How to Prepare Tostadas

Mexican food doesn't have to be complicated or take a long time to prepare. Tostadas are one of the easiest Mexican foods to prepare. Here's how to prepare tostadas.

Tostada preparation step 1: Crisp the tortilla.

Tasty tostadas start with a crispy corn tortilla. Traditionally, the tortilla is crisped by frying in vegetable oil or lard, but if you're counting calories, try crisping your tortillas in the oven. Here's how: preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place your corn tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Every minute, turn the tortillas over so they get crispy on both sides. Remove from oven when tortillas are crispy and golden brown.

Tostada preparation step 2: Top the crispy tortillas with refried beans.

Start with canned refried beans. Mix about ¼ cup of water into the beans to make them easier to spread. If you and those you are preparing the tostadas for like spicy food, mix either ½ cup of salsa or ¼ cup of taco seasoning into the beans prior to heating. Then, heat the beans in the microwave till they are bubbly. When the beans are hot, spread the hot beans onto the tortillas.

Tostada preparation step 3: Top the beans with meat (optional

Tostadas are a meal that can easily be vegetarian or non-vegetarian. If the people you are serving eat meat, some good options are browned ground beef, shredded beef or pork, or shredded chicken. If you want to go vegetarian or if you simply do not have any meat on hand or the time to prepare it, you may leave off the meat.

Tostada preparation step 4: Add vegetables to your tostada.

The most common vegetable addition to tostadas is shredded lettuce. You may also want to top your tostadas with diced tomatoes.

Tostada preparation step 5: Top your tostadas with grated cheese.

The most common types of cheese to use with tostadas are cheddar, Monterey jack, and pepper jack cheese. Pepper jack can be rather spicy, so unless those who will eat the tostadas like spicy food, you may want to stick with the more mild options of cheddar and jack.

Tostada preparation step 6: Serve your tostadas with condiments.

Have several condiments on hand and allow each person to dress up their tostadas to suit their personal tastes. Some great condiments for tostadas include diced onions, salsa (both hot and mild), sour cream, guacamole, and sliced black olives.

Next time you're in the mood for Mexican food, why not stay home and prepare quick, easy, and delicious tostadas?