutes, depending on the kind of pizza pan and your oven. I’ve found that it’s best to use the bottom rack of the oven for a thicker/heavier pizza pan (like stainless steel) and the top shelf for a thinner pan (like non-stick or a perforated pizza pan).

6. When pizza is done, remove from oven and let set for ~5 minutes. Slice into 12 slices and serve hot!

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.