Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Impressions (2022)

Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza recently returned to the menu and some of you have mentioned that it's a little different than before (and there was an offer for a free one in the Taco Bell mobile app) so I went and got one.

It normally costs $4.99 in my area.

The Mexican Pizza features two crispy flour shells sandwiching a layer of seasoned ground beef and refried beans, topped with Mexican pizza sauce, a blend of mozzarella, Cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses (3-cheese blend), and diced tomatoes.

The main concern seems to be that Taco Bell might have changed the crispy flour shells of the Mexican Pizza. From what I can tell of the one that I got, it looks a bit browner than I remembered but I wondered if they had just fried it for longer. In terms of texture, it seemed mostly the same as I remembered with a slightly flaky crispiness and a slightly powdery crumbling in some bites. If the texture is different, it didn't seem significantly so from my memory.

That being said, I looked over the ingredients and the flour shells are actually (now?) made with a combination of wheat flour and ground corn. I think it was basically a fried flour tortilla before but I can't be sure. The corn might account for the deeper color. If they added corn, I think they were going for a crispier, less fragile shell but I'm not sure they succeeded.

Beyond the shell, the rest of the Mexican Pizza tasted the same as I remember with savory flavors from the beef and beans, some creaminess and a slight gooey quality from the cheese, and just a touch of tang from the Mexican pizza sauce and tomatoes. I enjoy it but I still miss the green onions.

In terms of packaging, the clamshell box and tray look to be the same paperboard as before. When Taco Bell got rid of the Mexican Pizza in 2020, they stated: "We know some fans may be sad to see this one go, we are too. One silver lining of saying goodbye to the Mexican Pizza that might help you rest easy is that removing it from our menus helps us work towards our commitment to leave a lighter footprint on our planet. Currently, Mexican Pizza packaging accounts for over 7 million pounds of paperboard material per year in the U.S." But the menu removal apparently wasn't because of the extra packaging, but getting rid of it did reduce some waste... but now it's back.