Who says we can’t eat pizza for dinner?  I love making pizza on whole wheat pita rounds because it saves on calories, fats, and lots of other stuff you probably don’t want me to ramble on about right now.  I created this Mexican version and Beau & I love it!  You know what is super cool about these pizzas?  They have a black bean paste on them.  I really love black beans, so making a paste (to use instead of pizza sauce) seemed like such an amazing idea!  It’s tasty . . . especially in this Mexican version of pizza!  You can pretty much top it with whatever veggies you see fit, but I went ahead and gave you the ones that I used.  This version is with lean ground beef, but you can make these pizzas with ground turkey or chicken.  I’ve used each of these meats and they all work fantastically!

I hope you enjoy this healthy pizza twist for dinner some time soon.  I’m kind of wishing I could eat them for dinner tonight! (By the way . . . if you haven’t ever purchased Ro-Tel tomatoes, they are found in the Mexican isle at the grocery store.)

Mexican Pita Pizzas
Mimi Original

1 can (15-ounce) black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with lime juice & clinatro
12 ounces lean ground beef (or ground turkey or shredded chicken)
1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning
4 whole wheat pita rounds (120 calories each)
1/4 cup reduced fat (low-moisture skim) mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 bell pepper, diced (any color)
red onion, diced – to taste
chopped cilantro, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Put black beans in skillet to warm.  Meanwhile, drain tomatoes but reserve all liquid.  Pour 1/2 cup of reserved liquid into skillet with black beans.  Once black beans and tomato liquid are warm, mash with a potato masher until a paste is formed.  Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add ground beef (or other meat of choice) and taco seasoning to the skillet.  Break meat apart while cooking and cook until done or until it is no longer pink throughout.  Add remaining tomato liquid to the skillet and let simmer until slightly thickened (this does not take long).  Remove from heat.

Assemble each pita pizza as follows:
Take 1/4 of the black bean paste and spread it evenly over the pita (this acts kind of like pizza sauce).
Top with 1/4 of the cooked ground beef, 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese, 1 tablespoon reduced fat cheddar cheese, bell pepper, red onion, 1/4 of tomatoes, and cilantro.

Once all pita pizzas are assembled, place in oven and cook for about 10-14 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serves 4.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1 Pita Pizza)
Calories:  407
Protein:  29.5g
Carbs:  39.4g
Fat:  12.4g (4.8g = Sat.)
Fiber:  10g
Sugars: 4g