I’m excited to share a recipe that I wasn’t even planning on sharing, LOL. It all started with an idea from Eating Well Magazine. However, per usual, I started skipping and shortening a bunch of steps in the recipe as I made it (who needs to dirty a food processor for this weeknight dish?!). Then, the finished product was so tasty and pretty that I decided to share a pic on social media. Some started asking for the recipe…so here it is! I love a one dish meal with a healthy dose of vegetables. Oh, and it’s perfect for your next Meatless Monday, too. :)
I put quotation marks around “tostada” because the traditional recipe uses deep-fried tortilla shells. While deep-fried is certainly a crunchy and tasty treat, it’s not considered real food. So I just used regular corn tortillas (freshly made and warm!), and we didn’t even notice anything was missing. You can bake them by themselves to crisp them up a little beforehand, but I honestly didn’t think that extra step is really necessary. Pretty darn tasty just as they are!
Funny enough, when my daughter asked me what was for dinner, and I said, “Roasted Vegetable Tostada,” her response was, “Oooh, I don’t think I like that.” I was surprised because our family loves all things Mexican! Come to find out, she thought I meant “frittata” not “tostada.” It doesn’t happen as often as when they were tots, but I still think it’s so funny and cute when they mix up words like that. :) (And bonus, she DID like the dinner and scarfed it down once she figured out it wasn’t an egg bake!)
Roasted Veggie “Tostadas”
Ingredients
For the veggies
For the beans
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 jalapeno seeded and minced (can add in the whole thing if you like it a little spicy!)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or 1/8 tsp. regular chili powder and 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 15 oz cans black beans rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup water
For assembly and serving
- 14 small corn tortillas warmed
- 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese freshly grated
- 1 lime
- sour cream
- avocado or guacamole
- cilantro
Instructions
For the veggies
- Preheat the broiler to high. Toss the onion, sliced veggies, garlic, olive oil, and salt together on a baking sheet. Roast until tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes (if the veggies are wet they'll take longer, if they're completely dry it'll take less time).
- Keep the broiler on to finish off the tostadas at the end.
For the beans
- Heat the teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the jalapeno and spices, and cook until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Add in the black beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated all the way through, 4 to 5 minutes. Add in the water, turn off the heat, and mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork, until somewhat smooth (some bean chunks are okay!).
For assembly and serving
- Put a layer of warm tortillas on a baking sheet. Top them with a smear of black beans, a handful of the veggies and then top off with the grated cheese. Put them under the broiler, just until the cheese melts and begins to turn brown, 1 to 2 minutes (watch it closely). Repeat in batches until all ingredients have been used.
- Squirt the lime juice over top of the tostadas and serve with sour cream, avocado, and cilantro.
We absolutely loved this recipe!
How are the tortillas real food when the ones linked have way more than the 5 ingredients Lisa recommends. Isn’t that a bit contradictory?
Hi Ellen, we definitely recommend you make your own tortillas (https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/recipe-easy-whole-grain-corn-tortillas/) but if that’s not possible, sometimes a little rule-breaking is okay. I would definitely try looking for whole-wheat tortillas if you can. – Nicole
This looks delicious. I make hard shell tostadas all the time without frying. I very lightly brush coconut oil on both sides of corn tortillas, then put about 6 on a baking sheet and set to broil. It takes only a few minutes in each side to crisp up, but you have to watch them bc they’ll burn quickly. If they don’t stay in long enough they will be more on the chewier side.
This was delicious! Made it for dinner tonight.
Made this on Monday, it was fantastic! I will definitely be making this again! My husband who is picky loved it, my 10 year old son loved it too. My 8 year old who doesn’t eat anything wouldn’t even try it, but she does that with a lot food.
I made these tonight and they were so good! I added a handful of grape tomatoes to the veggies because I had them on hand. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!!
Why would frying the tortillas not be real food? Not that I mind not having to fry them. This recipe sounds delicious!
Hi Tina, Lisa’s Real Food rules stay away from fried food because of all the oil used. – Nicole
Can you explain how 14 tostadas split evenly between 6 people? It would be nicer if the serving size was 2 tostadas or whatever for the nutrition information.
Looks delicious! Cant wait to try it.