This was one of my favorite recipes for my mom to make when I was growing up. Honestly. She was the best at making her Tostada Pizza…including mixing the dough from scratch.
Of course, since my childhood a few things about me have changed. First of all…I became a vegetarian back in 2010 and have never looked back. So, the first alteration to the recipe I had to make was replacing the ground beef. Thankfully, Trader Joe’s makes an amazing gluten-free and vegan chorizo. YUM! Secondly, I had to go gluten-free back in 2011. So, the crust recipe had to change as well. While I can make a gluten-free pizza crust, it was getting late, so I used a pre-made gluten-free pizza crust instead. It worked just as well.
I’m going to post the original recipe for my mom’s Tostada Pizza here. But I am going to make note as to how I changed it up to make it gluten-free and vegan. If you are simply looking for a good pizza recipe, need a good gluten-free pizza recipe, or need a good gluten-free and vegan pizza recipe…this will do it (and hopefully not confuse you too much).
Recipe: Tostada Pizza
Servings: 4 – 12 (depending on crust you use and size)
Time: Prep 15 minutes; Cook 15-25 minutes
Ingredients for pizza crust**:
- 2 tbsp yellow cornmeal
- 2 cups packaged biscuit mix (use gluten-free Bisquick or other gluten-free pizza crust mix)
- 1/2 cup water
**Or…use a pre-made and store bought gluten-free pizza crust to save time. I used Rustic Crust Gluten Free Napoli Herb crust, which I purchased at the grocery store**
Ingredients for pizza:
- 1 pound ground beef (I used Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free & Vegan Soy Chorizo)
- 3 tbsp chopped green chilies
- 1 package taco seasoning (make sure this is gluten-free) (I didn’t use this in my recipe as I was using vegan chorizo, which is already spicy)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans (I used Wild Garden Traditional Hummus)
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese (I used Rice Shreds)
- 1 cup lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup tomato, chopped
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- taco sauce
Directions:
Sprinkle your pizza stone or a well-greased 12 inch pizza pan with cornmeal.
If making your own crust, combine the biscuit mix and 1/2 cup of water. Stir with a fork until dough forms a ball. Turn dough on a lightly floured surface; knead 5 to 6 times. Roll to a 14 inch circle, pat into pizza pan or place on pizza stone, crimping the edges. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
If you are using a store bought pizza crust or gluten-free pizza crust…simply heat up your stone with the cornmeal on it. Do not pre-bake the crust unless it is raw.
If you are not a vegan/vegetarian, brown the meat; drain grease. Stir in the green chilies, taco seasoning mix and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes. Skip this step if you are making a vegetarian version, unless you opt to use soy crumbles. To take out the guesswork on the taco seasoning, I simply went with a vegan and gluten-free chorizo that I didn’t need to cook or add seasoning to.
Spread refried beans (or in my case, hummus) over the pizza crust. Top with the meat and chilies. Bake at 425 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with cheese. Bake 2 minutes more or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and sprinkle with lettuce, tomato, onion, and taco sauce on top.
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I apologize for the unwieldy nature of this recipe. But…changing up my mom’s original recipe to suit my dietary needs isn’t always easy. And…I didn’t want to take away from the original recipe (even in this…a vegetarian food blog). So…make substitutions as you see fit…just as I did.
The result…a pizza just like how my mom used to make it…except completely vegan in my case! I remember why I loved it so much. It’s like eating a taco in pizza form. Two of the best comfort foods out there.
Want something different…go ahead and give this recipe a try. Whether you are a vegan/vegetarian or not…and whether you need to eat gluten-free or not…this recipe will work either way.
Yummy!
The Celiathlete 
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