Mexican Black Bean and Cheese Pizza

Happy Meatless Monday! I have a really easy homemade pizza recipe for you today.

For the crust, I tried a new find in my grocer’s refrigerated section – a whole grain pizza crust. This tube of dough was pressed into a greased 13”x9” baking dish, and baked for 8 minutes, to get things started.

After pre-baking the crust for 8 minutes, I then used a spatula to spread one can of refried black beans over the crust. I’m a huge refried bean fan!

Next, arguably the best part – CHEESE! I used six ounces of shredded Colby Jack but you could also use Cheddar, or really, whatever you fancy!

Spread the cheese evenly over the beans, then bake for another 12-14 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned around the edges and the cheese is melted.

This pizza has just a few easy toppings, making for simply prep work.

After baking, I sprinkled the pizza with one cup of chopped red bell pepper.

And with 1/2 cup of chopped scallions. Love the colors going on here!

Things are looking good!

Serve pizza with sour cream and salsa. I love salsa verde, so I went with that. Use your fave! Or you could drizzle hot sauce or taco sauce on top as well. Pickled jalapeños anyone!?

Above, I possibly chose the worst plate ever for photographing this pizza! The pizza blends right into the plate like camouflage!

Being the strange one I am, I dirtied a second plate to get this shot for you – enjoy!

That’s much better, right!?

I served the pizza with a side of dressed baby greens, to balance things out a bit.

If you’re a fan of refried beans and cheese you will love this pizza!

The whole wheat dough I bought was tasty – it had a mild sweetness that actually paired really well with the salty toppings on the crust; not the mention the added fiber, protein, and other nutrients versus regular pizza crust. Granted, a homemade whole wheat crust would probably be a healthier option, but this refrigerated crust is a great time saver for busy nights.

Perfect for Meatless Mondays! Or any night you need a fast, tasty dinner.

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Mexican Black Bean and Cheese Pizza

Adapted from BHG

Ingredients:

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough (I used a 13.8 oz package of whole wheat dough)
15 oz can refried black beans
1 1/2 cups shredded Colby-jack cheese or cheddar (6 oz)
1 small chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced green onion
4 T salsa verde (or your favorite salsa or taco sauce)
1/2 cup light sour cream

Instructions:

Unroll dough and press into a greased 13”x9” baking dish. Bake in a 400 F degree oven for 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven.
Use a spatula to spread refried beans over crust. Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese. Bake for another 12-14 minutes 400 F degrees, until edges of crust are browned and cheese is melted.
Remove pizza from oven. Top with chopped bell pepper and scallions. Slice, and serve with sour cream and salsa.

Yield: 8 slices

My rating: 7.5/10