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Cooked beef, peppers, ricotta and mozzarella fill rolled flour tortillas, which bake under pizza sauce and pepperoni. This is a pizza-style tortilla casserole rather than a claim to a traditional enchilada recipe. Separate the filling and topping measures before cooking so the sauce and cheese are not counted twice.
One-third cup belongs inside the cooked filling, while two cups cover the rolled tortillas. Keep those portions separate. The topping sauce moistens the wrappers during baking; adding all of it to the filling would make the rolls harder to close.
Ingredient amounts and preparation
- Set out: 1 lb lean ground beef
- Set out: 1 cup diced yellow onion; 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- Set out: 3 oz pepperoni, chopped
- Set out: 1 tablespoon chopped garlic; 1/3 cup pizza sauce
- Set out: 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Set out: 1 cup ricotta cheese; 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Set out: 1/3 cup crumbled bacon
- Set out: 8 large flour tortillas; 2 cups pizza sauce
- Set out: 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Set out: 3 oz pepperoni slices; 1/4 cup crumbled bacon
Cooking sequence and doneness
- Stage 1
- Heat the oven to 375°F and prepare a rimmed pan or roomy oven dish.
- Stage 2
- Cook ground beef to 160°F, breaking it into small pieces, and drain excess fat.
- Stage 3
- Add onion, bell pepper and the chopped filling pepperoni; cook until the vegetables soften.
- Stage 4
- Stir in garlic and cook briefly without scorching it. Remove from heat and mix in the one-third cup pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, ricotta, one cup mozzarella and filling bacon.
- Stage 5
- Portion filling down the centers of eight large tortillas without overpacking.
- Stage 6
- Roll and arrange seam-side down, dividing between pans if necessary.
- Stage 7
- Spread the separate two cups pizza sauce over the rolls and add the topping mozzarella, sliced pepperoni and bacon.
- Stage 8
- Bake about 20–25 minutes, continuing until the middle of an interior roll reaches 165°F and the cheese melts. Rest briefly before lifting portions and refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Sauce and melted cheese can escape around the tortillas. A rimmed baking sheet or roomy oven dish contains them; a flat cookie sheet does not. If eight large rolls crowd one pan, use two suitable pans and check both centers. Three ounces chopped into the filling and a separate three ounces sliced on top are both listed. The mozzarella is also divided: one cup inside and two-and-a-half cups above. Setting out these portions prevents an unexpectedly bare topping.
Should ricotta be cooked in the skillet?
Take the beef mixture off the burner before folding in ricotta and the filling cheese. The vegetables should already be softened and excess fat drained. This keeps the mixing stage controlled rather than simmering dairy while waiting for raw onion to cook. Distribute a trial portion down the middle and roll without tearing. Large flour tortillas are not all the same diameter. Bake extra filling in a separate small dish if necessary instead of forcing every last spoonful into an overfilled roll.
How do I know the bake is hot enough?
Check the center of an interior roll, where tortillas and filling are most sheltered by their neighbors. Melted cheese at the edges is not proof of a hot center. A chilled assembled tray needs more time than the warm filling described here. Refrigerate perishable leftovers promptly in shallow containers at 40°F or below; do not wait for a large hot batch to cool completely on the counter. University of Illinois Extension’s leftover guidance gives a three-to-four-day refrigerated window and 165°F for reheating foods served hot. Keep cold salads and toppings chilled, and follow shorter product-label limits where applicable.
Related recipe choices
For another complete recipe, see Toasted Beef Burritos with Rice and Nacho Cheese Sauce or Cheesy Beef and Shells Casserole with Tomato Soup. Each has its own ingredient quantities and cooking sequence; keep those measurements separate when choosing a meal. USDA’s temperature guidance specifies 160°F for ground beef. Thermometer placement guidance explains checking the thick center rather than relying on surface color.
Common Questions About This Recipe
- How is the pizza sauce divided?
One-third cup belongs inside the cooked filling, while two cups cover the rolled tortillas. Keep those portions separate.
- Why use a rimmed pan?
Sauce and melted cheese can escape around the tortillas. A rimmed baking sheet or roomy oven dish contains them; a flat cookie sheet does not.
- Which pepperoni goes where?
Three ounces chopped into the filling and a separate three ounces sliced on top are both listed. The mozzarella is also divided: one cup inside and two-and-a-half cups above.
- Should ricotta be cooked in the skillet?
Take the beef mixture off the burner before folding in ricotta and the filling cheese. The vegetables should already be softened and excess fat drained.
- How much filling fits in a tortilla?
Distribute a trial portion down the middle and roll without tearing. Large flour tortillas are not all the same diameter.
- How do I know the bake is hot enough?
Check the center of an interior roll, where tortillas and filling are most sheltered by their neighbors. Melted cheese at the edges is not proof of a hot center.