Black Bean Mexican Pizza (gluten-free, vegetarian)

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A healthy, vegetarian Mexican pizza that’s loaded with fresh ingredients and topped on gluten-free, cassava flour tortillas. A tasty version you’ll love!

Black bean Mexican pizza on cassava flour tortilla. Gluten-free, grain-free, vegetarian.

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know I’m not very good at planning ahead to have my recipes match national holidays. Usually a few days before the holiday my brain goes “doh!” and then I try to whip something up fairly quickly. BUT, with me leaving for Portugal in two weeks (hooray!) and staring at the calendar virtually every day as I countdown with excitement, I’ve had a holiday staring back at me that I’m super excited about – Cinco de Mayo!

As a Cali girl, I’m a die-hard lover of Mexican food. But let’s be honest, most of the Mexican food (ummm, fast food Mexican food) we get in Cali is not the healthiest. Bad oils, deep fried everything and poor quality ingredients (how else are tacos so cheap?!).

Truth: I wasn’t always the healthy eater that you see before you today. In highschool, I literally lived off of Taco Bell Mexican pizzas. As in, slight obsession. And all the money I earned from working at Blockbuster (my first job) was funneled directly to Taco Bell (and maybe Hot Dog on a Stick – ughhh, for reals).

I haven’t had a Mexican pizza in years, so with Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, I thought it was time to recreate one of my old-time favorites, but put a healthy spin on it with this black bean, Mexican Pizza. It’s a great vegetarian recipe!

A healthy, vegetarian Mexican pizza that's loaded with fresh ingredients and topped on gluten-free, cassava flour tortillas. A tasty version you'll love!

Black bean Mexican pizza on cassava flour tortilla. Gluten-free, grain-free, vegetarian.

Black bean Mexican pizza on cassava flour tortilla. Gluten-free, grain-free, vegetarian.

The base of the Mexican pizza is my fave cassava flour tortillas (they’re so darn versatile). But if your body is okay with corn tortillas, feel free to use those as well. As you guys know, I’m not grain-free all the time, so I do indulge in corn tortillas every once in a while. My only suggestion is to splurge on organic corn tortillas, to steer clear of GMO corn and other nasties.

From there, it’s all about replacing commercial grade refried beans with a mixture of organic black beans, shallots and cumin – which results in tons more flavor. Then, top the beans with zucchini slices, grape tomatoes, red onion and a sprinkle of feta cheese. At this point, I toss it back in the oven for a few minutes to warm everything up, but if you’re in a hurry to eat (I totally get it), you can skip this step. Before serving, I add a few slices of avocado, some fresh cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

At the end of the day, this vegetarian Mexican pizza is fresh, flavorful, delicious and healthy. Much improved, wouldn’t you say?

Enjoy!

A healthy, vegetarian Mexican pizza that's loaded with fresh ingredients and topped on gluten-free, cassava flour tortillas. A tasty version you'll love!

A healthy, vegetarian Mexican pizza that's loaded with fresh ingredients and topped on gluten-free, cassava flour tortillas. A tasty version you'll love!

(gluten-free) Black bean Mexican pizza on cassava flour tortillas. A healthy, vegetarian version of a Mexican pizza.

Black Bean Mexican Pizza on Cassava Flour Tortillas

5 from 3 votes
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

A healthy, vegetarian Mexican pizza that’s loaded with fresh ingredients and topped on gluten-free, cassava flour tortillas. A tasty version you’ll love!

Ingredients 
 

  • 1 recipe cassava flour tortillas
  • 15.5 oz can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, (divided)
  • 2 shallots, finely diced
  • 1 zucchini, finely sliced
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/4 cup, thin red onion slices
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese, (optional)
  • 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
  • Brush 4 of the tortillas with olive oil on both sides (you can refrigerate the other two for future use) and place on a baking sheet. Use a knife to poke several holes in the tortillas, as they'll puff up in the oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes, or until crispy. (*note - I checked on the tortillas several times and they still puffed up, so I used a spatula to flatten them every 3 minutes or so).
  • While the tortillas are cooking, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan on medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the black beans, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.
  • Remove the tortillas from the oven, but leave on the baking tray. Place a couple spoonfuls of black bean mixture onto each tortilla. Add several slices of zucchini, a handful of the tomatoes, several slices of red onion and a sprinkle of feta cheese. Place back in the oven for 1-2 minutes, to warm through.
  • Before serving, top with a couple slices of avocado and several cilantro leaves.

Nutrition

Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 145mg | Potassium: 891mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 590IU | Vitamin C: 20.1mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 3.2mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Black Bean Mexican Pizza, healthy mexican pizza, vegetarian mexican pizza
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

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11 Comments

  1. This was delicious, so easy to make, and my body loved it. The feta adds the right amount of punch and I was surprised how well the zucchinis blended in for the perfect pizza. I used Ezekiel brand tortillas (sprouted flourless) to save time and it worked out great. Have marked it as a Favorite.5 stars

  2. I thought I had zucchini, apparently didn’t so used orange pepper instead. Boy oh boy weren’t we in for a treat.  Eldest son – nearly 16 – asked if he could have it all week during half term, for lunch, AND dinner AND for snack in between!  He’s a huge meat eater and isn’t keen on veggies, so it was a surprise hearing that from him!!5 stars

    1. Woot! Always nice to have a meal win with the kids. And I agree, sometimes it’s nice to switch things up with a vegetarian option. Glad this was a success!