Give Pizza A Bold Mexican Flavor With This Savory Leftover

There are plenty of varieties of pizza out there with additions that range from the standard veggies and pepperoni or sausage to unexpected fruit toppings. But if you're looking for one that will infuse the classic savory pie with Mexican flavor, there's only one to reach for (and no, it's not a riff on Dolly Parton's fave Taco Bell order). It's your leftover birria meat.

Whether you've made a saucy birria taco recipe at home or you have leftovers from your favorite local spot, beef (or goat or lamb) from a birria taco can add incredible layers of flavor if you spread the shredded meat over your pizza. The warmly spiced meat is guaranteed to make your pizza stand out amongst versions with traditional toppings — whether you're jazzing up a homemade pizza or taking a frozen pizza to the next level. Plus, the added bonus is that you can dip your crust into any leftover consommé, too.

To do make the Mexican pizza of your dreams, simply spread your leftover birria over the top of the pizza before you pop it in the oven. Or, if it's a pizza with homemade sauce, you can also stir the meat — and even some of the consomme — into the sauce before spreading it over the crust. Then, just top with cheese and any other proteins or veggies, bake, and serve it as you normally would.

While you can simply toss the strings of birria goodness over top of your pizza or slowly stir it into the sauce, you can also layer it under the cheese for a meaty surprise. Or, you can make a similar style pasta bake and just swap the pepperoni or other meats for the leftover birria.

If you're looking for pizza-style flavor without the bread, you can make some easy swaps and still infuse birria flavor. Instead of making pizza with a standard crust, swap it for portobello mushrooms, top with the meat, and then sauce and cheese it before tossing it in the oven. The same is perfect for mini bell peppers — just stuff them with the meat and your sauce of choice, top with mozzarella or another cheesy blend, and once they're heated, you have a low-carb version of pizza filled with the Mexican-style goodness of birria that can serve as an appetizer or a main.

Meanwhile, if you want to up your side dish game, you can add birria there, too. Alongside your pizza, serve birria-infused marinara for breadsticks, make arancini with the meat as a stuffing, or drape it over Italian-inspired nachos with spiced-up tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. Any way you infuse the earthy, warm meat into your meal, it will be perfect for anything from movie nights to game day — or a solo snack you may not even want to share.