The Best Homemade Tostada Recipes
Move over Taco Tuesday, it's time to start a new trend Tostada Tuesday! If you love tacos, it's time to give Tostadas a try.
When it comes to quick and easy dinners, tostadas are truly one of the easiest options out there. Crispy corn tortillas piled high with beans, meat, cheese, and all your favorite toppings. This classic Mexican recipe is basically like a giant tortilla chip with all your favorite Mexican toppings. What's not to like?
What are tostadas?
In Spanish, "tostada" means toasted. Tostadas are basically toasted tortillas. They can be baked or fried and served with almost any filling and topping you would add to a taco. Think of it as an open-faced" taco with a thin layer of beans to hold everything together.
Why We Love Tostadas
- 15-Minute Meal: Tostadas are a true 15-minute meal. Bake or fry your corn tortillas. Spread on some canned refried beans. Add your protein and toppings. That's it!
- Reinvent Leftovers: If you have leftover chicken, pork, steak, fish, shrimp, or vegetables - you can reinvent them as a tostada. It is one of the best ways to use up leftovers in a new and unexpected way. Although tostadas are normally made with Mexican-inspired proteins, they also work with other flavor combinations.
- Healthy and filling: Tostadas are actually really healthy with baked corn tortillas, beans, lean proteins, and lots of veggies for toppings. they are filling, have lots of protein, and plenty of fiber and nutrients.
- Budget-Friendly: Tostadas rely on affordable ingredients like tortillas and beans. Since you control the protein and toppings, these can be super budget friendly and are a great way to stretch ingredients and proteins.
How to Make Tostadas
- Bake or fry the corn tortillas: Traditionally tostada shells are made by frying corn tortillas in hot oil for 1-2 minutes until they are crispy on both sides. Tostada shells can also be made in the oven for a healthier option (see the recipe below). Lastly, you can find pre-made tostadas in the Mexican aisle at most supermarkets.
- Warm the beans: Make sure the beans are slightly warm so that you can spread them easily on the tortillas. Cold beans will cause the tostadas to break.
- Add the protein and toppings: Then simply pile everything on the shells. Be careful not to add too many toppings or the tostada shells will break when they are picked up.
Are tostadas eaten warm or cold? This is a common question and tostadas are normally served slightly warm or at room temperature. Many times everything is prepped in advance and the tostadas are assembled with everything at room temperature. This makes tostadas a great option for meal prep or a picnic since everything doesn't need to be warm.
Favorite Tostada Toppings
When you think about tostadas, think about creating three layers. They always start with the crispy tortilla. Then you need beans, protein, and toppings. Here are my favorites.
- Beans: Refried beans are the standard on tostadas since they hold the toppings in place. Use homemade or store-bought refried beans made with pinto beans, black beans, or any other beans you like. Whole beans are sometimes used, but it is best to mash them slightly so they stick to the tostada shell.
- Protein: You will find tostadas topped with almost any type of cooked meat. Use a classic taco filling like chicken tinga, carnitas, carne asada, pollo asado, machaca, chile verde, or Mexican shredded beef. Looking for something vegetarian? Use these tasty rajas con queso or sofritas. For something quick and easy, use ground meat with taco seasoning. Tostadas are also made with fish, shrimp, and ceviche.
- Toppings: Classic tostada toppings include shredded lettuce, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, fresh cilantro, diced onions, pickled onions, avocado, sliced jalapenos, queso fresco, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
- Salsa: Any salsa can be used on tostadas including salsa verde, pico de gallo, pineapple salsa, or corn salsa.
Storage and Leftovers
If you are lucky enough to have leftover tostadas, make sure to store the tostada shells, beans, protein, and toppings separately. Baked or fried tostada shells can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days and they will stay crispy. Proteins, bans, and toppings should stay in the fridge.
Make sure to assemble the tostadas right before cooking for the best results.