Beef and Bean Tostadas
Inspired by techniques from Food Network Kitchen.
Oven-crisped corn tortillas spread with cumin-scented mashed pinto beans, topped with chilli-spiced beef, lettuce, tomato, avocado and lime crema. Ready in about 45 minutes.
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Method
- 1
Crisp the tortillas. Heat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Brush the tortillas lightly with oil on both sides and spread them in one layer over the 2 trays, then bake for 10-12 min, turning once, until stiff and golden. They keep crisping as they cool, because the last of their moisture escapes as steam.
- 2
Mash the beans. Warm the oil in the saucepan over medium heat and soften the onion for 5 min. Stir in the cumin for 30 seconds so it blooms in the fat, then add the beans with 4 tbsp of their liquid. Mash to a thick, spreadable paste and keep it warm over low heat, loosening with a splash more liquid if it stiffens.
- 3
Cook the beef. In the frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and cook the onion for 3 min, then add the garlic and the mince, breaking it up. Give it 6-8 min until browned and any liquid has gone; browning only starts once the pan is dry. Stir in the chilli powder, oregano, tomato paste and salt for 1 min.
- 4
Simmer to finish. Pour in the water and simmer for 2-3 min until the beef is saucy rather than wet and reaches 71 °C. A loose filling would soften the tostadas, so cook off any excess.
- 5
Make the crema. In the small bowl, stir the lime juice into the soured cream. The acid thins it just enough to drizzle.
- 6
Build and serve. Spread each tostada with beans, which act as glue, then add beef, lettuce, tomato and avocado. Drizzle with crema and serve straight away with lime wedges, eating them by hand.
Storage
Keep the beef and beans separately in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat until piping hot (74 °C). Store the cooled tostada shells airtight at room temperature for 2 days. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- 2 large baking trays
- pastry brush
- medium saucepan
- potato masher
- large frying pan
- wooden spoon
- instant-read thermometer
- small bowl
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 756 kcal |
| Protein | 34.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 60.6 g |
| of which sugars | 6.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.1 g |
| Fat | 43.7 g |
| of which saturates | 11.4 g |
| Fibre | 14.2 g |
| Salt | 1.72 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
