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Crispy Black Bean Tostadas with Cheese and Salsa

Crispy Black Bean Tostadas with Cheese and Salsa

Tostadas are flat, crisp tortillas piled with toppings, and they make a fast, flexible vegetarian dinner. Here corn tortillas are baked until crunchy, spread with seasoned mashed black beans and melted cheese, and finished with fresh toppings.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings (2 tostadas each)
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 corn tortillas 6-inch
  • 1 tbsp olive oil for brushing
  • 2 cans (15 oz / 425 g each) black beans drained, liquid reserved
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar
  • 2 cups shredded lettuce or cabbage
  • 1 cup salsa or pico de gallo
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • lime wedges, cilantro, plain yogurt to serve

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush both sides of the tortillas lightly with oil and arrange them on two baking sheets.
  2. Bake for 5 minutes, flip, and bake 3–5 minutes more until crisp and lightly golden.
  3. Meanwhile, warm the beans with the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salt in a saucepan. Mash them, adding a few spoonfuls of the reserved liquid until spreadable.
  4. Spread the beans over the crisp tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven for 3–4 minutes until the cheese melts.
  5. Top with lettuce, salsa, avocado and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges and yogurt.

Notes

  • Watch the tortillas in the last minutes; they go from golden to burnt quickly.
  • Store-bought tostada shells work too and skip the first two steps.