Loaded Beef Tostadas
They’re our take on this Mexican classic! Like an open-faced taco, our Loaded Beef Tostadas are made with homemade, from scratch ingredients for a delicious and nutritious meal!
It’s a Mexican classic, Served From Scratch style, made with all homemade from scratch ingredients! Our crispy tostadas (made with our tostada shells from scratch) are packed with fresh, whole food ingredients, making these Loaded Beef Tostadas a new favorite in our house! Even better, you can make most of the ingredients in advance for a quick and delicious assembly for those busy weeknight dinners or for fun at a taco party!
What are Tostadas
Simply put, they’re like a crispy open-faced taco! A crispy tostada shell is topped with, well, anything you want! Serve them as a meal, appetizer, or snack; tostadas are endlessly customizable and can be made with any of your favorite Mexican-inspired recipes!
Ingredients Needed
- Tostada Shells – This is one of our favorite new-from-scratch additions that can be baked or fried! Making your own tostada shells is so fun, but of course, you can also buy your favorite from the store or your local tienda.
- Refried Beans – If you haven’t made your own refried beans yet, let this be your sign to! They’re surprisingly easy to make and are great to make in advance!
- Ground Beef Taco Meat – The recipe uses our Homemade Taco Seasoning to sauté up the ground beef, but these tostadas are a great way to use up some leftover ground beef taco meat.
- Pico de Gallo – We love the texture that our fresh pico adds, but our Roasted Tomato Salsa would also be a delicious choice!
- Cotija Cheese – this crumbly, salty cheese is our preferred cheese for tostadas, but of course, you can use another shredded cheese.
- Avocado Cream Sauce – One of my favorite additions to a variety of our tacos!
- Cilantro – A little fresh herbal finish.
- Fresh Lime Juice – Just a little squeeze to add a final bit of bright acidity to tie it all together.
Easy to Make!
One of the best things about our Loaded Beef Tostadas is that you can make most of the ingredients in advance! The recipe card below will outline exactly how far in advance to make it and our suggestions, but trust me, you’re going to want to keep a container of our avocado cream sauce in your fridge for all of your taco and tostada needs!
Once you have it all ready, then it’s just assembling! A layer of refried beans, ground beef, pico de gallo, cotija, and then a healthy drizzle of the avocado cream sauce. For the ultimate drizzle, we love to use one of these squeeze bottles, which also makes storing and reducing oxidation (browning) of the avocados easier.
Finished just a little bit of fresh cilantro, and Loaded Beef Tostadas are done!
Make In Advance
Tostadas – You can make these a couple of days in advance, but we do prefer them freshly fried for the ultimate crunch, so we actually recommend, if you’re making them yourself, to make these fresh.
Ground Beef and Refried Beans – 1-2 days in advance is perfectly fine, just reheat when needed!
Pico de Gallo – This will last in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Avocado Cream Sauce – This is best the same day or the next day, but will last up to 3.
Taco Seasoning – This one you can make ahead and store for 6 months!
Emphasis on the loaded! Crunch, flavor, and soooo much deliciousness!
Other Topping Options
- Roasted Tomato Salsa
- Roasted Poblano Sauce
- Fresh Salsa Verde
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Easy Homemade Mexican Rice
- Easy Homemade Queso
- 10 Minute Spicy Shrimp
- Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
- Crock Pot Pork Verde
- Shrimp Ceviche
Layers of from-scratch goodness, from the tostada shell to the cream sauce!
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Loaded Beef Tostadas
Equipment
- squeeze bottle optional
Ingredients
- 8 tostada shells
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 cup refried beans
- 1 1/2 cups pico de gallo
- 1/2 – 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
- fresh cilantro
- fresh lime wedges
Avocado Cream Sauce
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Cook Ground Beef: Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Add 1/2 tablespoon of taco seasoning and saute for 6 minutes, stirring often. Add the remaining taco seasoning and mix well for the final 1-2 minutes of cooking. Drain and set cooked ground beef aside.
- Make Avocado Cream Sauce: Meanwhile, add all of the avocado cream sauce ingredients to a food processor and blend until creamy. Alternatively, you can use a fork to mash and mix it all in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Assemble: To create the loaded tostadas, add about 2 tablespoons of refried beans in an even layer on the tostada shell. Add about 1/4 cup of ground beef on top of the refried beans, then a spoonful of pico de gallo, some crumbled cotija cheese, a drizzle of avocado cream sauce, and then finish with some fresh minced cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Notes
Ground Beef and Refried Beans – 1-2 days in advance is perfectly fine, just reheat when needed!
Pico de Gallo – This will last in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Avocado Cream Sauce – This is best the same day or the next day, but will last up to 3.
Taco Seasoning – This one you can make ahead and store for 6 months! Additional Toppings Sauces: Roasted Tomato Salsa, Roasted Poblano Sauce, Fresh Salsa Verde, Easy Homemade Queso Meats: 10 Min Spicy Shrimp, Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken, Crock Pot Pork Verde, Shrimp Ceviche Other: Mexican Street Corn Salad, Easy Homemade Mexican Rice
