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These Beef Tostadas are layered with crispy tortillas, refried beans, and ground beef all topped with fresh ingredients such as shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and crumbled cheese. It takes less than 30 minutes to make this easy weeknight meal the entire family will love.
Easy meals like this beef tostadas recipe and this Chicken Enchilada Skillet are my favorite weeknight meals. They come together in minutes and everyone loves them. I especially love this Mexican Ground Beef Casserole too because you get leftovers.
These kinds of make-your-own meals are a huge hit in my family because everyone can put their favorite toppings on without complaint. They make dinner easy and any easy dinner is a huge win.
Why This Recipe Works
- Ground beef tostadas are super easy to make and taste delicious. Quick and easy meals are what I need during busy weeknights and this recipe is one the kids can help assemble. They’re like takeout but better because you made it at home.
- Best of all kids love them!
- You can easily layer these tostadas with your favorite ingredients or create a tostada bar where everyone can choose their own. The toppings are endless and can you can even change up the base to black bean refried beans or use different meat such as ground chicken.
- This ground beef tostada recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and is fun for entertaining too.
Ingredients Needed
Ingredient Notes
- Tostada Shells: you can make your own, which I describe below, or you can purchase tostada shells such as these at the grocery store.
- Refried Beans: canned refried beans are the easiest to use and you can use either black refried beans or traditional pinto refried beans.
- Cheese: I prefer to use crumbled-up cotija cheese for my tostadas, but you can use your favorite shredded cheese.
- Toppings: keep it simple or go crazy with your toppings. Traditional toppings included shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, cheese, and some freshly chopped cilantro.
Additional Toppings
This recipe for ground beef tostadas is very basic, however, you can easily change up the layers to create an entirely different version. Some additional toppings that would also be delicious are listed below.
- Guacamole
- Red Onion
- Jalapenos
- Pico de Gallo
- Salsa
- Refried Black Beans (instead of pinto beans)
How to Make Beef Tostadas
- Brown the meat. Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef. Use a wooden spatula to break it apart as it browns. Sprinkle the taco seasoning on top and add in the chopped onions. Toss to combine. Once the meat is fully browned and the onions are translucent use a slotted spoon to remove the ground beef mixture.
- Heat the refried beans. Add the refried beans to the skillet and heat for 1 to 2 minutes until warmed or place them in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 to 2 minutes until warmed throughout.
- Prepare the lime crema. In a small bowl whisk the sour cream and lime juice together to make a lime crema.
- Set up an assembly line. Arrange all the layers and toppings around you so you can prepare an assembly line so you can easily set up the tostadas.
- Spread the refried beans on top. Place the tostada shell on a plate and spread the heated refried beans on top.
- Spoon on the beef. Layer the ground beef on next making sure to not spread it all the way to the edge.
- Layer. Add the shredded lettuce, avocado, chopped tomatoes, and crumbled cheese.
- Keep layering! Drizzle the sour cream crema mixture on top and sprinkle with cilantro if using.
Homemade Tostada Shells
Sometimes I can’t always find tostada shells at the grocery store, but they’re easy to make so don’t worry if you can’t either. Tostada shells are usually located with the fajitas and tortillas, but if you can’t find them grab some flour or corn tortillas and cooking spray to make your own.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Lightly spray both sides of 6 tortilla shells and place them in an even layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 5 minutes and then flip the shells to the other side and bake an additional 5 to 6 minutes.
Storage and Leftovers
Since this is a recipe of layers it’s best to keep the layers separate. Store the ingredients in separate containers and place them in the refrigerator for later use. The ingredients (including the beef) will last for about 3 to 4 days.
The tostada shells can be stored in a zip-top bag or an air-tight container. They do not need to be placed in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- You don’t have to use a traditional tostada shell to make this recipe. You can bake or pan-fry corn tortillas in a small amount of oil or use mini street tacos for an appetizer-sided tostada.
- Serve these at your next party for an appetizer. It’s easy to lay out tons of toppings and let everyone make their own. Tostadas with ground beef or even chicken make for a great party meal.
FAQs
Tostada literally means toasted in Spanish. The first layer of this recipe is usually made with a flour tortilla or a corn tortilla, which you toast before layering. Thus the name of this recipe comes from the crispy shell, on which all the other ingredients are layered.
These are basically a meal on their own, especially if you’re piling them high with toppings but some great sides are Posole, ceviche, or a simple salad.
Tortillas are flat and round and typically made from cornmeal or flour. They’re often used for making tacos and burritos. A tostada is a crispy shell that is fried or baked and then topped with toppings such as refried beans, taco meat, and a wide range or other taco-style toppings.
Beef Tostadas
Equipment
- Baking Sheet if making your own tostada shells
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Chefs Knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning Mix 1 package
- 1/2 Onion diced
- 1 can Refried Beans
- 1/4 cup Sour Cream
- 2 tablespoons Lime Juice
- 8 Tostada Shells
- 1 cup Romain Lettuce shredded
- 1/2 Avocado chopped
- 1 Tomato diced
- 4 ounces Cotija Cheese crumbled (or other cheese)
- 1 tablespoon Cilantro chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef. Use a wooden spatula to break it apart as it browns. Sprinkle the taco seasoning on top and add in the chopped onions. Toss to combine. Once the meat is fully browned and the onions are translucent, for about 5 minutes, remove from the heat.
- Put the refried beans into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 2 to 3 minutes until completely warmed. You can also place them in a pot and heat them on the stove.
- In a small bowl whisk the sour cream and lime juice together to make a lime crema. If you would like this to be more of a liquid you can add a little bit of water until the desired consistency is reached.
- Arrange all the toppings near you for easy assembly.
- Place the tostada shell on a plate and spread a layer of the heated refried beans on top. Next spoon the ground beef mixture on top.
- Add the shredded lettuce, avocado, chopped tomatoes, and crumbled cheese. Drizzle the sour cream mixture on top and sprinkle with cilantro if using.
Notes
- You don’t have to use a traditional tostada shell to make this recipe. You can bake or pan-fry corn tortillas in a small amount of oil or use mini street tacos for an appetizer-sided tostada.
- Serve these at your next party for an appetizer. It’s easy to lay out tons of toppings and let everyone make their own.
