Pinto Bean Tostada Recipe

When it comes to Mexican food, most people have a go-to dish. Maybe you're a taco loyalist, or maybe you're obsessed with a perfectly-folded burrito. If you like your meal to come with more of a crunch, look no further than the humble tostada. It has many of the same ingredients as other Mexican (or Tex-Mex) fare, like beans, pico de gallo, and cheese, but is served more like an open-face sandwich — if the bread was replaced with a crunchy tortilla. Tired of Taco Tuesday? This pinto bean tostada recipe by Miriam Hahn is simple, flavorful, and perfect for a group.

Plus, this recipe is flexible. "You can use the mini corn tortillas and toast them up and make this whole recipe as more of an appetizer, which is fun," Hahn says. "If you prefer tacos over tostadas, you can easily use taco shells instead or the filling also works great wrapped in a tortilla." It can also be customized to suit all sorts of culinary preferences and diets: "If I am serving a big group I usually have a couple of versions including dairy-free cheese so people can add whatever type they like. There are so many cheese varieties available now, which makes it nice for people with dietary restrictions," she adds. Here's how to whip up some flavorful tostadas of your own.

Beans are the star here, so you're obviously going to need some — canned pinto beans, to be exact. "You can speed things up by using canned refried beans, but I like using the whole beans to avoid the lard that can be in canned refried beans," Hahn explains. "This is a much healthier version." You'll also need tostada shells, of course, plus broth (veggie or chicken), diced green chiles, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, avocado, shredded lettuce, limes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and the shredded cheese of your choice.

The first thing you'll want to do is preheat your oven to 300 F. Then, get started on the beans. Drain the liquid from your canned pintos and mash them up, either with a large spoon or by placing them in your food processor. You want them to be semi-spreadable, but they don't need to be so mashed they become a paste — feel free to leave some chunks for texture. "You can use dry pinto beans if you make them ahead. My favorite way to do this is with an Instant Pot because it's quicker than stovetop," Hahn says. "You can also change it up and use black beans in this recipe."

Then, add the beans to a small pot along with the green chiles, garlic, salt, pepper, broth, and lime juice; cook over medium, then bring it to a simmer.

Now, for the pico. Chop up the tomatoes and put then in a strainer to get the excess liquid out. Meanwhile, dice the onion and jalapeño and cut up and de-stem the cilantro. Put all the veggies and the cilantro in a big bowl and mix them up with lime juice and salt.

Once you've done that, prep your tostada toppings — slice the avocado, put the shredded lettuce in a bowl, grate your cheese (or put it in a bowl if you're using pre-shredded), and so on. Warm up the tostada shells by popping them in the oven for a couple minutes.

All you have left to do is assemble your pinto bean tostadas. Grab a warm shell and slather some beans on. Then, add a scattering of lettuce, followed by cheese, avocado, pico de Gallo, and anything else you're adding, like sour cream or your favorite store-bought hot sauce. Gather your loved ones together, and raise your tostadas for a very tasty toast(ada)!