Tostadas can be made to your liking. I’m showing how to make tostadas in the most basic way, and these are completely vegetarian. Feel free to pile the lettuce on high and add taco meat or chopped steak or chicken. Add chopped fresh cilantro to your tostadas. Serve them with rice and margaritas. Customize these with your favorites. Traditional tostada recipes call for using deep fried tortillas. We’re baking them here.
Ingredients needed:
tortillas (corn or flour) refried beans shredded cheese (cheddar or cheddar/jack blend) chopped lettuce chopped tomato (or salsa) sour cream chopped avocado (or guacamole)
How to make Tostadas:
If using flour tortillas, toast them on one side by broiling them in the oven. If using corn tortillas, you’ll want to fry them first.
How to fry corn tortillas:
In a small skillet, heat 1/2-inch or less of oil over medium-high. When you can flick a drop of water in the oil and get a sizzle, you’re ready to fry your tortillas. Place one tortilla in the hot oil and use tongs to press it down so it cooks on both sides- cook it for 30 to 40 seconds until it starts getting crisp. Remove the tortilla to a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas, placing paper towels in between each cooked tortilla to absorb the oil.
Flip over the toasted tortillas and spread refried beans on the other side (or spread the beans on fried corn tortillas).
Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the beans. Use whatever cheese you’d like. I prefer sharp cheddar or a cheddar/jack blend.
Broil them again until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are crisp.
Top with your favorite toppings. And now you know how to make tostadas. Enjoy!
Side note:
When I was growing up, my Mom made these for dinner quite often (along with her famous tacos) but she always made them with fried tortillas and she called them “chalupas.” I’m not sure how she attached that name with these, but that’s how we knew them. Chalupas are made with fried masa dough, and they are topped with similar toppings. So these are “Mom’s Chalupas!”
