Classic Tostada

Tostadas are a very popular light meal or snack all over Mexico, they consist of a crispy corn tortilla topped with a variety of fillings that can go from refried beans, shredded chicken, cheese, crema, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sliced onions, salsa, etc. making it an irresistible and messy crunchy bite hard to not love.

The messiness is part of the joy of having a delicious tostada, there are really no rules on what you can put over a tostada, but we recommend going for fillings that are not too heavy and can break a tostada easily. If you are using meat, a great way to do this is by either slow cooking and shredding or by frying minced beef with Chipotle Paste (as we did here), this will make it much easier to bite into. The same rule applies to chicken or pork.

A tostada is made with corn tortillas that are either shallow fried or baked until crispy. Here at Luchito we have the best tip on how to make delicious tostadas at home using Hard Taco Shells split in half and baked for extra crispiness, this is also a great way to use any broken Taco Shells.

Tostadas are great served as an appetizer, a side dish, a snack or even as a main course. They are a really fun meal to share with the family and the variety of ingredients you can use to make them is endless!

To make classic tostadas here is what you will need:

1. Tostadas: Crispy corn tortillas, or like in this recipe you can use Gran Luchito Hard Shell Tacos.
2. Refried beans: Great to spread over tostadas and perfect for holding toppings in place as well as bringing a delicious creamy texture to your tostadas. Gran Luchito Chipotle Refried Beans is the perfect addition to your shopping list so you can prepare delicious tostadas in no time.
3. Protein: Minced beef or slow-cooked shredded beef brisket, can both be delicious when making these tostadas at home. Make sure to cook with a good amount of Gran Luchito Chipotle Paste for deliciously smoky and spicy meat.
4. Fresh garnish: Shredded lettuce, finely sliced raw onion, coriander or tomato slices are great fresh toppings to tostadas.
5. Dairy: crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese can be a great last touch to tostadas. A spoonful of sour cream or creme fraiche can also be added on top.