By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 45 minutes to 1 hour
- Rating
- 5(270)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Refried heirloom vaquero beans add a special touch to these tostadas, but black beans work, too. I have always had a weakness for black bean tostadas. These are not unlike Oaxacan tlayudas, though this recipe doesn’t call for that dish’s signature extra-large corn tortillas. I used luxurious black and white vaqueros from Rancho Gordo for these, but black beans will also work well. Cook them yourself (don’t use canned), because you’ll need the delicious broth. I don’t refry them for as long as I normally would because I like them moist, and vaqueros are starchier than black beans.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 tostadas, serving 4 to 8
- 1tablespoon grape seed oil or canola oil
- 2teaspoons cumin seeds, ground
- 4cups simmered black beans or vaquero beans, with liquid
- 8corn tortillas
- ¾pound ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 to 2serrano or jalapeño chiles (to taste), minced
- 2slices red or white onion, finely chopped and soaked for 5 minutes in water to cover, then drained, rinsed, and drained on paper towels
- ¼cup chopped cilantro (more to taste)
- 1teaspoon fresh lime juice (optional)
- 1small ripe Hass avocado, cut in small dice
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
609 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 102 grams carbohydrates; 26 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 43 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pan (I use a heavy nonstick pan for this) and add cumin. When it is sizzling, add beans with their liquid and turn up heat to medium-high. Cook beans, mashing with the back of your spoon and stirring often, until they are thick but still fairly moist, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Every so often a layer of thick broth should begin to stick to the pan. Stir that into the beans – it has a lot of flavor. The smashed beans will continue to dry even after you remove from the heat.
Step
2
Toast the tortillas. For really crisp tortillas, heat one at a time (2 if you have a large enough microwave to fit 2 without the tortillas overlapping) in a microwave for 1 minute on full power. Flip tortilla over and microwave for 30 seconds to a minute more on full power, until crisp. You can also toast them in a dry pan or directly over the flame, but this will not crisp the tortillas, it will just char them.
Step
3
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, chiles, onion, and cilantro. Season to taste with salt. Stir in lime juice and the avocado. Let sit for 15 to 30 minutes for the best flavor.
Step
4
Spread about ½ cup of the refried beans over each tortilla. Top with a generous spoonful of salsa. Place a handful of shredded lettuce or cabbage on top and if desired a little more salsa on the lettuce. Sprinkle on some white cheese, and serve.
- Advance preparation: The cooked black beans will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator. The refried beans will keep for as long but will continue to dry out, so you’ll want to moisten them with water or bean broth before you make the tostadas. And here's a recipe for simmered pinto beans that will work for black beans as well.
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270
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Cooking Notes
Sara
Soooo good. Tip: If you don't have a microwave (like us) you can toast the tortillas in the oven. Brush both sides lightly with oil, spread out in one layer without overlapping on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Makes perfectly crisp tortillas.
Nancy
The 4 cups refried beans listed at the end of the ingredient list are a mistake. At the beginning of the recipe there are the instructions for how to refry 4 cups of beans. That is enough refried beans for the recipe.
dimmerswitch
anca, Note the TIP at the bottom of the recipe references a recipe for simmered pinto beans that will also work for making black beans for this recipe. But the link is missing. Here it is. Hope it helps. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016030-a-big-pot-of-simmered-pintos...
dimmerswitch
Crisped the tortillas in oven instead of microwave (see Sara's tip on this thread.) These were delicious with recipe as written! And in poster LeslieMac being a person after my own tastebuds and appetite, I also found that one recipe served my husband and me with just a little leftover for a snack. I'd say stretching this to 4 - 8 servings per recipe works for more restrained appetites, but this was just SO good and healthy too so we didn't feel guilty.
Judith
This was a healthy dish for a week night supper but found it a little bland for my taste. Added some cumin and red pepper flakes to the beans as well as some ground ancho chiles. Dish had a nice fresh flavor and was filling but still fairly light.
Thomas K
I feel so naughty for frying flour tortillas for this. Please don’t judge. This is my family’s fav weeknight meal — we can’t get enough.
Laura G.
Handy if you've made a big pot of beans and are looking for more ways to eat them. Without the more piquant fixings, makes a nice breakfast or brunch. Would also make a good filling for Cal-Mex style burritos, with rice, cheese, and salsa.
SB
What a revelation! Crisping tortillas in the microwave gives them the right rigidity to be able to eat them by hand and need no oil. I used small corn tortillas and microwaved 45 secs per side. They came out better than with any other method I’ve tried before, either using a pan or air fryer. These would be perfect for breakfast tostadas…
Hannah
Can you add cheese to the ingredients list? I didn’t see until I already purchased everything.
Eldon
DELICIOUS. but the microwave tortilla crisping does not work even a little bit
Condiment queen
I like to use store-bought tostadas, which are crispy like giant tortilla chips. Top with beans and cheese and put them under the broiler for a minute or two. Add salsa and cabbage.
Thomas K
I feel so naughty for frying flour tortillas for this. Please don’t judge. This is my family’s fav weeknight meal — we can’t get enough.
ZGBNM
I happened to be making bacon (to eat with my eggs and these beans) so I added the bacon fat to the pan halfway through. Amazing. Smashing improves the bean flavor - can't believe I've been eating them any other way. Also, never knew this technique for making a tostada shell! Major improvements. Topped with the tomatillo and avocado salsa from nytimes. Very good.
DaZo
Amazing. Instant pot cooked some soaked beans, then added cooked beans in the cooking water. Added a bit of Better than Bouillon for salt and flavour. Replaced cilantro with Parsley. Results were delicious.
suzzles
Crisping tortillas in the microwave. Who knew? Worked great.Did them right on the turntable, no plate. Cut the rest of the package up and made chips, too!
John
Great dish. Even tastier leftover. Would be great in burritos and really worthy of being sold in a fine restaurant.
patricia
I sauteed some scallions, mushrooms and green pepper and added to the mashed beans. Easy to riff on, makes it lighter, too.Sour cream!
mez
I found the beans to be a bit flavorless. Added red wine vinegar to the salsa and it was the best part of the meal.
Maggie
This was delicious! I found it hard to get the timing right and keep the beans from getting to cold while preparing the tortillas. Also, be careful of heating the tortillas in the microwave. It worked well to crisp them up, but try using a different plate for each tortilla or at least switching between two. We kept one plate in the microwave and it resulted in an overheated microwave and a burnt hand!
fn
Good recipe and easy to tweet. Oven crisp or pan fry the tortillas. Please don’t microwave them. Also I used a can of black beans and added chicken broth as needed to mash them and keep them moist. Had some leftover chicken that I shredded on top,..lettuce and some sour cream. Will make again.
dimmerswitch
Crisped the tortillas in oven instead of microwave (see Sara's tip on this thread.) These were delicious with recipe as written! And in poster LeslieMac being a person after my own tastebuds and appetite, I also found that one recipe served my husband and me with just a little leftover for a snack. I'd say stretching this to 4 - 8 servings per recipe works for more restrained appetites, but this was just SO good and healthy too so we didn't feel guilty.
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