Davenport, Iowa · 1974
Taco pizza
The Taco Joe
Refried beans, taco beef, and a fistful of crushed chips on top
Scale the dough for thisJoe Whitty at Happy Joe's built the first one in December 1974 because a franchisee wanted to sell tacos and Whitty would rather sell more pizza. He walked to the grocery store, bought taco ingredients, and put them on a crust. Every major chain has since copied it. The whole design hangs on one rule: half of this pizza never goes in the oven.
The build
- Spread the thinned refried beans thin, leaving a small rim.
- Seasoned ground beef, cooked and drained hard. Wet beef is the failure mode here.
- Cheddar and mozzarella, mixed.
- Bake. Everything else comes after.
After the oven Shredded iceberg, diced tomato, black olives, sour cream, and crushed taco chips over the whole thing. Chips last and generously. Happy Joe's uses a corn chip; Doritos are the household variant and are not wrong.
The bake
Cut it before the cold toppings go on. Trying to run a wheel through lettuce and sour cream drags the whole pie apart.
On top
- Sauce
- Refried beans loosened with taco sauce until it spreads like a sauce. That is the base, and it is why the crust does not go soggy under the cold half.
- Cheese
- Half cheddar, half mozzarella. Cheddar alone breaks and pools grease.
You got it right when Steam coming off the cheese and cold lettuce on the same slice, and the chips still audibly crisp.