Photography by Jessica Leibowitz
Vegetarian Tortilla Pizza in 25 minutes with mostly pantry ingredients! I love black beans and the way they play so nicely with other ingredients. In this recipe, those ingredients include garlic, onions, and chipotles. Spread on cumin-and-oregano-scented tortillas, you end up with little Mexican pizzas. When you top them off with your favorite cheese and a fresh herb salad, you’ve got yourself a very satisfying workweek dinner.
Makes 4 servings
Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Total preparation time: 35 minutes
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Four 8-inch flour tortillas
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
2 medium plum tomatoes (about ½ pound)
½ to 1 chipotle chile in adobo plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
One 15 ½–ounce can black beans
1/3 cup vegetable stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ medium red bell pepper
4 ounces Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or ricotta salata cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup fresh cilantro
Place an oven rack in the bottom shelf of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Mix 3 tablespoons olive oil with the cumin and oregano.
Place the tortillas on 2 rimmed baking sheets; brush them with 1 tablespoon of the seasoned oil and bake them on the bottom shelf for 5 to 6 minutes or until the surfaces are crisp. Let them cool slightly on the baking sheets.
Meanwhile, finely chop the onion (about ½ cup). Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon unseasoned olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium-low; add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until it has softened. Mince the garlic (about 2 teaspoons), add it to the skillet and cook for 1 minute more. Finely chop the tomatoes (about 1 cup). Increase the heat to medium, add the tomatoes along with a hefty pinch of salt to the onion mixture; cook 3 minutes or until softened. Mince the chipotle.
Drain and rinse the black beans and add to the skillet along with the stock, chipotle, and adobo sauce. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, mashing the bean mixture with a potato masher as it cooks, until the mixture is thick enough to mound. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Very thinly slice the bell pepper; halve the slices (about ½ cup). Coarsely grate the cheese (about 1 cup).
Turn the tortillas over so the crispier side is down. Divide the bean mixture among the tortillas and spread it to the edges. Top with the bell pepper and cheese. Bake the pizzas on the bottom shelf of the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted, and the edges of the tortillas are golden.
Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons seasoned olive oil, the lemon juice, and salt to taste in a medium bowl until the salt has dissolved. Stir in the parsley and cilantro.
Remove the pizzas from the oven, divide the herb salad among them, and serve.
