Tostadas, fast, fun, fresh and infinitely versatile. For this version, fresh baked tostada shells deliver creamy beans, savory chicken and a surprise tangy seasoned romaine topping. These Black Bean Tostadas make a great little dinner idea.
Many years and many tostadas later, I’m still hooked and think they’re about the best Mexican food going. With that beautiful warm tortilla shell, it seems you could throw about anything on it and have a good snack.
But it should be a great snack. What makes a tostada a great tostada? It starts with homemade tostada shells. Let’s take a look at how to build these black bean tostadas with chicken.
Why You’re Going To Love This Recipe
- Black bean tostadas are a super easy weeknight dinner recipe.
- They’re healthy! Black beans are full of antioxidants.
- You’re going to love this tangy romaine that goes on top.
- It’s a great way to use left over rotisserie chicken.
How to Make Easy Homemade Tostadas Shells
How to make homemade tostadas shells?
- It starts with a good tortilla
- corn, of course
- that’s cooked just chewy enough not to crumble in your hands
- and one that stays crisp for the duration.
The purchased packaged tostada shells are great for a super quick fix, but making your own homemade Tostadas shells using store bought corn tortillas takes just a few minutes.
I’ve had hit and miss results from frying soft tortillas, seems they can easily end up heavy and soggy. So let’s bake them.
- I like to bake them 400 degrees for around 6 minutes.
- Just lay soft corn tortillas on a baking sheet.
- Lightly brush both sides with vegetable oil or olive oil.
- Sprinkle with light dusting of salt and chile powder. I like to use Chimayo Chile Powder, or Ancho chile powder works great also.
- Slide them into the oven and bake for about 3 minutes.
- Turn them over, repeat salt, and chile powder and cook 3 minutes longer.
Homemade tostada shells are best eaten right out of the oven. So be sure you have all of your tostada ingredients ready to assemble.
Build it Right
A great tostada is piled high with texture and flavors. Here’s how to make a great tostada.
- Start with something soft and creamy, beans or avocado for example.
- Add Savory seasoned meat of any kind.
- A crunch of fresh vegetable …raw onion or radish come to mind.
- Topped with crisp lettuce.
- Add a creamy topping. A dollop of sour cream or Mexican crema adds a cool tangy finish.
- And, of course, shredded cheese or crumbled cojita are standard.
I’ve gotten in the habit of serving any tostada with a wedge of lime. A quick squeeze will send it over the top for an easy Mexican dish.
Easy enough, right? And this formula leaves us with an endless lineup of combinations.
Seasoning Lettuce For Tostadas – You’ve Got To Try It
Flavoring the lettuce will bring any tostada to a new level of excitement. It almost turns these tostadas into a tostadas salad.
One I prefer is the chopped Romaine tossed with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Try it sometime, you’ll be surprised the flavor it brings.
Salsa for Black Bean Tostadas
And, of course, a good salsa is a must. With the tangy romaine, bring even more bright flavor by garnishing these black bean tostadas with Homemade Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
If you’re the red salsa type, take a look at this Essential Restaurant Style Salsa.
Recipe for Black Bean Tostadas with Chicken and Tangy Romaine
To make this easy Black Bean Tostada recipe even easier, I used a purchased rotisserie chicken and canned black beans.
Why This Recipe Works: This tostada meets all of the criteria for greatness. The creamy layer of black beans that have been flavored with garlic and onion, a savory layer of seasoned chicken breast, all topped with the crunch of a beautifully flavored lettuce.
I hope you give these black bean tostadas a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And if you have a favorite tostada recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
You Might Also Like:
And if you love Mexican food as much as we do, don’t miss my Mexican Food Category. You’ll find lots of great recipes, including the most popular on my site for Hatch Green Chile with Pork.
If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. And write a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback.
And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.
Black Bean Tostadas With Tangy Romaine
Ingredients
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 medium sweet onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
- 15 ounces black beans canned, drained with liquid reserved
- salt
- 3 cups Cooked Chicken Rotisserie, or roasted chicken breasts, shredded
- 3/4 cup crema creme fraiche, or sour cream thinned with a little milk
- 1 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup Mexican queso cheese grated, or parmesan or romano
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups romaine lettuce sliced about 1/4 inch wide
Instructions
- The Beans: Saute the onion until golden brown, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the beans and mash them up along with the onions. Add the reserved liquid as you go. Taste for salt.
- The toppings: When ready to serve, set out bowls of the crema, chicken, beans. Toss the lettuce with the olive oil and vinegar and set it out.
- Layering: Spread each tortilla with a couple tablespoons of beans, chicken, then about 1/4 cup of the lettuce. Drizzle some crema on top.
- Spoon on the tomatilla salsa and dust with cheese.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush both sides of tortillas with olive oil. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 3 minutes, flip, and bake for additional 3 minutes. Once tortillas are done baking, sprinkle with salt and begin to assemble tostadas. Oven baked tostada shells are best served right out of the oven. While tortillas are baking make sure all toppings are ready to go.
Notes
Nutrition
Black Bean Tostadas … It’s What’s For Dinner
From the Kitchen of Lea Ann Brown, A Denver Area Food Blog, recipes with Western flair
HOW DO BAKE A TOSTADAS?
Love this, Lea Ann! Especially the tip on baking the tostada. Mine often puff when I try to fry them.
Thanks for the tip about baking the tortillas…I’m going to have to try that.
You’re welcome Karen. Of course fried are better, I’m just not a good fryer.
Hi Lea Ann, Just wanted you to know that you won the cookbook I had for a giveaway. Please email me with your address so I can send it to you.
Thank you so much Penny. I’ve emailed you.
I love tomatillo salsa! The best. Thanks for sharing this recipe, love your blog!
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and taking the time to comment Jessica. I couldn’t tell you what kind of salsa I like best, they’re all good to me. 🙂
What a great way to use up left over chicken!
I love the flavor combo…
Thanks RMW. Always good to hear from you.
Nevermind 🙂 I see above the recipe that you mentioned rotisserie chicken.
Sounds like I need to add it to the recipe. Thanks for letting me know.
ps: I don’t see chicken listed in the list of ingredients. Are you using grilled chicken breast?
Thanks for letting me know.
Thank you for the instructions on baking tortillas, Lea Ann! I can’t wait to try it and these delicious-looking tostadas. Tostadas are one of the very first Mexican foods that I tasted and I still love them.
And they are so easy for weeknights.
I love tostadas too! And I’m loving this one with the tangy romaine.. sounds delicious!
You’ve got to try that tangy romaine Jenn. Thanks to Rick Bayless for that trick.
Thanks for the recipe for making a great tortilla. I’ve never tried it like that and am anxious to try
I actually have a corn tortilla with an egg inside every morning for breakfast. But I just toast it lightly in the same pan as the egg….just firm enough, but not so firm I can’t fold it.
That corn tortilla/egg is a great idea for breakfast. My nutritionist friend would love you for that one.
Looks good! I’ve never put the torts in the oven.. will have to try that.
I just learned to use the oven for these Karen. I don’t have a deep fryer and just never quite got it right.
These tostadas looks really tasty! Next to good southern BBQ, Mexican food is my next favorite. I love almost all the traditional dishes.
Me too Curt. I’m so pleased that you stopped by my blog and the comment. I love all the traditional dishes and find myself being a little snobish about “good” Mexican Food. Some of can be too cheesy and greasy.
I am all about Mexican food. I like to bake my tortillas too when I’m in a mood to be on the healthier side. When I’m going for super crispy I stick my tortillas in the freezer for half an hour to an hour and fry them in super hot oil until nice and brown. They might fall apart on you but what a delicious mess! Your tostadas look really wonderful.
That’s my problem Karen. I’m not a good fryer. Probably don’t get the oil hot enough.
I’ve always had problems with tortillas too and now thanks to your instructions about how to bake them, those problems are out the window. Thanks. I’m always ready for Mexican food and love anything with black beans.
Sam
Thanks Sam. I find that corn tortillas can be rather finicky. Even when I’m heating a tortilla for soft corn tacos they don’t always behave as they should.
I love the formula for tostadas … genius! And I have two giant bags of tomatillos in the freezer from last summer’s garden. I am inspired! Thank you.
P. S. that salsa photo is beautiful!
Genius????? 🙂 I swear I’m going to grow tomatillos this next year. Never knew you could freeze them. What did you do to them? Just throw them in a bag? That salsa photo just got accepted by one of the big food porn sites who never accept my photos. I was floored.
Congratulations! The colors are wonderful in that photo – very eye catching. As for freezing tomatillos, I just cut them in half and put them on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once frozen, I put them in a bag. I chop them for chili and soups during the winter. You can bet I’m going to try them in a salsa. 🙂
Thanks for the freezing tomatilla instructions. And, btw, those dishes are a new set I got for Christmas.
yes to everything about this recipe !
Yes! 🙂
I love recipes that start with rotisserie chicken. Great food without the hassle of roasting a chicken at home. Funny, I am roasting a chicken tonight for dinner! I will use leftovers in a tostada this week.
Me too Holly. Love the texture and flavor of rotisserie chicken.