When I was in high school, there was a pizza joint in town which had some of the best pizza I've ever had. The secret was in the sauce. It wasn't just bland tomato sauce. It wasn't loaded with Italian spices in a failed attempt to make it interesting. It had a unique flavor which straddled the line perfectly and also had this kinda wine note which wasn't interfering, it was just there in the background keeping things delicious.

My favorite pizza they made was their famous Taco Pizza. Basically a cheese pizza with taco ingredients on top... ground beef, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and hot sauce. Delicious. After I graduated, I still ate there quite a bit, including after I became a vegetarian. I just ordered the Taco Pizza without the beef, and it was still amazing.

I have never found a frozen pizza that's any good. And believe me, I've tried ever one I can get my hands on.

I have never found a pizza place which had that amazing sauce.

But I still crave that Taco Pizza, so I've come up with the best approximation I can. And I'm sharing the recipe today! Here is what you'll need...

• Tony's Cheese Pizza. No, this is not even close to what the original was. No, it's not even the best frozen pizza out there. But it does seem to marry with the pizza toppings in the best way I've found. And the crust is good for what we're building.
• Vegetarian Ground or Ground Beef. This is entirely optional. Most of the time I skip it. If you use it, season with Taco Seasoning.
• Shredded Lettuce.
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese.
• Diced (or sliced) Tomatoes.
• Crushed Taco Chips. Not found on the original. I added these because the salty crunch tastes phenomenal.
• Cholula Hot Sauce. My favorite Mexican hot sauce, but feel free to use your own favorite.
• Sour Cream. Optional.

Because the lettuce and tomatoes will turn sludgy if stored in a refrigerator, this is not something you want to have leftovers with. This recipe serves 2-3 people so, if you're dining alone, use a bread knife to saw the frozen pizza in half (you can put the cut on the edge of a breadboard and snap it in half, once you've sawed half-way through). Then wrap the other half and stick it back in the freezer.

Cook the pizza according to directions, adding heated seasoned vegetarian grounds or fully-cooked seasoned ground beef on top half-way through.

Once cooked cut into slices then top generously with shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes (diced or sliced), and crushed taco chips. Top with dashes of hot sauce, then put a small dollop of sour scream on each slice if you wish.

Grab a fork and enjoy.

You're welcome!