Veggie Taco Cornbread Pizza

Veggie Taco Cornbread Pizza (from Kraft Foods, Servings: 8, Total Time: 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 pkg. (8-1/2 oz.) corn muffin mix

·         1 red pepper, finely chopped

·         1 cup frozen corn

·         1 can (15-1/2 oz.) reduced sodium black beans or kidney beans, drained, rinsed

·         1 pkg.  (1-1/4 oz.) Taco Seasoning Mix

·         ¾ cup water

·         1 cup shredded taco Cheese, divided

Directions

1.      Heat oven to 400ºF.

2.      Prepare corn muffin batter as directed on package; spread into greased 12-inch pizza pan.

3.      Bake 8 to 10 min. or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, combine peppers, corn and beans in medium saucepan. Add seasoning mix and water; cook 10 min., stirring occasionally.

4.      Sprinkle ½ cup cheese onto crust; top with bean mixture and remaining cheese.

5.      Bake 4 to 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

I did not have any eggs in the refrigerator, so I used applesauce as a replacement in the corn muffin mix – you couldn’t taste the difference.  I also made this dish in a 9x13 dish because I didn’t want the toppings to spill out over the sides of a pizza pan.  I used the black beans instead of kidney and the Hot & Spicy taco mix from the grocery store.  That and the taco cheese gave it an extra spicy kick.  Overall, I find this dish tasty, but it can be a little dry with the cornbread – I recommend topping with a dollop of salsa.  The peppers give it a little crunch, which plays nicely with the softer textures of all the other ingredients.  Although it could be better on the health side, halving the cheese (as I did in the instructions above) and using replacements in the corn muffin mix can help on calories and fat.  It says that it serves 8, but I think it’s more like 5 or 6.  I guess it depends on how hungry you are!

It is a keeper in my book, though not one that I will make too often – I want to just keep eating it.