Mexican Tostadas
Today is a special event in Mexico… it’s Cinco de Mayo! This national holiday commemorates the victory of Mexico over the French Empire in the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862. Interestingly, this celebration was more popular in California back then than south of the border and it’s only in the 1980s’ that it became more of a “national” event in Mexico.
David and I enjoy vacationing in Mexico. We like the people, their culture and obviously their food. Every year on May 5th, I like making delicious Mexican recipes like Fajitas, Quesadillas, Tacos, Enchiladas, Nacho Supreme, Guacamole, and many more.
Another one that is so tasty is my Mexican Tostadas! This is a great comfort food! Simple and easy to make, this is a flavorful dish to serve as an appetizer, for lunch as well as dinner. In less than 30 minutes, you can enjoy these yummy little guys… In this video, I use beef but nothing is stopping you from making them with shredded chicken.
Contrary to “typical” Mexican Tostadas, I don’t fry them. Instead, I use a panini press. It’s less messy, you don’t have to deal with the oil after the tortillas are cooked plus it’s much healthier. If you think frying takes less time, you’d be wrong! It might take anywhere between 45 to 75 seconds to brown each side plus your panini press will warm up faster than bringing the oil up to 365ºF.
I love refried beans and to make them taste better, I add some of my homemade Old El Paso Taco Seasoning. I warm up the beans on medium-low but as soon as they’re warmed, I reduce the heat to the lowest setting until ready to serve, stirring often.
Let’s talk about a few topping ingredients I use for this Mexican Tostadas recipe…
– Avocados are so good for us and at home, we eat them a lot. This is a healthy super fruit packed with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients plus it’s a good fat! After prepping them, to prevent the avocados from turning black, squeeze some lime juice over and toss gently.
– Another ingredient we enjoy a lot is Pickled Red Onions. Not only do they bring a nice bright color to the dish but they also add more flavor. This is a popular condiment in Mexico for tacos, tortas, tostadas, but also delicious on burgers, hot dogs, in salads, scrambled eggs, and so on.
– Of course crema is a must as it wraps the dish up so beautifully but sour cream is an excellent substitute. What’s the difference between these two? Sour cream has less fat content (20%) versus crema which is about 30%. On the other hand, crema is not as sour. If you opt for light sour cream, the texture of those two is about the same.
This is an incredible dish packed with yumminess. Simple and yet so delicious, these Mexican Tostadas are a great finger food. This quick & easy recipe is sure to please everyone…
Bon Appétit!
Here are several more Mexican inspired recipes for you to enjoy…
– Chicken Stuffed Crêpes with Poblano Sauce
– Jicama Mango Pepper Salad
– Soufflé Mexican Omelet
– Agua de Jamaica
– Mexican Burgers
– El Pollo Cinco de Mayo • Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
– Mexican Cornbread
and for even more beef recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Beef
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Mexican Tostadas
Hover to scale
Ingredients
- 6 -6 inch corn tortillas
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil such as canola, or as needed tips & tricks
- 1 can (16 oz./454 g.) refried beans
- 1 tbsp. Old El Paso Taco Seasoning see Recipe
- 1 lb. (500 g.) lean ground beef
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1 large clove garlic, pressed
- 1 cup iceberg lettuce, finely chopped
- 2 medium Roma tomatoes, washed, seeded and diced
- 3/4 cup fire roasted salsa or pico de gallo see Recipe
- 2 medium avocados, stone removed, peeled and diced tips & tricks
- pickled red onions, as needed see Recipe
- 1 cup queso fresco or cotija cheese, crumbled (substitute feta cheese)
- 1/2 cup crema or sour cream
- 6 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish tips & tricks
- 6 large lime wedges, for serving
Directions
- Preheat oven to 170ºF/75ºC
- Brush on some vegetable oil on one side of each tortilla; set aside.
- Warm up a panini press on medium-high heat.
- When hot, working with one at a time, place a tortilla, oiled side down, and brush the top with oil. Place the press on top and cook for between 40 to 60 seconds or until golden brown. Flip it and cook the other side.
- Transfer the cooked tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a wire rack and transfer them to the preheated oven to keep them warm while looking after the toppings.
- In a bowl, add refried beans with Old El Paso Taco Seasoning. Combine the ingredients until well blended.
- In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, add the refried bean mixture and warm it up, stirring often. When the refried bean mixture is warmed, turn the heat to the lowest setting until ready to serve.
- In another medium skillet over medium heat, add ground beef and, breaking the meat into small pieces, cook it halfway.
- Season the meat with ground cumin, oregano leaves, chipotle powder, ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well until nicely mixed and continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink
- Add pressed garlic and sauté for only 1 minute.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop the meat into a bowl, leaving the fat behind.
- To assemble, spread some refried bean mixture onto a grilled tortilla, about 2 tablespoons.
- Scoop some ground beef mixture on top then some chopped iceberg lettuce, diced Roma tomatoes, Pico de Gallo or Fire Roasted Salsa, avocados, pickled red onions, and cheese.
- Drizzle on crema and sprinkle on chopped cilantro. Serve them with a couple of lime wedges
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