Easy Ground Beef Tostadas

Name: Easy Ground Beef Tostadas
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 3 (6-8 tostadas)
Ingredients: 6-8 tostadas; 1 cup refried beans; 1/4 head cabbage (or lettuce); 1-2 cups shredded cheese (I used Queso Fresco); Freshly chopped cilantro; Crema (or sour cream); 2-3 limes; 1 lb. ground beef; 1/2 small onion (or 1/4 larger onion); 2 garlic cloves; 1-2 chipotles in adobo; 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce from the can; 1 tablespoon chile powder (optional); 1/4 teaspoon cumin; 2-3 teaspoons Mexican oregano; 3/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste); freshly cracked black pepper; splash of water; 2-3 plum tomatoes; 1/2 small onion; 1 garlic clove; 1-2 chipotles in adobo; pinch of salt (optional)

User Reviews

5.0

12 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings
3 (6-8 tostadas)
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Mexican

Easy Ground Beef Tostadas

Ximena Brandt

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I've been in tostada heaven the past few weeks! These Ground Beef Tostadas are easy to make and tremendously satisfying.

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Ingredients

Servings

6-8 tostadas
1 cup refried beans
1/4 head cabbage (or lettuce)
1-2 cups shredded cheese (I used Queso Fresco)
Freshly chopped cilantro
Crema (or sour cream)
2-3 limes

For the Ground Beef:

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 small onion (or 1/4 larger onion)
2 garlic cloves
1-2 chipotles in adobo
1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce from the can
1 tablespoon chile powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2-3 teaspoons Mexican oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
freshly cracked black pepper
splash of water

For the Tomato Chipotle Salsa:

2-3 plum tomatoes
1/2 small onion
1 garlic clove
1-2 chipotles in adobo
pinch of salt (optional)

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Instructions

To make the Salsa, start by rinsing and de-stemming 2-3 plum tomatoes. Roast the tomatoes in the oven at 400F for 20 minutes or so. Once roasted, add the tomatoes to a blender along with: 1/2 small onion, 1 peeled garlic clove, 1-2 chipotles in adobo, and a pinch of salt (optional). Combine well and taste for heat. I used 2 chipotles to make a fiery batch, but for a milder version start with a single chipotle (or half of one) and take a taste -- to increase heat simply add more chipotle and blend together. Note: I usually de-stem and de-seed the chipotles.
For the refried beans I grabbed a single cup of Improvised Pot Beans and mashed 'em up in a skillet over medium heat. I don't think the flavor of the beans is crucial for these tostadas, but if you want to experiment with making your own refried beans then see the Killer Refried Bean recipe.
For the Ground Beef, start by finely chopping 1/2 small onion (or 1/4 larger onion). Sweat the onion in some oil over medium heat. Once the onion has softened add the pound of ground beef, cooking until it is browned. Once browned you can drain off any fat if you want. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for 30-60 seconds, and then add the remaining ingredients: 1-2 diced chipotles in adobo, 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce from the can, 1 tablespoon chile powder (optional), 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 2-3 teaspoons Mexican oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a splash of water. Combine well over medium heat and then take a final taste for seasoning. I added another generous pinch of salt to this batch. Once you're happy with the flavor, turn heat down to low to keep warm. Note: I usually scrape out the seeds of the chipotles.
Be sure to warm up the tostada shells if using store-bought shells. I crisped up thin corn tortillas for some homemade tostada shells. To do that, rub a thin layer of oil on each side of the corn tortillas using your fingers or a pastry brush. Give them 4-5 minutes per side in the oven at 400F, or until they are crispy and just starting to turn a darker brown. See Homemade Tostada Shells for some pics on this process.
For the cabbage I sliced up 1/4 head green cabbage and tossed it with the juice of a single lime and a pinch of salt.
Prepare the remaining ingredients. For me that meant crumbling the Queso Fresco and chopping up some fresh cilantro. Feel free to use whatever cheese you have available.
Once the tostadas are warm it's time to build your masterpiece! For me that meant loading each tostada with: a thin layer of refried beans, plenty of the ground beef mixture, a few spoonfuls of Tomato Chipotle Salsa, cabbage, Queso Fresco, freshly chopped cilantro, a drizzle of Crema, and a final squeeze of lime.
Serve immediately and enjoy!