Irresistible Pizza Enchiladas: The Ultimate Italian-Mexican Fusion

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1 cup pizza sauce (or marinara)
• 1 cup mini pepperoni slices
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 8 flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Extra pizza sauce for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on the bottom of the dish to prevent sticking.
2. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. When the meat is halfway cooked (about 4 minutes), add the diced onion and continue cooking until the beef is no longer pink and the onion is translucent.
3. Drain excess fat from the skillet, then stir in 3/4 cup of pizza sauce, mini pepperoni slices, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. I find that letting this mixture simmer for about 2 minutes helps the flavors really come together.
4. Warm the tortillas slightly in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to make them more pliable. This prevents them from cracking when you roll them, which I learned the hard way!
5. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the meat mixture down the center of each tortilla, then sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese. Roll up tightly and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.
6. Pour the remaining pizza sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese. Make sure to get cheese all the way to the edges for those delicious crispy bits.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown in spots.
8. Let the enchiladas rest for 5 minutes before serving. This cooling time isn’t just to prevent burned mouths—it also helps the enchiladas set up properly so they don’t fall apart when served.

Notes

• After cooking the beef, take an extra minute to drain all excess fat.
• Reserving about 1/4 cup of mini pepperoni slices to sprinkle between the cheese layers on top creates amazing flavor pockets throughout the dish.
• If your pizza sauce is particularly thick, thin it slightly with 2-3 tablespoons of water.
• Sprinkle a little mozzarella on each tortilla before adding the meat mixture.
• When covering with foil before baking, spray the underside lightly with cooking spray.
• The filling sets perfectly after those 5 minutes of resting time.