Pizza, Mexican Style

I enjoy flipping through magazines. You name it, I read it -- Parenting, Fast Company, Real Simple, Newsweek, Parents, Pink, People, Martha Stewart, Family Fun. I recently tore out a recipe to try called Mexican Pizza from Rachael Ray's magazine. It looked easy, quick and had all the ingredients that the whole family likes. And, an extra plus: it's a dish you can freeze. I cut the recipe in half and used ground beef instead of kidney beans (ick). It doesn't look all that appetizing -- blame the photographer, not the recipe.

Mexican Pizza

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup monterey jack cheese

3 tablespoons EVOO

12 small tortillas

1/4 cup chopped onion

Two 15.5-ounce cans red kidney beans, rinsed

Salt and pepper

One 8-ounce jar taco sauce

One 4.5-ounce can chopped green chiles

One 3.5-ounce package cooked chorizo sausage, thinkly sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups cheddar with the monterey jack and set aside.

Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil . Arrange 6 tortillas on the sheet so that the surface is covered, overlapping as needed. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese evenly over the tortillas, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides; cover with the remaining six tortillas. Prick the top layer with a fork and bake until the tortillas begin to brown, about 10 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the bean (meat in my case) and 1.4 water and mash until the beans are soft and the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread the bean mixture over the tortillas, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Top with the taco sauce, chiles chorizo and reserved cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted, 25 to 30 minutes.

To Freeze:

Let pizza cool completely, then slice into serving portions. Wrap in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and freeze in a resealable plastor storage bag up to 3 months. Reheat: Defrost overnight in the regrigerator. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is bubbling, about 15 minutes.