Mexican
Black Bean Tostadas
Crisped tortillas topped with seasoned black beans, lettuce, salsa, and cheese. A vegetarian plate that is done in about 20 minutes.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Canned beans and tortillas are the whole base.
- Crisping the tortillas in a skillet beats buying fragile shells if you want them warm.
- The beans get cumin and salt so they do not taste like the can.
- Each person can pile toppings without a recipe rule.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet over medium. Crisp the tortillas, about 45 seconds per side, adding a little more oil as needed. Set them on a rack or paper towel.
- 2
Add the beans, salt, cumin, chili powder, and water to the skillet. Warm 3 to 4 minutes, mashing some of the beans so they hold on the tortilla.
- 3
Taste and add salt if the beans are flat.
- 4
Spread beans on each tortilla.
- 5
Top with lettuce, salsa, and cheese.
- 6
Serve with lime.
Pro tips
- Rinse the beans. The can liquid makes the topping watery.
- Do not overload a corn tortilla or it cracks when you pick it up.
- A hotter pan, shorter time, keeps the tortillas crisp.
Easy substitutions
- Cotija
- Feta or cheddar.
- Skillet-crisped tortillas
- Store-bought tostada shells, warmed.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Keep beans up to 3 days. Crisp tortillas the day you eat them.
Reheating
Warm the beans in a skillet. Rebuild the tostadas so the shells stay crisp.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 390
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 13 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop
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From the kitchen
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A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
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A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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