Crispy Vegetarian Mexican Pizza Tostadas
Have we taken a moment to talk about Mexican pizzas yet? Surely we must have! They've been drive-thru poison of choice for more years than I care to confess. Though I'd always order them sans beef, they were still far from healthy. Regardless, I insisted that I did not, under any circumstances, want to know what was in them...
Sand. There's freaking sand in the tortillas.
It's actually silica, to be more exact, which is supposed to make the tortillas crispier or prevent caking or breakage or who-cares-what. All I could think of was the horror I felt as a kid watching my little brother shove fistfuls of sand in his mouth as we played in the sandbox. Though I may have spent countless afternoons conning him into eating the dog's treats, I draw the line at the sandbox. Yuck. I'm not sure I can ever knowingly order a sand pizza from the drive-through ever again. I bet John can.
He's going to kill me for that.
If you're partial to sand-free Mex pizzas as well, I whipped up a healthy alternative for lunch the other day! I had a few heaping cups of leftover filling from my triple-bean flautas as well as a pile of corn tortillas that were just begging to be reintroduced to my face. It was no-brainer, really.
Mexican Pizza Tostadas the basics:
2 cups leftover triple bean flauta filling or use the scaled down recipe below
1/2-1 cup refried beans
4-8 small yellow corn tortillas
a few tablespoons of your favorite taco/enchilada sauce
the beans:
1/2 cup onion (I mixed white and red) 1/2 TBSP oil (olive, coconut, or avocado) 1/2 large bell pepper, diced 1 cup black beans 1 cup chickpeas 1/2 cup cannellini or pinto beans 1/4 cup salsa verde 1/2 TBSP chili powder 1/2 TBSP garlic powder 1/2 TBSP cumin a pinch of cayenne pepper or paprika a pinch of oregano fresh chopped cilantro, to taste salt, to taste
the toppings:
measurement schmeasurments; pile on your favorites from the list below:
freshly grated cheese
fresh chopped cilantro
chopped green onion
tomatoes
jalapenos
salsa
pico de gallo
guacamole
sour cream or greek yogurt
shredded lettuce
sliced mini bell peppers
red pepper flakes
sliced olives
etc...
vegansaurus chefs skip the cheese and load up on salsa and guac
t-rex chefs add shredded chicken (recipe), pork, or your carne of choice
There are two different ways you can introduce these to your face. The first method would be tostada-style where you place a layer of flavorful bean-y goodness atop the crispy tortilla and assault it with cheese and toppings galore. The second method involves layering the tortillas with hot melty cheese and beans between each layer. Of course you'll want to plaster them in toppings too, so the main question you'll want to ask yourself is if you want a single or double? I went with a triple, because I like to live dangerously.
By live dangerously, I mean it was simply more fun to photograph that way! When I'm not trying to impress anyone and plan on simply stuffing my face while standing in the kitchen, wearing a baby, and simultaneously trying to clean up after myself WHILE eating, well then I just make a double and call it a day. Extra cheese and toppings on mine, please and thank you.
Ooh! Before I forget, if you use the scaled down version of the triple-bean fillng above you'll still have a little bit left over. You can store it in the fridge to make another pizza or two for lunch the next day or slap it in a taco or quesadilla and enjoy a quick meal with it! The recipe above makes four mini pizzas.
Now let's get cooking! instructions:
Combine two cups of (flauta filling) or the bean and veggie recipe above (simply saute the onions in oil, drain and rinse the beans, and then combine with remaining ingredients) with a half to full cup of refried beans and heat in a sauce pot on the stove on medium-low until hot. While it cooks, chop and grate your toppings and set aside. I went with freshly grated gouda and white cheddar cheeses, fresh jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and red pepper flakes. I also used an all-natural enchilada sauce to add a little extra oomph at the end.
For the tortillas, preheat your oven or toaster oven to 400F. Wrap 4 tortillas in moderately damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds on high. If you're making 8, only nuke four at a time so they properly steam. Rub each tortilla with olive or coconut oil (just drizzle a little in your hands and massage away!) and place directly on the rack so that both edges are supported enough to lay each tortilla completely flat. I used a toaster oven so this was easy, if you're using your oven you might want to employ a wire cooling rack (like this) to prevent them from falling to their doom. Bake for 8-10 minutes, turning over at the halfway point, until golden brown.
2 cups leftover triple bean flauta filling or use the scaled down recipe below
1/2-1 cup refried beans
4-8 small yellow corn tortillas
a few tablespoons of your favorite taco/enchilada sauce
the beans:
1/2 cup onion (I mixed white and red) 1/2 TBSP oil (olive, coconut, or avocado) 1/2 large bell pepper, diced 1 cup black beans 1 cup chickpeas 1/2 cup cannellini or pinto beans 1/4 cup salsa verde 1/2 TBSP chili powder 1/2 TBSP garlic powder 1/2 TBSP cumin a pinch of cayenne pepper or paprika a pinch of oregano fresh chopped cilantro, to taste salt, to taste
the toppings:
measurement schmeasurments; pile on your favorites from the list below:
freshly grated cheese
fresh chopped cilantro
chopped green onion
tomatoes
jalapenos
salsa
pico de gallo
guacamole
sour cream or greek yogurt
shredded lettuce
sliced mini bell peppers
red pepper flakes
sliced olives
etc...
vegansaurus chefs skip the cheese and load up on salsa and guac
t-rex chefs add shredded chicken (recipe), pork, or your carne of choice
There are two different ways you can introduce these to your face. The first method would be tostada-style where you place a layer of flavorful bean-y goodness atop the crispy tortilla and assault it with cheese and toppings galore. The second method involves layering the tortillas with hot melty cheese and beans between each layer. Of course you'll want to plaster them in toppings too, so the main question you'll want to ask yourself is if you want a single or double? I went with a triple, because I like to live dangerously.
By live dangerously, I mean it was simply more fun to photograph that way! When I'm not trying to impress anyone and plan on simply stuffing my face while standing in the kitchen, wearing a baby, and simultaneously trying to clean up after myself WHILE eating, well then I just make a double and call it a day. Extra cheese and toppings on mine, please and thank you.
Ooh! Before I forget, if you use the scaled down version of the triple-bean fillng above you'll still have a little bit left over. You can store it in the fridge to make another pizza or two for lunch the next day or slap it in a taco or quesadilla and enjoy a quick meal with it! The recipe above makes four mini pizzas.
Now let's get cooking! instructions:
Combine two cups of (flauta filling) or the bean and veggie recipe above (simply saute the onions in oil, drain and rinse the beans, and then combine with remaining ingredients) with a half to full cup of refried beans and heat in a sauce pot on the stove on medium-low until hot. While it cooks, chop and grate your toppings and set aside. I went with freshly grated gouda and white cheddar cheeses, fresh jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and red pepper flakes. I also used an all-natural enchilada sauce to add a little extra oomph at the end.
For the tortillas, preheat your oven or toaster oven to 400F. Wrap 4 tortillas in moderately damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds on high. If you're making 8, only nuke four at a time so they properly steam. Rub each tortilla with olive or coconut oil (just drizzle a little in your hands and massage away!) and place directly on the rack so that both edges are supported enough to lay each tortilla completely flat. I used a toaster oven so this was easy, if you're using your oven you might want to employ a wire cooling rack (like this) to prevent them from falling to their doom. Bake for 8-10 minutes, turning over at the halfway point, until golden brown.
Remember when I told you to choose between two options earlier? Well it's crunch time -- literally! Whichever method you go with, you'll essentially be doing the same thing. Spread the crunchy tortilla with the beans, drizzle with taco sauce, enchilada sauce, or even hot sauce and top with freshly grated cheese. Lots of it. Then either stack it or return it by it's lonesome to the oven/toaster atop a sheet of foil or a baking pan to melt the cheeses. Once you've achieved melty perfection, pile on as many toppings as you can physically muster and commence faceplant.
so... how were they!?
A heck of a lot better than sand pizzas! I've been making these with plain ole refried beans for a while now but they were always a wee bit boring. The triple-bean filling provided the flavor punch that took these to the next level. The top level. Super-posh penthouse, even. Just... yum!
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