Avocado Tostadas

These are not your average avocado toast, these crispy Avocado Tostadas will have you asking for more! Avocado, refried beans, cheese & tostada. Easy, tasty & only 4 ingredients!

Since Bryan is now home all day (shelter-in-place order), I have been cooking lunches during the week. Cooking 2 times a day can be stressful. That’s why I’m always looking for something easy. This tostada is exactly that.

This recipe all started with Bryan. We had leftover tostadas at home, and Bryan thought they would be good with refried beans, cotija cheese and some protein. That is what my mother-in-law used to make for Bryan when he was young. Avocado was my idea, since it’s the creamy and a good substitution for meat.

To make the tostada extra good, I made my own refried beans using canned beans following my mother-in-law’s recipe. It’s actually surprisingly easy, but required a little extra time. First, sauté some onions. Then blend with the black beans. Last, cook again until thickened and darken. Who knew onion makes the refried bean so much more complex in flavors? Since cooking the beans takes a while, I like to make the refried beans a day ahead. When I need the refried beans, I can just heat it up in microwave. No problem!

Cotija cheese is also important in this recipe. Bryan called them “cheese salt”. They’re a little bit salty and umami. Instead of seasoning with salt, I add cotija in these tostadas. Don’t be afraid to add more!

Creamy avocado, salty cotija, savory refried beans and crispy tostada. It’s delicious and filling. And of course, easy to put together. I can’t wait to make this again! Enjoy!

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Avocado Tostadas

Course Appetizer, Lunch

Cuisine Latin American

Keyword avocado, avocado tostada, black bean, cotija cheese, easy lunch, lunch recipe, refried bean, tostada

Servings 2 people

Author Lokness

Ingredients

• 2 ounces cotija cheese
• 1 cup refried black beans (canned or homemade)
• 3 small ripe avocados
• 5 tostadas

Homemade Refried Black Beans:

• 5 tablepsoons vegetable oil
• 2/3 medium yellow onion (sliced)
• 1 can black beans (15.5-ounce)

Instructions

• For homemade refried beans (skip if using canned refried beans), in a medium skillet over medium heat, warm the oil. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
• In a blender, scoop out the beans from the can and leave most of the liquid inside the can. Add ¾ of liquid into the blender. Add the cooked onion, but not the oil. Blend until almost smooth. Transfer the beans back to the same skillet with the oil in it. Cook until it starts to bubble over medium heat. Then, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the beans are darkened and thickened (like a paste), about 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge if not using right away.
• For the tostada, preheat the oven to 200˚F (95˚C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, crumble the cheese with your fingers into small pieces.
• In a small bowl, add refried black beans and warm in the microwave if it’s not hot.
• Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Remove the flesh carefully with a large spoon in one piece. Put onto a cutting board and cut into slices. Repeat with the rest.
• Put the tostadas on the baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes.
• To assemble, scoop and spread a layer of refried beans on each tostada. Sprinkle with some cotija cheese. Gently lay avocado slices on top. Sprinkle with more cotija cheese. Serve immediately.

Notes

1. This recipe is enough for 2 people as lunch. 2 tostadas for me and 3 for my husband.
2. Cotija cheese is a Mexican hard cheese. Very common. It can be found in most local grocery stores. 
3. For the refried beans, you can use canned version or make your own. Homemade version will have more flavors. I like to make the refried beans a day ahead, so it’s quicker and easier to assemble for lunch.
4. The canned black beans I got is from Goya. 
5. Tostada is a fried corn tortilla. Instead of coming in little triangles like tortilla chips, these are round just like a tortilla. Top them with all different kind of things and eat as whole. You can easily find them in grocery stores in a pack along with the regular tortillas. My go-to brand is Guerrero. 
6. Tostadas taste so much better after a quick toasting in the oven. It’s a must for me.
7. I didn’t add any seasoning to this recipe. Black beans, tostadas and cotija all contained salt. If your avocado tostadas are not seasoned enough, you can add more cotija. That should be enough.