his tostada recipe will have everyone excited for tostada Tuesday – or any night you need a quick and easy dinner that everyone LOVES! Shatteringly crispy tostadas are piled with creamy beans, grated cheese, juicy Mexican ground beef or shredded chicken (plus TONS of other options included), fresh shredded lettuce, bright tomatoes, and creamy avocados – does it get any better?! This tostada recipe includes step by step instructions on how to achieve the crunchiest tostada shells (baked or fried), how to make the best beef or chicken for tostadas and all the best toppings. These tostadas can be prepped 100% ahead of time for a quick heat and eat meal that everyone will love! And bonus, the meat is freezer friendly so you can get dinner on the table in minutes. v
Ingredients
Instructions
TOSTADAS (See Notes for Baking Instructions)
PREP TORTILLAS: Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions; preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line tortillas in an even layer on two baking sheets then use a fork to poke the center of each tortilla 3 or 4 times (to prevent puffing when frying/more even cooking). Bake for 10 minutes to help them dry out and fry up crispier, switching sheet positions half way through. Meanwhile, prepare another baking sheet for fried tortillas by lining with several layers of paper towels. Don’t turn off oven.
FRY TORTILLAS: Pour enough oil into a small cast-iron skillet so it reaches ¼-inch up the sides. Heat the oil on medium high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F. Protect your hands/arms by wearing oven mitts.
Working with 1 tortilla at a time, add to hot oil and hold down with a metal spatula or spyder to keep tortilla flat and submerged in oil. If the tortilla doesn’t bubble immediately, the oil is not hot enough. Fry until fairly stiff, crispy and lightly browned, 45-60 seconds, flipping halfway through. If the tortillas aren’t stiff and crispy, then the oil isn’t hot enough.
Remove tortilla to the paper towel lined baking sheet using metal tongs, allowing excess oil to drip off. Immediately sprinkle with salt. Repeat with all of the tortillas, adding additional oil if needed and heating to 350 before adding the next tortilla. *To keep tostadas warm, transfer baking sheet to the oven at 250 degrees F until ready to serve.
BEEF
Brown beef and onions in a large skillet, breaking up clumps of beef as you cook. When almost browned, add all seasonings and garlic and continue to cook until beef is completely cooked through.
Add refried beans, salsa and green chilies. Stir over medium-low heat until the beans are completely incorporated into the beef mixture. Taste and season with salt and hot sauce or cayenne pepper to taste if desired.
TOPPINGS
To serve tostadas, spread a generous amount of beef mixture over tostadas shells, sprinkle with cheese and top with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado crema/sour cream etc.
