Taco Villa Things – Mexican Pizza

Taco Villa Things are like a Mexican pizza. Fried flour tortilla shells covered in an oniony white cream sauce along with green chilies, taco meat, and more they are delightful. We originally had these at the Taco Villa in Topeka, Kansas.

Please note, this interpretation from Gary Stickley’s Taco Villa in Topeka, Kansas. This recipe is not from the chain called Taco Villa.

Once we clear that up, let me tell you why I love this recipe. Years ago, years ago when my age was in the single digits my Mom and I would go here for lunch. This was one of my first introductions to Mexcian food. They had delicious menu items here. I remember their delicious red sauce. They served that on many of their recipe items. I loved their nacho; it was a corn tortilla topped with cheese sauce, peppers, and some red sauce. This honestly was one of my first experiences with Mexican food.

The Thing is what we liked the most in my family. It was an unusual treat. It is a lot like a Mexican Pizza. A flour shell is deep fried. Then a creamy onion sauce and cheese sauce are added to tortilla shell. It is then topped with some seasoned ground beef and peppers.

I know you will love these as much as we do. I hope you give this recipe a try. When we moved away from Topeka, Kansas, we would often make these at home.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like some similar ones:

Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Taco Bell Tacos
Homemade Taco Meat Seasoning

Image coming soon

Taco Villa Things Mexican Pizza

You can make these classic Taco Villa Things at home. 
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Taco Villa Things Mexican Pizza
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 570kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 flour tortilla shells
  • 1 pound ground chuck
  • 3/4 cup onion
  • 1 can diced green chilies
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • Picante sauce to taste

Instructions

  • First make the white sauce. Saute the 1/2 cup diced onion in 2 tablespoons butter. When the onions are clear add the 1/3 cup flour add milk to mixture and dissolve to the consistency of pudding, set this aside to cool. Next, prepare the ground meat by adding the 3/4 cup onion and seasonings to taste. Fry the tortilla shells when the shells are done you are now ready to assemble the Things. Spread shells with onion sauce. Sprinkle the hamburger over the top, then the green chilies, shredded cheddar cheese, and Picante sauce to taste. Pop in a 350 degrees oven until the cheese is melted.

Nutrition

Calories: 570kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 691mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 675IU | Vitamin C: 13.3mg | Calcium: 336mg | Iron: 4mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

REVEALED: Copycat Secrets for 2023

free email bonus

Yes, you CAN make it at home! I'll show you how.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stuart Morrison

    Stephanie,

    Do you know how to make a copykat version of the Topeka Taco Villa queso dip? We live in Fort Worth, and want to try and make a duplicate version of their queso.

  2. Debi

    Late to the party, but this recipe isn’t the same. Lived in Topeka for years, when only locals knew about these *things* I like the original, but everyone in my family likes these a lot better… I wish I could find how the onion sauce is made. When I asked them, they said a woman out of state {Neb?} made it… When we go back to visit, we get to go orders of a lot of diff. items. They package all ingre. seperatly.. Easy for the long trip home…

    I have the onion sauce recipe in there, were you looking for another recipe for the onion sauce? ~ Stephanie

    • Name (required)

      Hi Stephanie, yes, I’d love to have the recipe for the actual sauce that Taco Villa uses.. But, it’s guarded.. Just repeating, my family likes this version better… I’m the stick in the mud.. haha

      Any idea how to make their *hot* sauce? Love the taste of it..
      Debi

      I think I have had a miscommunication here, I don’t have any actual recipes of theirs, and I don’t have their hot sauce recipe. I thought you were inquiring about their onion sauce, and I thought I had that part of the recipe down fairly well. Please email me for further discussion about this recipe. – Stephanie

  3. wkdwitch73

    I have been looking everywhere for the basic meat recipe from Taco Villa. Nowhere have I been able to find it. I love this restaurant, have it in my hometown but nowhere near where I’m living now. If anyone has this recipe please post it!

    • Emily

      I second this request. The meat is preseasoned and half cooked at the plant in Cactus, Texas (or it used to be) and then at the individual store is thawed and the cooking is finished. The green sauce was in a can and is something I always want to duplicate. I came back from Amarillo 2 days ago and, as requested by my son, brought back 4 fiesta packs of green burritos to stock up the freezer. Two are his supper tonight. Sigh. We do love that sauce.

      • Army

        The aren’t talking about the Taco Villa in Topeka. They are talking about the franchise Taco Villa. The “Thing” is something unique to Gary Stickley’s Taco Villa, not the fast food franchise Taco Villa. You can definately tell a difference between which one they are talking about, because I know and have seen that their sauces are not pre-canned and that the meat is not preseasoned at a plant 🙂 It’s all done in the back from scratch!

      • Stephanie

        Right, I am only talking about the Gary Stickley’s Taco Villa, and not the fast food franchise. We lived in Topeka Kansas we enjoyed these here.

      • April Shipman

        Actually, the meat was made daily in the individual stores I know that because my father was a manager in the beginning

    • mike

      The green sauce is caned whole green chilis ( hatch from wal-mart works) pureed and I like adding a little hot sauce ( on the border or simular)

      • April Shipman

        Actually, the green sauce is made fresh everyday and deliver to the individual stores if not every other day. I know the original founder as well as many general managers

      • Michael Gray

        This is a very late question for April Shipman about the taco meat from the taco villa her dad managed. I’m in Midland. Do you know how they made their meat? It’s not like any other taco places.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




homemade Olive Garden Asiago Torgelloni Alfredo with chicken on a plate

Copycat Recipe Secrets for 2024

REVEALED:

Yes, you CAN make it at home! 
I'll show you how.

FREE EMAIL BONUS