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    15 Minute Meals – Easy Baked Tostadas With Beans & Avocado

    By Jaime Published in Recipes Last Updated on April 23, 2020

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    You may remember that we don’t eat much meat in our family. These easy baked tostadas (made with refried beans and smashed avocado!) are one of our favorite go-to 15 minute meals when we’re in a pinch.

    This easy baked tostadas recipe is one of our family's favorite 15 minute meals!

    There are many recipes using tostada shells out there, but this one is truly easy and cheap to make. Nothing fancy here. Just being real — this is a simple dinner for a busy family. It doesn’t look like much, but everyone loves it and I can have it on the table in 15 minutes or less.

    My mother made these when I was a kid, and she still makes them when we come to visit. For a long time, when you would ask my oldest son about this favorite food, he would quickly smile and reply, “Tostadas!”

    Where to buy tostada shells

    We buy our tostada shells from our local Aldi store. There are 21 in the package, which lasts at least two meals for my family. They’re made from white corn flour, and each tostada shell is 110 calories.

    If you have a hard time finding them, or don’t have an Aldi near you, you can also buy tostada shells on Amazon.

    Some people substitute with tortillas, but baked tostadas taste so much better. Their delicious crunchiness is hard to beat!

    You might also like:

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    Package of tostadas from Aldi

    Easy Baked Tostadas Recipe

    • Tostada shells
    • Can of refried beans (or smashed pinto beans)
    • 1/2 packet of taco seasoning
    • Shredded cheddar cheese
    • Avocado
    • Lime juice
    • Salt
    • Optional toppings: Lettuce, onion, tomato, salsa

    Turn on your oven’s broiler. Layer tostada shells on a large baking sheet.

    While the broiler is heating up, warm up the refried beans in a small saucepan or microwave safe bowl, stirring frequently.

    Can of refried beans

    Stir the 1/2 packet of taco seasoning into bean mixture, then spread evenly onto each tostada shell. Be gentle or the shells will have a tendency to break. It’s up to you how thick/thin you want the bean layer to be — for example, one of our kids doesn’t like beans very much, so I only spread a very thin layer on his.

    Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on each tostada.

    Place in broiler until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown. Keep an eye on them, because this only takes a couple minutes. You don’t want burnt tostadas!

    In a separate bowl, mash the avocado. Stir in a tablespoon or two of lime juice and a pinch of salt.

    Top your baked tostadas with the smashed avocado mixture, and any of the optional toppings: finely chopped onion, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and/or salsa.

    Baked tostadas on a plate

    A few notes about these baked tostadas

    Often, refried beans contain lard, which is an animal product. If you’re vegetarian, vegan,  or on the Daniel Fast, you can look for vegan refried beans in the store (no lard), or you can simply mash up your own pinto beans. If you prepare dried pinto beans beforehand, once you’ve cooked them and mashed them you’ll find they have a wonderful, buttery texture — it’s just a bonus that they’re healthy, too! We’ve done this several times. Just remember to leave off the cheese, or use an acceptable vegan cheese substitute.

    Alternatively, if you have big meat-eaters in your house, it’s easy to add a bit of shredded chicken or ground beef as a topping for them.

    Enjoy! I hope your family loves them as much as we do!

    Let’s chat soon,

     

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    You can take a look at my recommendations page for products and web sites that will help you on your debt free journey.

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    About Jaime

    Hi, I'm Jaime. With my master's degree in leadership and church ministry, plus over 20 years of real life ministry experience (where I've served as the pastor's wife, ministry leader, adjunct professor, and more) I'm on a mission to come alongside you so we can grow together in our faith journey.

    I've been mentioned on Huffington Post, Business Insider, Yahoo, The Penny Hoarder, and more. Welcome!

    Comments

    1. Vicki M says

      May 31, 2019 at 6:13 pm

      How long do the tostada shells stay fresh once the package is opened? My husband and I would only eat 4 or 5 at one meal.
      Thanks. These sound delicious!

      Reply
      • Jaime says

        June 4, 2019 at 4:08 am

        Vicki, I just clip the bag and use as needed. They’ve always lasted at least a couple of weeks for us 🙂

        Reply
    2. Tracie says

      November 10, 2020 at 12:14 am

      Hi, love this recipe. I also love to here your a sister in the Lord!

      Reply
      • Jaime says

        November 10, 2020 at 8:40 am

        Thank you Tracie! Glad you’re here!

        Reply
    3. Iris says

      January 7, 2021 at 5:16 am

      Can you eat cheese on the Daniel fast?

      Reply
      • Jaime says

        January 7, 2021 at 10:21 am

        No animal products are permitted, which is why we made sure to mention this in the post:

        “If you’re vegetarian, vegan, or on the Daniel Fast, you can look for vegan refried beans in the store (no lard), or you can simply mash up your own pinto beans. If you prepare dried pinto beans beforehand, once you’ve cooked them and mashed them you’ll find they have a wonderful, buttery texture — it’s just a bonus that they’re healthy, too! We’ve done this several times. Just remember to leave off the cheese, or use an acceptable vegan cheese substitute.”

        Hope that helps!

        Reply
    4. Daphyne R Hough says

      January 12, 2021 at 2:24 pm

      If the cheese is omitted, do we still broil the tostadas?

      Reply
      • Jaime says

        January 13, 2021 at 6:31 am

        No need to broil. We usually put them in a microwave for about thirty seconds instead.

        Reply
    5. Aidan Pratt says

      April 30, 2021 at 11:21 am

      Hi there, Do you have any other suggestions for a second layer for someone who doesn’t like avocado?

      Reply

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