Mexican Pizza

My mom made this recipe while I was growing up and now I make it for my family. (Does that make you feel old, Mom?) It is delicious and a great way to use up leftover beans! I love making new meals from leftovers!

7 heaping spoonfuls of cornmeal
6 heaping spoonfuls of all-purpose flour
1 egg
~1 1/2 cups of milk (enough to make a thin cornmeal batter)
1 pound ground meat
1 can beans of your choice (or leftover soup beans)
1/4 cup chopped black olives
2 tsp. taco seasoning
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cheddar blend cheese

Brown meat in skillet and drain off fat. Add beans, olives, and seasonings and heat until warmed through. Mix the first four ingredients in a small bowl, adding enough milk to make a thin cornmeal batter. Pour the cornbread onto a greased pan (I use a cookie sheet with sides, otherwise the batter will run off the edges). Pour hamburger mixture onto the cornbread batter spreading the batter out as you go. Cover with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is brown and crust is cooked.

There are several variations to this. You can add onions and peppers to the hamburger mixture. You can add salsa. You can use chili beans and skip some of the seasoning. Or add more seasoning. Use a different cheese. Forget the cornbread crust and use this as a dip with some tortilla chips.

On a side note about food, we have recently started using ground turkey and we love it! We can get it cheaper than hamburger at Aldi and it's better for you. I personally wouldn't make turkey burgers out of it but I use it any other place I would use ground beef.