Simple Bean Tostadas come together quickly and easily for an affordable meatless meal. You can vary the toppings to use whatever you have on hand.
This is one of our favorite meals! It is an assemble-your-own kind of dish. Feel free to add meat or other vegetables and toppings. But, this way is just simple and good.
Simple Bean Tostadas
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 157kcal
Ingredients
- oil for frying the tortillas such as vegetable or olive oil
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2 15-ounce can Refried Beans or homemade cooked pinto beans
- 8 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (2 cups)
- 2 tomato diced
- 2 cup shredded lettuce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- toppings for tostadas , such as: homemade salsa, hot sauce, chopped fresh cilantro, or other favorite toppings
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a small skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil over medium-high heat until very hot. A small bit of tortilla will sizzle when the oil is ready. Fry the tortillas until stiff. Place the tortillas on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until brown and crunchy, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Warm the refried beans in a saucepan until bubbly.
- Spread the beans over the crisp tortilla shells. Top with the cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream. Serve with salsa.
Notes
*You can also purchase tortilla shells already fried at the grocery store
Nutrition
Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 479IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 1mg
Kathy says
How much oil in the pan? Thanks,
Jessica says
@Kathy, about an inch? Just enough to fry it in. But, since I don’t like waste, I let the oil swindle near the end of the batch.
Debbie says
I made these tonight. Big hit! I didn’t use oil to fry the tortillas in. I just sprayed a skillet with non-stick spray and fried my white corn tortillas that way. The kids had fun assembling their own tostadas after I spread their tortillas with refried beans. The topping choices were: diced tomato, diced avocado, shredded romaine lettuce, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, yellow corn (I used the Steamfresh microwave kind), salsa, and sour cream. I also had chopped up some seedless cucumber for a side, but the kids elected to put in on their tostadas. They liked piping the sour cream on their tostadas. 🙂
Jessica says
Wonderful! That sour cream in the bag always makes folks happy — even adults. 🙂
Danielle says
I made these recently and they were a big hit here too. I baked the tortillas instead of frying them, just like I do to make baked tortilla chips. I brushed each side with some olive oil and baked them for 12-14 minutes at 350 until crisp. Not sure if it’s any healthier, but they come out nicely.
Jessica says
@Danielle, gonna try that next time. Thanks for a great idea!
joe says
sounds really good…just be mindful NOT to overfill the tostada shells or they will fall apart from the weight. Deep fried corn tortillas will break easily if not handled carfully.
Pamela says
Silly question here, Jessica: Are your tostadas a finger food? I feel dumb asking! Or is it a fork/knife food? Going to be making them this week for the first time.
Jessica Fisher says
Not a dumb question. My family actually disagrees on the answer. I say fork and knife, they say with the hands. My son mediated the discussion by saying “it’s like pizza.” Some people eat it with a fork, some pick it up. 🙂
sona bran says
do flour tortilla work?
Jessica Fisher says
They will work. The shells cook faster, so watch for burning.
Patricia Mccullough says
I made this, it was easy delicious and pretty!
Jessica Fisher says
So glad you liked it!