Easy Homemade Tostadas – A Beautiful Mess

Tostadas are a simple and super customizable meal with Mexican origins. With a base of a toasted tortilla (or sometimes deep fried) and topped with any number of toppings like seasoned ground meat, shredded meats, refried beans, black beans, lettuce, tomato, cilantro, cheese and sometimes sauces. I think of tostadas as an open face taco with a crunchy tortilla for the base. Delicious!

While there are many ways to customize a tostada, I’m focusing this recipe on how we typically make them at home: tostada shell, refried beans, seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomato, cilantro, cheese, and either sour cream or what I call “quesadilla sauce.” This is a quick and easy weeknight meal that our whole family loves even though our son usually skips the vegetable toppings.

Related: Love easy weeknight meals? Next up, try our stuffed peppers or sheet pan totchos.

Ingredients

• Tostada shells* – or corn tortillas
• Refried beans
• Ground beef – or ground turkey or ground chicken
• Taco seasoning – store bought or make your own
• Cheese – Cotija, Cheddar, Mozzarella, etc.
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Sour cream – or quesadilla sauce, see below

*Tostada shells are sometimes labeled as Estilo Casero (which means homestyle), but look in the tortilla shell section of wherever you shop for groceries. But if you can’t find them, I will share before how to make your own.

How to Make Tostada Shells

You can make your own tostada shells by pan frying corn tortillas. Add enough vegetable oil or canola oil to a frying pan to cover/slightly submerge the tortilla. Heat over medium/high heat until the oil is hot. Then add the shell, fry for 1-2 minutes. Flip, using tongs, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove to paper towels to allow excess oil to drip off. Repeat for as many shells as you need.

If you want the tostada shells to be slightly shaped like a bowl, drape paper towels over inverted bowls and then remove the shells from the oil to these. The fried shells will dry over the bowls and take on this shape.

How to make Tostadas

First, cook the ground beef. In a skillet or large pan, cook the ground beef over medium heat, breaking it up in small pieces with your cooking spoon or spatula. Season with the taco seasoning as you cook. The meat should be cooked through with no pink remaining. Remove from heat.

On a baking sheet, assemble the tostada bases in this order: shell, a thin layer of refried beans, meat, and cheese.

Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is very melted.

Top with vegetables, more cheese (if you want) and sour cream or other condiments. Throw some hot sauce on if you like. Enjoy!

Tips & Notes

• Quesadilla sauce = 1/4 cup mayo, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/4 teaspoon chili powder. I’ll sprinkle a little cayenne in if I’m wanting to add some heat.
• I like to serve these more like tacos, the base is made and then everyone gets to add their toppings. So, after baking is where my family takes over customizing their own.
• You can partially make these ahead, by having the meat already cooked. Then you just assemble and bake before adding toppings, which make throwing dinner together super easy!
• Other great toppings include salsa or guacamole.

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