Friday I got to cook on WSMV Channel 4’s More at Midday. Cooking on TV is harder than it looks. That’s because on TV it seems like you can produce a dish from start to finish in about 4 minutes, which, I guess technically you could if you’ve just made it four times in your own kitchen and brought along the results! Oh, and all the ingredients in neat little containers, pre-measured so you just throw everything in the pot. But the whole experience is still lots of fun. The studios are so official, people are running around with microphones and cameras and everybody is really pretty and they smile all the time. The atmosphere kind of rubs off, so you feel important and happy too.
I cooked one of our all time favorite dishes – Taco Pizza. This recipe began as sort of a joke in our family. Anytime I asked the dreaded “What do ya’ll want for dinner?” question, the answers were always tacos or pizza. Well I simplified the process into one fun dish, and so Taco Pizza was born. It’s hard to go wrong with this one - everybody loves it. Taco Pizza is great for parties because you can raid the grocery store salad bar for a mix of fun toppings and guests can “decorate” their own piece of pizza. It’s pretty healthy, since you can use lean ground beef, ground turkey, even refried beans or black beans for vegetarian friends. It’s also quite budget friendly. Taco Pizza is a great friend of the busy person. If you leave the frozen bread dough out on the kitchen counter on a piece of waxed paper in the morning, it’s risen and puffy when you come home and then four ingredients later you have a pizza. Viola! It’s that simple – almost as easy as it looks on TV. Try it and see for yourself!
Ingredients
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed (hint: Put it on wax paper sprayed with cooking spray and leave it alone for at least 4 hours.)
1 lb ground turkey or ground beef (you can substitute using black beans for a vegetarian option)
1 Tbsp olive or canola oil
1 package taco seasoning
12 to 16 oz jar of salsa (or make your own Bonus recipe pg. 23)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Optional garnishes: lettuce, chopped tomato, black olives, sour cream, extra cheese, avocado. (Remember the grocery store salad bar can be your friend.)
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Roll out dough to fit a pizza pan or a 9 x 13 baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray. Who says a pizza has to be round? (hint: Sprinkle the pan with 1 Tbsp of cornmeal for that authentic pizza parlor crunch.)
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add turkey and cook until browned, stirring to crumble.
Add taco seasoning and salsa.
Simmer for about 5 minutes to blend seasonings.
Top dough with turkey mixture, then top with cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Serve with any garnishes you choose.
Serves 4
