Mini Mexican Pizzas

If you think I’m crazy about football season, you haven’t seen me during the March basketball playoffs yet. Once it’s time to set the basketball brackets, my most awesome snacks come out. Not only am I a super mega-basketball fan (we do have some pretty amazing teams in my home state) but my teenager eats, sleeps and breathes basketball and that’s never more true that it is during the month of March. In additional to my home being filled with family and neighbors, there’s always an endless stream of teenagers wandering in, watching the next match up, grabbing some food and then heading on their way. For that reason, it’s been super important for me to come up with the ultimate game time snack. I tried my hand at chips and dip (truthfully, it got a little messy ya’ll). I tested out tacos (it was good but missing the wow factor). But when I whipped up my now essential game day Mini Mexican Pizzas using RO*TEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies and Rosarita Traditional Refried Beans, I immediately knew that I had discovered the perfect game day snack for all the March basketball match ups.

Now, it’s only fair to tell you that RO*TEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies and Rosarita Traditional Refried Beans aren’t a new addition to my game day arsenal. I’ve been using both these products for years as part of my game day recipes and I always make sure to pick them up at Walmart. But this year, I’m even more excited to whip up a fun recipe as part of the Love Every Last Bite Sweepstakes (more on that later!).

So back to the ingredients for these Mini Mexican Pizzas…..in case you’re not familiar with these products yet (or where to find them), let me help you out. RO*TEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies is a perfect way to give my favorite recipes bold flavor. Available in the canned tomatoes aisle at Walmart, this simple can of goodness pairs vine-ripened tomatoes and zesty green chilies with a mix of spices that can’t be beat. Instead of spending hours trying to get just the right amount of flavor in my game day dishes, I can simply open my can of RO*TEL and use it in soups, chili, queso or even my Mini Mexican Pizzas. With on 25 calories per serving, trust me when I say that when it comes to making your game day snack shine, you’ll want to embrace the bold, fresh taste of RO*TEL.

While I think that adding RO*TEL to my recipe for Mini Mexican Pizzas makes them amazing, it’s time combination of RO*TEL and Rosarita Tradition Refried Beans that truly takes this dish to new levels. Just so you don’t miss it, be sure to look for Rosarita Traditional Refried Beans in the international aisle at Walmart (yes, these products are in two different aisles). These refried beans are just part of the lineup of delicious Mexican products that Rosarita has been serving up for over 70 years. They give an authentic and delicious Mexican taste to any number of dishes and can even be served up as a side.

Truthfully, when I have RO*TEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies and Rosarita Traditional Refried Beans in my cart I know that any creation I make is going to be delicious.

However, I already told you that I’ve learned how to make the BEST game day snack in my Mini Mexican Pizzas so let now that you know exactly where to get the ingredients, let’s make them!

These Mini Mexican Pizzas are so easy to make and trust me when I say that they are totally delicious! To start them, I cooked my hamburger meat in a skillet until it was done. After draining it, I immediately mixed in my taco seasoning and water and cooked it down for about 5 minutes until there was no liquid left.

While my meat was cooking, I used a small round cookie cutter to cut circles out of my corn tortilla shells. Once I had 24 circles cut out, I brushed them with olive oil and cooked them at 400 degrees for about 2-3 minutes until they were perfectly crispy.

Now of course I didn’t want to waste the outer circles of my tortillas so I quickly cut them up into slices, tossed them in olive oil and cooked them with my tortilla circles so that I’d have some crunchy tortilla strips to add to the top of my Mini Mexican Pizzas.

With all my prep work done (see, I told you this was an easy recipe), all that was left to do was assemble my Mini Mexican Pizzas. To do this I heated my Rosarita Traditional Refried Beans in a medium saucepan on my stove top and then added one tablespoon of the warm refried beans to 12 of my tortilla circles.

Next, I topped my refried beans with a tablespoon of my taco meat mixture.

After sprinkling on some cheese, I popped my creations back into the oven just for long enough for the cheese to melt (about 2 minutes). As soon as I pulled my in-process Mini Mexican Pizzas back out of the oven, I secured a second tortilla circle on top of the melted cheese.

Finishing my fun appetizer was as easy as sprinkling on my RO*TEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, my avocado cubes, some sour cream, those crunchy tortilla strips that I had cooked with my tortilla rounds earlier and a cilantro leaf.

In no time at all I had the most flavorful, most delicious basketball bracket-watching snack around….not-to-mention one that everybody adored! Seriously ya’ll, the flavors of these Mini Mexican Pizzas are boldly delicious and not to be missed!

I kid you not when I say that these perfect Mini Mexican Pizzas are a finger food that always disappears way before our favorite March basketball games are over. They are fun and easy and pretty much always make me the MVP of our March basketball celebrations.

Do you love my Mini Mexican Pizzas as much as I do? Well, if so I need you to show your support! You can find my fun recipe as well as tons of other inspiration for your March basketball gatherings at loveeverylastbite.com/game-day. Even better, simply by voting for your favorite recipe (I hope it’s mine!) you’ll have a chance to win some amazing prizes in the Love Every Last Bite Sweepstakes. You can even share your favorite ideas on social media for additional entries. Fun, right?

So what could you win? The prize pack includes a $100 Walmart eGift Card, 2 cans of RO*TEL Tomatoes, 2 cans of Rosarita Refried Beans, a Mini Muffin Pan, Table Runner, Serving Platter and condiment set. That means you can whip up your own March basketball game day snack with this awesome prize*.

So, what are you waiting for? Head over and vote today for your favorite recipe here! Then enter to win and share away as you get fun recipes and ideas that are perfect for your March basketball bracket celebrations.

Tell me, what fun dish will you whip up for your game day guests using RO*TEL and Rosarita?

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. The Win The Crowd on Basketball Game Day Sweepstakes is  sponsored by Conagra Brands, Inc. Open to legal U.S. residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 & older. Begins 12:00  a.m. PT on 3/4/19 & ends 11:59 p.m. PT on 4/8/19. Nineteen potential winners will be randomly selected to each  receive a $100 Walmart eGift card and prize pack. Prize pack ARV: $210. Total ARV: $4,400. Odds depend on  number of entries. For full details see official rules here.